Bird flu case confirmed by council
A third case of bird flu, has been confirmed at a premises in Mid Wales, council have said.
Powys County Council said that a three kilometre protection zone has been declared around the infected premises, at Bettws, near Newtown, to limit the risk of disease spread.
Within the zone, bird movements and gatherings are restricted and all holdings that keep birds must be declared.
Bird owners within the three kilometre Protection Zone and the wider 10km Surveillance Zone (SZ) are required to comply with a number of measures set out by government.
Bird owners outside of the PZ and SZ are also being reminded that despite the lifting of the mandatory housing measures for poultry and captive birds from April 18, that the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) will remain in force across Wales until further notice.
It means all bird keepers in Wales – whether they have pet birds, a commercial or a backyard flock – must, until further notice, continue to follow mandatory biosecurity measures, and complete a mandatory biosecurity self-assessment checklist.
Councillor Richard Church, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a Safer Powys, said: “It is vital keepers of birds have the very highest levels of biosecurity in place, so that we can stop this highly infectious disease from spreading to more flocks.
“It is also important people do not touch or pick up any sick or dead birds to avoid spreading the virus.
“Public health advice remains that the risk to human health from the virus is very low and food standards bodies advise that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers."
