A case of bird flu has been detected in wild birds in France. The French agriculture department revealed on Monday that H5N8 bird flu was confirmed over the weekend in ducks in the northern Pas-de Calais department, which borders the Strait of Dover. The H5N8 strain of flu has been detected in wild birds and on farms in a number of central and northern European countries in recent weeks.

Authorities detected the virus in 20 wild waterfowl, which are commonly hunted in the region. The agriculture department immediately put disease control measures in place. The ducks at two sites, one 4km from the outbreak location, have been killed under these control measures and two surveillance zones have been established around the sites.

H5N8 bird flu, thought to be carried by migrating birds, was detected in the UK in November 2014; an outbreak was reported in farmed ducks in Yorkshire, leading the ducks on the farm to be killed under disease control measures, and a surveillance zone to be established around the farm.

France recently tightened biosecurity rules in response to outbreaks of bird flu in neighbouring countries Germany and Switzerland. In Britain, farmers have been asked to remain alert to the signs of bird flu in their flocks, and to refresh their memories on good biosecurity practice (more information on both subjects is available from Defra, here). Anyone who finds dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese, ducks) or gulls, or 5 or more dead wild birds of other species in the same location, is advised to report the deaths to the Defra helpline: 03459 33 55 77.

The last update on the spate of outbreaks from UK authorities, published by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on 18th November, elevated the risk of bird flu crossing the Channel to ‘Medium’.

As the French H5N8 case is not in domestic birds, it does not affect the country’s progress towards gaining bird-flu status, which it lost after a series of outbreaks in the South-West (a major poultry rearing region) earlier this year. In the absence of another outbreak, France is set to recover its official free status next December.