Deadly bird flu outbreak confirmed at British turkey farm

An outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in turkeys at a farm in Lincolnshire, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

The outbreak of the H5N8 avian influenza strain is at a poultry farm in Tetney, near Grimsby in Lincolnshire.

Most infested birds at the premises have died and any remaining birds there will be humanely culled.

Defra have put in place a 1.8 miles (3km) Protection Zone and a 6.2 miles (10km) Surveillance Zone around the infected farm to limit the risk of the disease spreading.

A Defra spokesperson said: "Tests are under way and restrictions are in place at the site."

Last week, Defra said birds should be kept inside to protect them from the highly contagious strain of flu. The World Health Organisation warned in November that though the risk of infection to humans could not be excluded, it was very low.

Public Health England (PHE) said there was not expected to be any impact on the supply of turkeys or other birds over Christmas, and the risk to the public was minimal.

"Public Health England has confirmed that the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency has said that bird flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers," said a spokesman.

The H5N8 bird flu strain has been found in poultry and wild birds in 14 European countries including Germany and France.