Avian Flu Outbreak Near Banbury - Register Your Rare Poultry Breeds Today With The RBST

An outbreak of Avian Influenza or "Bird Flu" has been confirmed by Defra, on 3rd June 2008, on premises near Banbury in Oxfordshire . The laying hens tested postive for the H7 strain and the Chief Veterinary Officer has confirmed that the strain is highly pathogenic.

A temporary control zone has been established around the infected premises with a 3km inner core and a 10km outer zone. The following measures are now in place.

Protection Measures

In the 3km inner zone - all birds must be housed or otherwise isolated from contact with wild birds.

In the 3km inner and 10km outer zone - all bird movements and gatherings are banned along with the movement of some produce.

Defra urges "all bird keepers in the UK continue to practice the highest levels of biosecurity and be vigilant for any signs of disease. If you are concerned about the health of your birds you should seek advice from your veterinary surgeon. If you suspect that your birds have avian influenza, you should report it to your local Animal Health Office immediately."

The Health Protection Agency advises that the H7 strain remains largely a disease of birds and it does not transmit easily to humans.

For the latest news and details of the protection zone visit the Defra site. [1]

If you need to report dead wild gulls, waders, ducks, geese or swans; groups of dead birds or need advice on avian flu, please contact the Defra Helpline 08459 33 55 77, 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday.

For a list of bio security measures for free range poultry see the RBST Avian Influenza Questionnaire

Register Your Rare Poultry Breeds On The RBST AI Questionaire

The RBST urges keepers of rare poultry breeds to register their birds on the RBST Avian Influenza questionnaire. RBST's Assistant Conservation Officer , Claire Barber said, "This information is vital in helping us pinpoint the numbers and distribution of our rare poultry breeds. When Avian Influenza outbreaks occur we need to asses how devasting the consequences could be to our rare breeds and to be able to inform Defra of the situation".

Register your poultry numbers if you have the birds listed below, by downloading the form below (MsWord) and emailing it to enquiries@rbst.org.uk [2] or post it using our free post service.

Ancona, Andalusian, Brussbar, Buff Orpington, Campine, Cream Legbar, Croad Langshan, Derbyshire Redcap, Dorking, Hamburg, Indian/Cornish Game, Ixworth, Legbar, Marsh Daisy, Minorca, Modern Game, Modern Langshan, Nankin, Old English Game, Old English Pheasant Fowl, Orpington, Rhodebar, Rosecomb, Scots Dumpy, Scots Grey, Sebright, Spanish, Sultan, Sussex (coloured), Sussex (light), Sussex (white), Welbar.

Keepers of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats can register their native breeds on line via the Breeds at Risk register, here on the RBST web site. This ensures that these livestock keepers can benefit from any special measures that may apply or come into force for the conservation of breeds at risk in the event of a future FMD outbreak.

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