Bird flu continues to circulate in continental Europe, as fresh control measures have been introduced in Britain to protect flocks against potential outbreaks of high pathogenicity bird flu, thought to be spread by migrating birds.

Romania is the only new country to have reported outbreaks in the past week, but there have been more cases of H5N8 flu detected in France and over 100 cases in domestic poultry across the EU as a whole. There have been 66 new cases reported in the past week, and these have all been in central or western Europe.

In Defra’s latest update on the situation, published on Wednesday, disease surveillance experts suggest that there has been disease transfer occurring between farms in France and Hungary, in spite of the restrictive biosecurity measures announced by the French government ahead of the first outbreak in November.

Almost all of the latest outbreaks reported in Hungary have been the result of the virus spreading between farms. Following the first outbreak in domestic birds - at a duck farm in the Tarn department - there have been six more cases in France, which authorities believe all stem from this first instance of H5N8 flu.

Cases in kept birds have now been detected in the departments of Tarn, Gers, Let-et-Garonne and the Haute Pyrenees (as well as two outbreaks in wild birds in the North and East of France). The cases in domestic poultry are all in the South-West, where a number of strains of bird flu (H5 N1, N2 and N9) affected the area’s large poultry sector last year. France was on track to recover its official bird flu-free status earlier this month but the first case of H5N8 flu in domestic poultry was reported on 2nd December, the eve of the status change.   

As some of these ‘secondary’ cases detected in France were outside the original control zone, strict housing requirements have been expanded by French authorities to cover all of mainland France and the national risk status has been raised to ‘High’.

In response to the outbreaks in France, a number of the country’s trading partners have suspended imports of French poultry products. French authorities have complained that their partners have not respected the rules of the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE), which state that only products from the affected region should be subject to trade restrictions.

The agriculture department said in a statement this week that “The management of this new episode of avian flu depends on the action and commitment of all actors in the [agriculture] sector.”

Despite the rapid spread seen on the continent, the UK government’s Animal and Plant health Agency (APHA) believes that the risk of bird flu arriving on UK shores remains ‘Medium’. Even so, the Chief Veterinary Officer this week declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone across all England where increased biosecurity measures, including housing “where practicable”, are required for domestic poultry and other captive birds. Authorities in Scotland and Wales have introduced similar measures.

Farmers, bird keepers and members of the public are urged to contact Defra’s helpline on 03459 33 55 77 if they witness any suspicious bird die-offs.