The announcement by the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs that a new Avian Influenza Prevention Zone will be in place from midnight on the 28th of February until the 30th of April this year means that bird keepers in Wales could be faced with important decisions regarding how and when to house their flocks.
One issue of great concern to keepers is the potential loss of their free range status and the FUW therefore welcomes the decision to allow keepers to maintain their free-range status within the new all-Wales Prevention Zone, if certain additional risk mitigation measures are adhered to. This allows the keeper to select the disease prevention programme best suited to their business needs.
We would remind keepers of poultry to remain vigilant for any signs of this significant disease. Avian Influenza is a notifiable disease, and keepers should report any suspicion of disease to the Animal and Plant Health Agency. In addition, all poultry keepers, irrespective of the size of the flock, can pass their details to the Poultry Register in order to receive updates on the disease.
The current Prevention Zone requires all keepers of poultry and other captive birds to:
- keep their birds indoors
- or take all appropriate steps to keep them separate from wild birds, and to enhance biosecurity.
This follows a number of confirmed cases of avian flu - H5N8 strain - across the UK, including in a backyard flock of chickens and ducks near Pontyberem, Carmarthenshire.
How to spot AI
There are two types of AI – high pathogenic and low pathogenic. The one to look out for is H5N8 strain, which is high pathogenic.
High-pathogenic AI (HPAI)
HPAI is the more serious type. It is often fatal in birds. The main clinical signs are:
- Swollen head
- Blue discolouration of neck and throat
- Loss of appetite
- Respiratory distress such as gaping beak, coughing, sneezing, gurgling, rattling
- Diarrhoea
- Fewer eggs laid
- Increased mortality
Clinical signs can vary between species and some may show minimal clinical signs (ducks and geese).
More information on what this means for you can be found here