All birds at poultry farm being culled as 6-mile exclusion zone put in place after H7N7 strain found, which can infect people

A case of bird flu has been confirmed on a poultry farm in Lancashire, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said.

The strain of avian flu is the H7N7 strain, which can infect people, but Public Health England has said that the risk from this strain is very low, while the Food Standards Agency said there is no safety risk for consumers.

A six-mile surveillance zone and an inner 1.8 mile protection zone have been put in place around the farm, and humane culling of all birds at the farm is continuing, officials said on Monday.

The strain is highly pathogenic, which means it is highly contagious in flocks and can cause deaths in birds. However, it is not the H5N1 strain which has led to hundreds of deaths in people worldwide. Most types of bird flu are harmless to humans but two types – H5N1 and H7N9 – have caused serious concerns.

Other bird flu strains, including H7N7, have infected people, but these have been very rare or have only rarely caused severe illness, experts said.



The chief veterinary officer, Nigel Gibbens, said:



“Bird keepers should remain alert for any signs of disease, report suspect disease to their nearest APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) office immediately and ensure they are maintaining good biosecurity on their premises.”



Nick Phin, deputy director of Public Health England’s national Infections service, said: “We know that in 2003 a flu of this type in the Netherlands was a contributing factor to the death of a vet working on controlling the disease. We have learned from this incident and are confident of the precautions we have put in place, including the ongoing monitoring of handlers and workers.”



Poultry farmers within the exclusion zone around the infected premises are not allowed to move poultry, captive birds or other mammals except under licence as a result of the restrictions imposed on Friday, when the outbreak was suspected.



In February, a low-severity H7N7 strain of bird flu was confirmed in chickens at a farm in Hampshire. The last highly pathogenic case of avian flu was an outbreak of H5N8 flu in Yorkshire last November, following outbreaks of the same strain on the continent.



Defra said an investigation into the latest outbreak was under way. The affected premises is in Goosnargh, to the north-east of Preston, and is owned by the family business Staveley’s Eggs, which produces and packages free range and colony cage eggs.