Disease Update 25th November – Avian Influenza in Europe
Update provided by the British Poultry Council
- On Friday 25th, Finland confirmed 2 cases of HPAI H5N8 in wild birds and on Thursday, Sweden confirmed a case of HPAI H5 (N number to be confirmed) in a flock of 153000 laying hens.
- H5N8 first appeared in China in 2014 before spreading all across East Asia, to countries like Japan and Korea, and then Russia, and then to Europe. This particular strain of HPAI H5N8 appears to have caused a massive die-off of wild birds (eg swans, gulls, tufted ducks) across Europe. It has also been spread to India and the Middle East. The disease is expected to spread further as lakes will freeze in the winter, causing ducks to find open water. Research institutes worldwide are checking if different species are more susceptible to the virus.
- We are waiting for a Defra decision on our request for a housing order. We are not likely to hear anything before the BPC meeting with them on Tuesday, 29th
