Highly pathogenic bird flu continues its spread in Europe, whilst analysis from the UK shows no links between outbreaks in domestic birds. By Thursday (19th January), there had been 19 cases of H5N8 avian flu reported in wild birds in the UK, and four in poultry from farms and backyard flocks, though analysis from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) showed no link between the outbreaks, which are thought to have been caused by contact with infected wild birds.  

The disease remains a major problem in mainland Europe, where France - one of the EU’s major poultry producers - has been hit especially hard. By Friday (20th January) there had been 158 cases reported on farms in France, and eight in wild birds. The cases in poultry in France are concentrated in the South-West of the country, and there has been evidence of disease spreading from farm-to-farm since the earliest domestic cases were reported.

France has started a ‘preventative slaughtering’ programme in the Gers, Landes and part of the Hautes Pyrenees regions, due to the extent of the disease’s spread in the area. There have been more cases detected as flocks are tested as part of this process. On Thursday, French agriculture minister Stephane Le Foll announced that keepers will be compensated for their losses, with payments being made by early March. He also urged the sector to learn from the crisis, and said state officials will be working with industry bodies to develop new biosecurity regimes, as the spate of H5N8 outbreaks that have rocked the poultry sector since late November come less than a year after another devastating bird flu outbreak in the region.

In total, disease and the slaughtering programme in France have cost the lives of 1.8 million birds in the South-West, where there is an exceptionally high density of poultry farms.   

Last week, outbreaks in Europe moved south, with Spain, Italy and Slovenia reporting the first cases in wild birds, and an outbreak on a farm in Greece.

Public Health England has said there is no evidence that the virus poses a threat to humans, though it is highly contagious and carries serious risks for susceptible species of bird.

In its latest report on Thursday, APHA urged poultry keepers to remain alert, and highlighted that there are a number of possibly pathways for bird flu to affect domestic flocks. Measures requiring domestic birds to be housed and kept away from wild species, and restrictions on certain bird shows and events, remain in place until at least the end of February, but APHA officials warned that housing alone is not enough to eliminate the risk to domestic birds. Even in this cold weather, the virus will remain contagious in certain substances, like water, and so environmental contamination remains a real risk; keepers in areas where wildfowl or gulls are common are urged to pay extra attention to disinfecting and personal biosecurity.

Defra’s chief vet released a video giving advice to bird keepers earlier this month, which can be watched below: