November 19, 2014

The H5 strain of bird flu has been detected on the Nafferton Farm owned by Cherry Valley in East Yorkshire, England, where 6,000 ducks will now be culled. This is the first time in six years that bird flu has been discovered in the UK. It is believed that the birds were affected for up to a week before the virus was detected causing concerns that it has spread to other poultry operations. Since the strain of the virus is H5, the UK Department for Environmental Food and Rural Affairs believes it may be the same strain affecting Germany and the Netherlands where more than 180,000 birds have been culled so far. Investigators believe that the infections are a result of infected migratory wild birds or from the droppings of infected birds being transported by truck. The British poultry industry sells 1 billion birds per year at a value of pounds 4.4 billion annually, and despite assurances by authorities that H5 does not pose a threat to humans eating poultry, the industry is concerned over the loss of consumer confidence.

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