Thousands of turkeys culled after bird flu outbreak at Yorkshire farm
More than 10,000 turkeys will be culled at a farm in North Yorkshire following a bird flu outbreak.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said avian influenza poses little risk to public health and this strain of the virus does not affect food safety.
All 10,500 birds at the turkey fattening site in Northallerton will be humanely culled to limit the spread of the disease, and a 3km and 10km Temporary Control Zone has been put in place to stop the disease spreading.
Public Health England (PHE) and the Food Standards Agency have assured consumers that avian influenzas pose a very low risk to people, and that properly cooked poultry products including eggs are safe to eat.
A detailed investigation is in progress to determine the most likely source of this outbreak, but Defra has said it does not anticipate any impact on the supplies of turkeys or other birds over Christmas.
Wild birds migrating from mainland Europe during the winter period can spread the disease to poultry and other captive birds.
As a result of outbreaks in the UK, new restrictions were declared nationwide to prevent the spread of the “highly infectious” flu earlier in November.
Published: by Radio NewsHub