Bird flu on Cornish farm, and NHS Scotland offers vaccine

The first outbreak of avian influenza in kept birds this season has been recordedat a commercial poultry farm in Cornwall.

A spokesman for Defra confirmed the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain was found at a premises near Penzance and that a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been established around the farm. All poultry on the property have been humanely culled. 

Defra Secretary Daniel Zeichner said threats to biosecurity are top of the department’s agenda. He added: “Often it’s obviously in the wild bird population — these things happen at this time of the year — but I have every confidence in the authorities who are working on this.” 

This outbreak follows the detection of the H5N5 strain at a farm in Hornsea, East Yorkshire, last month (News, 20 November), along with other cases of the H5N1 strain in wild birds in south-west England. 

As there are rare cases of bird flu transferring to humans, NHS Scotland has announced it will offer a free flu vaccination for poultry workers and handlers at risk of exposure to AI this winter