DEFRA has confirmed in a televised press briefing that the current bird (avian) flu outbreak at Redgrave Park Farm is the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus, last seen in the UK last February on a Bernard Matthews unit near Holton, Suffolk.
Testing also confirmed the virus is closely related to that found in outbreaks seen this summer in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Vets were called to Redgrave Farm, near Diss, on Sunday (12 November) to investigate the sudden death of 60 turkeys.
At the affected premises, all birds - including approximately 5,000 turkeys, 1,000 ducks and 500 geese – are currently being slaughtered.
Government orders have already gone out for all free-range birds for meat and eggs in Suffolk and part of Norfolk to be locked indoors to protect them from the fatal bird flu virus. Hobby farmers with backyard flocks are also being visited by local animal health officers urging them to keep birds inside.
Last night, DEFRA beefed up the bird flu restrictions effectively extending the Restricted Zone to cover much of Norfolk and the whole of Suffolk.
The new Restricted Zone requires poultry keepers to isolate poultry from wild birds. Movements within this zone can take place, but movements are not permitted out of the new zone at present.
No movements of poultry are permitted at present in the 3km and 10km zones around the affected farm.
In addition, the national general licence permitting bird gatherings in England has been revoked and bird shows and pigeon racing will not be permitted for the time being.
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