Bird flu outbreak confirmed in the Horsham area

The Government has applied a 3km ‘Protection Zone’ and a 10km ‘Survellance Zone’ in the area around Billingshurst.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Defra – in a statement today (Tuesday) declared the zones after confirming a case of ‘H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza’ in the area.

The statement said that the Chief Veterinary Officer had confirmed the outbreak and declared the protection zone areas and said that the measures would apply from today (October 18) ‘until the declaration is withdrawn or amended by further declaration.’

It adds that failure to comply with the declaration ‘may be an offence under section 72 or 73 of the Animal Health Act 1981.’

The Billingshurst Protection Zone stretches from Billingshurst to Barns Green in the north, Southwater and Dragon’s Green to the west and Coolham and Coneyhurst to the south.

The Surveillance Zone stretches from Rudgwick and Rowhook in the north to Mannings Heath, Nurthurst, Maplehurst, West Grinstead and Patridge Green to the west, with West Chiltington and Ashington to the south, and Pulborough, Codmore Hill, Wisborough Green, Kirdford and Loxwood to the east.

Among restrictions being applied to the premises where the outbreak has been confirmed in the Protection Zone near Billingshurst are that records now need to be kept of all people visiting the premises, along with records of all poultry or other birds entering or leaving the premises.

Records also have to be kept of anyone transporting or marketing poulty in the zone, and all birds kept in the area must be housed or kept isolated.

No poultry can be moved to or from the premises without a license from a veterinary inspector.

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And any carcasses not seized or disposed of must be disposed of under a veterinary inspectior’s instructions.

Defra declined to give any further information on exactly where the bird flu outbreak has been confirmed.

Horsham vets, the Maltman Cosham Veterinary Clinic in Lyons Road, Horsham, have also alerted people to the outbreak.

Defra says that avian influenza circulates naturally in wild birds and when they migrate to the United Kingdom from mainland Europe over the winter they can spread the disease to poultry and other captive birds.