Avian flu Protection Measures in force.

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
I have seen very little in the press about this. If it was not for this thread, I dont think I would know a thing about it, or what to do.
Chickens are so fed up with being in, they have gone off the lay!

It just shows how far down food production is in importance for government and media.

I bet 50 years ago it would have been headline in the media of the time.
 

sarfarm

New Member
I registered my flock (14!) with Defra 6 years ago - I have had not communication from them at all (they are all penned). My neighbour knew nothing about the restrictions and called in a panic yesterday - so we helped her move her few hens into her fruit cage. Surely in this day and age, it can't be difficult to have a list/map of all livestock/poultry owners?
You dont really expect animal health to think of such a thing,that would take time and someone waking up,something like mission impossible for a government department.
 
Location
East Mids
I have seen very little in the press about this. If it was not for this thread, I dont think I would know a thing about it, or what to do.
Chickens are so fed up with being in, they have gone off the lay!
the initial warnings and restrictions were all over the national press both newspapers and radios / TV but updates on developments have been very poor.
 

ZXR17

Member
Location
South Dorset
Avian Flu now confirmed here in Dorset at the Abbotsbury Swannery.
The area has high numbers of migratory birds so I suppose the out break is not surprising.
Luckily there are very few commercial poultry units in the area but a lot of 'backyard' hens including my own.
So where do we stand as there appears to be very little to no guidance.
Can it be spread on walkers boots? Although our yard is 3 to 4 miles from the Swannery I believe sick birds have been picked up from the foreshore on our farm. The coast path which is heavily used all year passes right through our farm and through our yard.
Should we be setting up disinfectant foot baths?
 

llamedos

New Member
Avian Flu now confirmed here in Dorset at the Abbotsbury Swannery.
The area has high numbers of migratory birds so I suppose the out break is not surprising.
Luckily there are very few commercial poultry units in the area but a lot of 'backyard' hens including my own.
So where do we stand as there appears to be very little to no guidance.
Can it be spread on walkers boots? Although our yard is 3 to 4 miles from the Swannery I believe sick birds have been picked up from the foreshore on our farm. The coast path which is heavily used all year passes right through our farm and through our yard.
Should we be setting up disinfectant foot baths?

The biosecurity measures are about you minimising the risk to your own flock, if they are all indoors then whoever tends to them needs to minimise the risk of contaminating the area from outside. From wild birds.
If your flock has no access to where the coast path runs, then you have mitigated that risk.
 

Pasty

Member
Location
Devon
Still seeing some backyard hens outdoors, is there a fine to those found flaunting the Avain bird flu measures? Think the public need more information putting out there!
On what grounds are they going to fine anyone? They haven't even notified half of the registered flocks and all the releases have been 'guidance'. What will be the fine and what will be the justification? If somebody stands up in court, even a registered flock owner, and says 'I knew nothing about this' can they prove that beyond reasonable doubt?
 

llamedos

New Member
I understand the outbreak at the swannery in Dorset they have had 80 birds die, normal figures would be around 30, nine of the dead which have been tested have proven positive. This being the highest + result so far.
So far, since the last 2 weeks of December 2016 there have been 10
official cases involving 29 birds testing positive. At the end of
December [2016] there were cases in Carmarthenshire, Leicestershire
and Somerset involving one wigeon each. A wigeon is a type of dabbling
duck. The Leicestershire and Somerset cases were the 1st involving
wild birds in England.

Wild birds can carry the disease around the country and infect others.
A total of 5 wigeons were found to have died of bird flu in
Lincolnshire in the last week of 2016. A further case involving a
"small backyard flock" near Settle in North Yorkshire saw 17 birds
affected, "several" of which had died from the disease.



Communicated by pro-med
 

llamedos

New Member
2 new separate cases reported today.

RSPB Conwy nature reserve

& currently ongoing testing of dead swans at Clumber Park Notts
 

Kidds

Member
Horticulture
Is that a second case at Conway then as there was one last week.?

I saw an Egret at my place today which confirmed that I thought I saw one last week but couldn't believe it to be true. This is something I have never even heard of around here never mind seen.
Unfortunately all I could think was where had it come from and what had it brought with it. :(
 

Lincs Lass

Member
Location
north lincs
Some prat last night decided to off load there back garden birds over the fence at the bottom of the yard ,like we havent got a enough of the things running about ,no sheds and no way of penning them ,thats the second lot of unwanted cast offs in this village in a fortnight.
 

Pasty

Member
Location
Devon
Some prat last night decided to off load there back garden birds over the fence at the bottom of the yard ,like we havent got a enough of the things running about ,no sheds and no way of penning them ,thats the second lot of unwanted cast offs in this village in a fortnight.
Cockerel dumped here too.
 

ski

Member
I suspect the housing order will last until April when the migratory birds return to Siberia. All Free Range become barn on 1st March. Packaging nightmare for packers, supermarkets and food manufacturers. Barn price currently 20ppd less than FR. Consumers might not notice any difference so good buy free range premium. French poultry farmers hit the 12 weeks end of January and are lobbying for a derogation and I hope they get it as it will set a precedent. Very very virulent strain of AI. Bleak outlook.
 
I suspect the housing order will last until April when the migratory birds return to Siberia. All Free Range become barn on 1st March. Packaging nightmare for packers, supermarkets and food manufacturers. Barn price currently 20ppd less than FR. Consumers might not notice any difference so good buy free range premium. French poultry farmers hit the 12 weeks end of January and are lobbying for a derogation and I hope they get it as it will set a precedent. Very very virulent strain of AI. Bleak outlook.

I think it's 12 weeks for sale flock to become classed as barn eggs!

If people are changing over flocks now, they should be able to class eggs as free range for another 12 weeks.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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