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Bird flu suspected on second farm Bird flu suspected on second farm
(about 5 hours later)
Poultry on a second Suffolk farm are being culled on suspicion they have bird flu, Defra has said. A cull of poultry suspected of having bird flu is under way at a second Suffolk farm.
The turkeys at Grove Farm in Botesdale were due to be culled after Defra said they had "dangerous contact" with the initial case of the virus. Defra says 5,500 turkeys at Grove Farm in Botesdale are being "slaughtered on suspicion" of having the disease.
But when officials arrived to start the cull they discovered a number of birds already dead, meaning it is now a "slaughter on suspicion." The farm is inside the 3km protection zone around Redgrave Park Farm where suspected bird flu was confirmed as the H5N1 strain on Tuesday.
The premises are within the protection zone around the first affected farm. A slaughter of poultry there is being completed. Precautionary culls are also under way at three additional farms.
Precautionary culls They are Stone House Farm in West Harling and Bridge Farm in Pulham, both in Norfolk, plus Hill Meadow in Knettishall, Suffolk.
A 3km (1.9 mile) protection zone and a 10km (6.2 mile) surveillance zone, where movement of birds is restricted and poultry must be isolated from wild birds, is in place around Redgrave Park farm. All three are outside the 10km (six-mile) surveillance zone around Redgrave Park Farm but lie within the wider restricted zone, covering much of Suffolk and Norfolk.
This is where the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus was confirmed on Tuesday. Defra ordered the culling of a total of 22,000 free-range turkeys at these three farms after it was decided there was a danger they had been exposed to the virus by the movement of people.
The other three lie within the wider restricted zone, covering much of Suffolk and Norfolk.
Culls are taking place there as a precaution after officials said there was a danger the birds had been exposed to the virus by the movement of people from the initial outbreak.
They are Stone House Farm in West Harling, Bridge Farm in Pulham, both in Norfolk, and Hill Meadow in Knettishall, Suffolk.
Same staffSame staff
A total of 22,000 free-range turkeys will be killed at these farms in addition to the 6,500 turkeys, ducks and geese culled at the free-range rearing unit at Redgrave Park farm. With 6,500 turkeys, ducks and geese being culled at the free-range rearing unit at Redgrave Park Farm, which is near Diss, the total of birds being slaughtered is approaching 30,000.
Geoffrey Buchanan, operations director of Gressingham Foods' subsidiary Redgrave Poultry, which operates all the sites affected, said the same staff work at the different farms. Geoffrey Buchanan of Redgrave Poultry says farms share staffGeoffrey Buchanan is operations director of Gressingham Foods' subsidiary, Redgrave Poultry, which operates all the sites affected.
He said: "There is a direct link between Redgrave Park farm and these four other farms as they share the same farming staff. He said: "There is a direct link between Redgrave Park Farm and these four other farms as they share the same farming staff.
"Each farm is too small for a dedicated staff, so a small team of people runs this cluster of farms.""Each farm is too small for a dedicated staff, so a small team of people runs this cluster of farms."
Animal health officials are carrying out tests on the flock at Grove Farm, as well as the three precautionary culls, to establish if the highly pathogenic virus has spread.
The cull at Grove Farm became one of "slaughter on suspicion" after animal health officials turning up to kill the birds found a number of them already dead.
Mr Buchanan said the loss of a small proportion of birds was a normal part of the production process.
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Are you in this area? Are you a farmer who is concerned about the latest outbreak? Has your poultry been affected by bird flu? Send us your reactions.
Are you in this area? Are you a farmer who is concerned about the latest outbreak? Has your poultry been affected by bird flu? Send us your reactions.
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