Infected Norfolk turkeys 'have deadly H5N1 flu strain'

 

Scenes of devastation as vets cull 5,000 turkeys after bird blue outbreak

 

 

Last updated at 14:47pm on 13th November 2007 Comments (6)

Reports say initial suggest that free-range turkeys suffering from bird flu are infected with the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu which is potentially dangerous to humans.

Thousands of turkeys, geese and ducks are being slaughtered after bird flu was found at a farm in Norfolk.

 

Emergency protection zones were immediately set up around the site of the outbreak as soon as bird flu was detected.

 

If the disease spreads it is feared it could devastate the industry in the run-up to Christmas.

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Carnage: Dead turkeys at the farm

 

Tests are expected to reveal that the especially dangerous H5N1 subtype is present on the farm in Redgrave near Diss on the Norfolk-Suffolk Border

This dangerous type of the flu has killed millions of birds worldwide.

 

Tests have have already confirmed that a turkey at the farm died from the H5 strain of bird flu.

 

The farm is operated by Gressingham Foods, whose operations director Geoffrey Buchanan said: "We believe the outbreak has been contained and that the measures are in place to allow us to continue to serve our customers.

 

"Turkey meat continues to be safe to eat."

 

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Outbreak: Turkeys are disposed of

 

Scenes of death: The dead turkeys are moved

 

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• Bird flu virus: What you need to know

 

He said no Gressingham ducks - favoured by chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Delia Smith and Gary Rhodes - were reared at the site.

 

Neighbouring farmers have spoken of their fears that the disease could spread.

 

Eddie Heggarty, who owns a poultry business in Pulham Market, said: "I've had to move all my birds indoors. We have only 60 for Christmas, but obviously it's a worry."

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Precautions: A car is disinfected at the entrance to the farm

 

The disease has struck a rearing unit where 5,000 turkeys, 1,000 ducks and 500 geese are being prepared for Christmas.

 

Movement of live birds is restricted within a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone.

 

There are fears that the outbreak could exacerbate an expected shortage of turkeys for Christmas. Last week, the industry warned that soaring feed costs could add £5 to the shop price of a typical bird.

 

Dr Fred Landeg, the deputy chief vet, stressed that there was no risk to humans from eating poultry meat and eggs as long as they were cooked properly.

 

He added: "It is very difficult to transmit avian influenza from birds to human beings. There has to be fairly close contact with the birds and with their faeces.

 

"We will be looking at the movements on to the premises and off the premises of birds and movements of people, vehicles and things, to see whether there is another origin somewhere in the country or whether the disease could have spread."

 

The disease was discovered on Sunday by a vet who noticed that there had been a growing number of turkey deaths in one of the five sheds on the Norfolk farm.

 

The birds were free range - meaning they had access to the outdoors and were at greater risk of exposure to the wildfowl that visit an ornamental lake next door.

 

Officials at Defra, the food and farming department, think this is the most likely source of the disease which is spread through saliva and droppings.

 

They said the farm was not linked to the Bernard Matthews site at the centre of February's avian influenza outbreak in Suffolk.

 

A report into that outbreak found that imported turkey meat from Hungary, and not wild birds, was the most likely source.

 

Andre Farrar, of the RSPB, said it was premature to assume that the disease had spread to poultry from wild birds this time.

 

"Last time people went on a mad whirl of speculation on how wild birds had moved the virus and it turned out not to be the case," he said.

 

The farm was formerly the estate of the stately home, Redgrave Park, and is now owned by Guy and Elizabeth Topham who rent out the land.

 

The European Union Commission has been kept informed about the situation, while all businesses on the British poultry register will be notified.

 

The revelation that bird flu is back is a devastating setback for farmers.

This year they have already faced outbreaks of bird flu, foot and mouth disease and bluetongue.

 

Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union, said: "We will be working closely with Defra to do all we can to contain and eradicate this disease as quickly as possible.

 

"Obviously this is another huge blow to the farming industry, which is still dealing with the effects of bluetongue and foot and mouth."

There are more than a dozen strains of bird flu in the wild. The most virulent are H5 and H7, while the H5N1 subtype is the deadliest.

 

Many scientists believe that H5N1 could mutate into a new, deadly form of human flu.

 

However, that is most likely to happen in Asia where people live in close contact with birds. The disease has killed 300 humans so far.

It's a Tragedy, no turkeys for christmas...

 

...Duck it is :(

Bird flu could lead to £100 Christmas turkeys as culls take place on four farms

 

Last updated at 13:02pm on 14th November 2007 Comments (17)

Bird flu could cause the price of Christmas turkeys to rocket this year, with organic birds likely to cost more than £100.

 

Animal health officials are today checking whether any other flocks of poultry could have been exposed to the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu discovered on a free-range turkey farm in East Anglia.

 

As many as two million turkeys are now regarded as at risk following an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu at a Suffolk poultry farm.

 

Prices have already risen sharply this year because of the spiralling cost of wheat feed. It makes up two thirds of the diet of farmed turkey and costs 70 per cent more than two years ago.

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The slaughter starts: Turkey carcasses are carried away by a JCB at Redgrove in Suffolk, the centre of Britain's poultry industry

 

 

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• Did wildfowl bring virus from Europe?

 

Now butchers and supermarkets are concerned that, if the outbreak spreads, British farms will not be able to supply enough fresh birds to meet demand at Christmas.

Around 40 per cent of fresh birds come from East Anglia.

As government vets raced to contain the virus, the grave potential of the outbreak became clear.

It emerged that there are five million turkeys, chickens, ducks and geese within a six-mile radius of the farm at the centre of the scare, on the border between Suffolk and Norfolk. There are 25million in the wider 'at risk' zone.

 

The two counties produce up to a third of home-produced turkeys.

And there are still fears the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease is being spread by wild birds.

The outbreak has already resulted in the slaughter of 6,000 turkeys, geese and chicken at the farm, operated by Gressingham Foods. Further culls are expected in the next few days because workers are believed to have travelled to other farms owned by the company. It is believed the birds are being gassed.

There are also concerns that the virus has been carried to as many as 90 other farms within the six-mile radius by wild birds and ducks.

Scientists working for the food and farming department Defra confirmed yesterday that the bird flu is the H5N1 version of the virus, which is highly contagious.

Food and Farming Secretary Hilary Benn admitted there could be further outbreaks in the next few days.

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The Conservatives accused the Government of putting farms and food supplies at risk by starving local authorities of the money needed to contain animal disease outbreaks.

They said only £8.5million of a promised £9.7million had been given to councils - a funding cut of 12 per cent.

Bird flu is not an immediate threat to human health because it can only be transferred to humans by prolonged contact with infected birds.

The virus has killed more than 300 around the globe, mainly people living and working alongside chickens in the Far East.

The real danger is that the virus will, at some point, mutate and combine with the human form of flu to create a global epidemic that could kill hundreds of thousands of people.

The Food Standards Agency yesterday issued a public health bulletin insisting that there is no risk of contracting bird flu from eating poultry.

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It said: 'Properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat. The science shows that the virus isn't contracted by eating food but by close contact with infected birds.'

Despite the reassurances, turkey farmers will be worried that consumers could turn against their product and choose an alternative meat for Christmas.

The discovery of bird flu at a Bernard Matthews plant in Suffolk in February led to a 30 per cent slump in sales for the company, which was forced to lay off 300 staff.

Retail industry expert Stuart Whitwell, of Intangible Business, said: 'This is a very frightening time for turkey farmers. If the virus spreads that could have devastating consequences for sales.

'On the one hand, you could see a shortage of fresh birds. On the other side of the coin the reputation of turkey meat becomes tainted. Either way, sales and income will suffer.'

Even before bird flu, industry experts were warning of potential shortages and high prices this year because farmers have been hit with a big increase in the cost of feed.

It was suggested some organic birds could fetch more than £100.

Farmers throughout Norfolk and Suffolk have been ordered not to move their turkeys or other poultry. Free-range and organic flocks have been brought into sheds.

The flock at the centre of the outbreak is free-range. It is understood to have been particularly vulnerable as the premises involved, Redgrave Park Farm, is next to a wildfowl lake.

The British Poultry Council said turkey and other poultry producers are facing a very stressful time.

Spokesman Jeremy Blackburn said: 'East Anglia is one of the major areas for poultry. It would be a very grave situation if bird flu was found to be circulating.'

Mr Blackburn said the area hit by bird flu is very important in producing the nation's Christmas turkeys. We eat around 10million over the festive period

'Norfolk and Suffolk supply around 30 per cent of turkeys in the UK. They will supply up to two million fresh birds for the Christmas market,' he said.

He was hopeful consumers would support farmers.

'There is a certain amount of caution and there might be a slight dip in sales, but the British consumer is robust,' he said.

'There is a groundswell of sympathy from the country for what farmers have gone through, ranging from foot and mouth disease to bluetongue and flooding.'

The Food and Farming Secretary said it is too soon to speculate about the cause.

But Mr Benn admitted there is a risk the virus is spreading.

He told the Commons: 'There also remains the chance that there may be further undisclosed disease in this area which has a high density of poultry.' Deputy chief vet Fred Landeg said the source could be wild birds or ducks on a lake neighbouring the farm. But other factors are being investigated.

'We have taken expert advice from local ornithologists in the area and there are a number of waterfowl of different species on this lake.

'As the turkeys and ducks and geese were free-range, one cannot exclude the possibility of mingling in certain circumstances.'

The cull could take several days because facilities on the farm are so rudimentary. It has only one tap and Defra has been forced to bring in showers and mobile decontamination units to protect people carrying out the cull.

Only around half of turkeys eaten at Christmas are homeproduced.

While East Anglia is responsibl e f o r t h e l i o n' s s h a r e , Staffordshire and Lincolnshire also contribute a sizeable portion.

Imported turkeys are frozen and mainly come from South America, South East Asia, Eastern Europe and the rest of the EU.

"Pigs in Blankets" will be good enough.

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