A case of avian flu was conmfirmed on a duck breeding farm in Yorkshire on 16 November 2014. Immediate action has been taken, including introducing a 10km restriction zone and culling all poultry on the farm to prevent any potential spread of infection.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said it has confirmed at least one case of the virus at the farm near Driffield in Yorkshire.

But they insisted the risk to public health is “very low”, and said they are embarking on a cull of all poultry at the stricken farm.

A Defra spokeswoman said: “We have confirmed a case of avian flu on a duck breeding farm in Yorkshire - the public health risk is very low and there is no risk to the food chain.

“We are taking immediate and robust action which includes introducing a 10km restriction zone and culling all poultry on the farm to prevent any potential spread of infection. A detailed investigation is ongoing.

“Investigations are now ongoing to discover whether the outbreak is linked to cases found in Netherlands and Germany with further test results expected over the coming days. We have a strong track record of controlling and eliminating previous outbreaks of avian flu in the UK.”

Outbreak of H5N8 in Holland

Dutch authorities have determined that the bird flu detected at a poultry farm in the central Netherlands is the highly contagious H5N8 strain. Until recently, H5N8 had never been detected in Europe.

The virus was first detected at a poultry farm in the village of Hekendorp, 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of Amsterdam late on Saturday. The authorities said they were in the process of slaughtering all 150,000 birds at the farm. It wasn't immediately clear how birds at the farm had become infected.

The government has also imposed a 72-hour ban on the transport of all poultry products including eggs, manure and used straw to and from all poultry farms in the country.

How to spot avian influenza

There are 2 types of avian influenza.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is the more serious type. It is often fatal in birds.

The main clinical signs of HPAI in birds are:

• swollen head
• blue discolouration of neck and throat
• loss of appetite
• respiratory distress such as gaping beak, coughing, sneezing, gurgling, rattling
• diarrhoea
• fewer eggs laid

Low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) is usually less serious. It can cause mild breathing problems, but affected birds will not always show clear signs of infection.

The severity of LPAI depends on the type of bird and whether it has any other illnesses.

Risk to humans

Some strains of avian influenza can pass to humans, but this is very rare. It usually requires very close contact between the human and infected birds.

The Food Standards Agency advises that properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.