BRITAIN:An outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed at a turkey farm in eastern England although the exact strain is not yet known, Britain's farm ministry said yesterday.
The ministry said preliminary results from the farm on the border of Norfolk and Suffolk were positive for the H5 strain but it is not yet known if it is the deadly H5N1 variety which has swept across Asia, Europe and Africa.
All birds at the farm, which also houses ducks and geese, will be culled, and protection and surveillance zones are being set up, the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said in a statement.
"Full confirmation of results, including whether or not this is H5N1 and whether the strain is high or low pathogenic will follow," the ministry added.
Britain had an outbreak of the H5N1 strain in February at a turkey farm in Suffolk.
The virus has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003, and millions of birds have either died from it or have been killed to prevent its spread.
"It is obviously regrettable ahead of Christmas but there is no reason it should not be contained at this stage," said Ian Jones, director of research at Reading University's school of animal and microbial sciences.
The news is a further setback for British farmers who have already suffered outbreaks of foot-and-mouth and bluetongue diseases this year. - (Reuters)
Seán Mac Connell adds: The news of the outbreak yesterday led to a special meeting in Dublin of the Department of Agriculture's National Disease Control Centre management team.
Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan said the team had reviewed the department's contingency arrangements and reassessed the risk of the introduction of the disease into Ireland.
She also said the team had made contact with colleagues in Defra and in Northern Ireland.
The Minister said that, in view of the information currently available, she was satisfied with the measures that were in place. But she added that as more information became available, she would not hesitate to introduce any additional measures if necessary.