Local health officials announced on Tuesday that France has detected a “highly pathogenic” type of avian flu at an agricultural farm near the Belgian border. A statement from the Welsh Ministry of Agriculture said avian flu has been detected on a farm for the first time since a severe outbreak last winter, although four cases in wild animals and three other cases in domestic birds have already been detected .
All birds in the affected farmland in the French city of Warheim will be killed and a 10-kilometre surveillance perimeter has been established, restricting all bird movements in the area. The virus is now under surveillance by the French Agency for Food, Environment, Occupational Health and Safety.
However, part of the operational territory is in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The federal agency to protect Belgium’s food chain this Tuesday adopted additional measures for the cities of De Payne, Verne, Alveringham and Popering, and asked poultry farmers and private owners to keep the birds in cages. The French ministry concluded that the consumption of birds and eggs poses no danger to humans.
In England, thousands of birds will be euthanized after a fifth bird flu outbreak was detected in North Yorkshire, just hours after a national blockade came into force. The deadly virus has been confirmed near Thirsk and two temporary containment zones have been set up around the affected site. The British outbreak was discovered last Monday, hours after breeders across the UK were instructed to keep the birds close, according to indications from the British government. The move comes in an effort to avert a disaster after four separate bird flu outbreaks.
