Bird flu confirmed in Dumfries and Galloway

A new bird flu case has been confirmed in Dumfries and Galloway.

There has been a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at a premises near Kirkcudbright.

This was confirmed on Monday 14 August and a 3km protection zone, as well as, a 10km surveillance zone were declared.

The protection zone and surveillance zones were in effect from 9pm on Monday. This means that there are movement restrictions within these zones to prevent any further spread of the disease.

A statement on the Scottish Government's website states: "Keepers can find out if their premises are in these zones via the APHA interactive map. You are in a PZ or SZ if the whole or part of your premises falls within the zone.

"Vigilance by bird keepers is important and any suspicion of disease in Scotland must be reported immediately to the local APHA Field Services office."

What advice is there for bird keepers?

The Scottish Government provides this advice for bird keepers.

Keepers with more than 500 birds need to:

• Restrict access for non-essential personnel on their sites.

• Ensure workers change clothing and footwear before entering bird enclosures.

• Clean and disinfect site vehicles regularly to limit the risk of disease spreading.

Backyard owners with smaller numbers of poultry, including chickens, ducks and geese must also take steps to limit the risk of the disease spreading to their animals. This also applies if you only have a few birds as pets.

An outbreak of avian influenza in backyard poultry results in the same restrictions on movement of birds. It has the same impact on farmers and trade in poultry as an outbreak on a commercial farm would have. 

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