Jimmy's Farm in Suffolk gets all-clear after bird flu scare

A farm attraction run by Jamie Oliver’s friend and TV co-host will reopen on Wednesday after getting the all-clear over a suspected case of bird flu.

Jimmy’s Farm, which is run by Jimmy Doherty in Wherstead near Ipswich, Suffolk, said on its website on Tuesday there was a suspected case among its exotic birds.

However, within hours it said the case had been investigated and that restrictions had been lifted.

“We would like to thank our hardworking team and the swift actions taken by the Defra [Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs] and the APHA [Animal and Plant Health Agency] inspectors," said a spokesman.

“We are currently one of the lucky ones but many farms and wildlife parks are facing unprecedented outbreaks.

"This is challenging the poultry industry in ways we’ve never experienced or seen before. We call on the government to take urgent action to change their approach to avian influenza and save people’s livelihoods.”

The UK is in the grip of its biggest ever outbreak of bird flu, with control measures put in place across the country ordering bird-owners to keep their animals indoors.

In October, a science minister called on the government to get on a "war footing" in its efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

One farmer told ITV News Anglia he had been forced to look for a new job after losing more than 13,000 birds in a cull after an outbreak.

Jimmy's Farm said customer service staff would be in touch with anyone who had purchased a ticket or experience.

Doherty and Oliver hosted the Channel 4 cooking show Jamie And Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast together.

The Jimmy’s Farm website says the attraction has a variety of “awesome feathered friends” on site, including rheas, emus, laughing kookaburras and Indian peafowl.

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