DEFRA relaxes bird flu controls in Dorset

DEFRA has lifted the wild bird control area put in place in Dorset in February after a Canada goose was found with H5N1 avian influenza.

The wild bird monitoring area (WBMA) will also reduce in size today (5 March), based on expert advice on the area most at risk from disease.

The monitoring area must remain in place for at least 30 days following the collection of the last positive sample.

Surveillance for disease in the WBMA is ongoing, and new restrictions may need to be reintroduced should the risk of disease increase.

Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza was first confirmed in wild birds in the Dorset area on 10 January, and to date 11 cases have been identified in wild birds.