AI still affecting Black-headed Gulls

Although wild bird cases of bird flu are starting to diminish, large groups of Black-headed Gulls continue to see mass die-offs. This latest one in Bedford is a timely reminder that we still need to take utmost care with our biosecurity. See local BBC New report here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-65562633 For the latest Gov.uk info about hygiene […]

Wild waterfowl death reporting requirements intensify

Reporting dead wild birds – surveillance sensitivity increases In Great Britain, members of the public should use the new online reporting system or call the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77) if they find one or more dead wild birds of prey, gull, swan, goose or duck, or five or more dead wild birds of […]

Pal-Mates … weekend web tip

UK Breeds at Risk. Where do you stand if your collection succumbs to bird flu? Geese Brecon Buff Buff Back Chinese Embden Greyback Pilgrim Roman Sebastopol Shetland Steinbacher Toulouse (British standard) West of England   Ducks Abacot Ranger Aylesbury Cayuga Orpington Pekin Rouen Shetland Duck APHA tells us that each outbreak is examined individually, but […]

Online Reporting Service for Dead Wild Birds

Defra has launched a new online reporting system to be used by the public to report dead wild birds in Great Britain, as part of the Government response to the ongoing avian influenza outbreak. The new online system will be available to use 24/7, making is simpler and quicker for the public to report dead […]

Housing measures now apply to Northern Ireland and from Friday also to Wales

The requirement to house our birds was announced for Northern Ireland today. On Friday 2nd December it will also apply to Wales. The details of these housing orders are broadly similar to those in force in England. Full specific details can be found for each administration: https://www.gov.uk/animal-disease-cases-england/avian-influenza-prevention-zone-aipz-including-housing-measures-the-whole-of-england https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/news/avian-housing-order-introduced-ni https://gov.wales/avian-influenza-bird-flu-latest-update The ability to keep waterfowl under […]

Avian Influenza on the Pacific Flyway

In our newfound world of pandemic awareness, it seems not even our feathered friends have been spared from pandemic impacts. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has continued its pre-Covid scourge of our world, with detections on nearly every continent continuing for a number of years. The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) has been providing […]

Pal-Mates … weekend web tip

Photographing a duck with an iPad

New bird flu cases are coming up most days. Is there anything that can save your birds if you are infected? Most of East Anglia is subject to a poultry (this includes waterfowl) housing order now, but it is quite likely that other areas will be added if there are more clusters of outbreaks. For […]

Mandatory Housing Measures starting

From 00.01 on October 12th 2022, all poultry and captive birds should be housed in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex. The housing order legally requires all bird keepers in these areas to keep their birds indoors and to follow stringent biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from Avian Influenza. This is for all […]

Avian Influenza vaccine

We do get asked about vaccines for bird flu; the Head of Virology for APHA was on Farming Today yesterday. You can listen to the broadcast on BBC Sounds. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001cp3m We asked APHA for comment, they are fully behind the content of this broadcast and confirmed that all research on vaccines is being monitored. It […]

Avian Influenza Prevention Zones

A second UK region is now subject to mandatory enhanced biosecurity measures. Today at noon, Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex became and Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ). This means that it is a legal requirement for bird keepers to follow strict biosecurity measures to protect their birds. Earlier this month, although the restrictions over […]