Thousands of turkeys are to be culled at a farm near Northallerton after an outbreak of bird flu.
All 10,500 birds at the turkey fattening premises will have to be culled to limit the spread of the disease.
An exclusion zone has been put in place around the site to limit the risk of the disease spreading.
Officials say an investigation is underway to determine the most likely source of the outbreak.
They added that there is not anticipated to be any impact on the supplies of turkeys or other birds over Christmas.
Public Health England (PHE) has said the risk to public health from the virus is very low.
Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss, said: “Avian flu has been confirmed at a commercial turkey fattening farm near Northallerton, North Yorkshire. Immediate steps have been taken to limit the risk of the disease spreading and all the remaining turkeys at the farm will be culled.
“PHE has confirmed that the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency advises that bird flu poses a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.
“Bird keepers should remain alert for any signs of disease, report suspected disease immediately and ensure they are maintaining good biosecurity on their premises.
“We are urgently looking for any evidence of disease spread associated with this farm to control and eliminate it.”
For more details on the measures being taken to deal with the outbreak click here.
Be the first to comment