Thousands of turkeys to be culled after bird flu outbreak at North Yorkshire farm

An outbreak of bird flu has been discovered at a turkey farm in North Yorkshire, the government has confirmed.

10,500 birds at the turkey fattening premesis near Northallerton will be humanely culled to limit the spread of the disease.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said a "temporary control zone" had been put in place around the site to "limit the risk" of the disease spreading.

In a statement, Defra confirmed an outbreak of avian flu of the H5N8 strain.

Dr Gavin Dabrera, consultant in acute respiratory infections at PHE, said the World Health Organisation has never confirmed a case of the avian flu strain (H5N8) in humans.

He said: “As a precaution the local Health Protection Team will offer routine health advice to those working on the farm. We will work with Defra to monitor the situation closely.”

A map of the exclusion zone published by the Department for Environment, Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Credit: Defra

UK chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss - who advises the government on animal welfare - said “immediate steps” were taken to stop the disease from spreading when it was detected at the farm on Saturday.

She added: "Bird keepers should remain alert for any signs of disease, report suspected disease immediately and ensure they are maintaining good biosecurity on their premises.

"We are urgently looking for any evidence of disease spread associated with this farm to control and eliminate it."

An investigation is now underway to determine the source of the oubtreak. The oubreak is not expected to impact the supply of turkeys over Chirstmas.