East Anglia set for tough new restrictions as more bird flu cases confirmed in Norfolk

A case of bird flu has been detected at a poultry farm in Norfolk, the Animal and Plant health Agency has said. Credit: PA
All poultry in parts of East Anglia must be kept indoors from Wednesday. Credit: PA

More cases of bird flu have been confirmed in Norfolk, just hours before tough new measures are due to be brought in to try to halt the spread of the UK's largest ever outbreak.

Vets identified a highly-pathogenic strain of avian influenza at sites near Holt, Mundford and Attleborough on Monday as the situation in East Anglia continues to escalate.

In the Attleborough area alone, there have now been eight confirmed cases.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed that all poultry on the affected farms will be humanely culled.

Tens of thousands of chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks have been slaughtered in recent weeks with East Anglia now the epicentre of the country's worst-ever bird flu outbreak.

An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone has been set up in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex. Credit: PA

In a bid to contain the spread, the government recently announced that all poultry in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex must be kept indoors from Wednesday.

In the last year, there have been more than 160 cases confirmed in the country, with the disease detected at multiple premises in East Anglia since the beginning of September.

With cases in the East continuing to soar, the region has been placed in an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone which means that means that people will be legally required to keep their birds indoors and follow stringent biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from the disease, regardless of type or size.

"We are seeing a growing number of bird flu cases on commercial farms and in backyard birds across Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, and expect the risk to continue rise over the coming months as migratory birds return to the UK," Chief Vet, Christine Middlemiss, said over the weekend.

The UK Health Security Agency continue to advise that the risk to public health from the virus is very low and the Food Standards Agency advice remains unchanged - that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.

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