A flock of birds at a premises in East Cambridgeshire will be culled following a bird flu outbreak.

The outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) at a premises near Soham on October 11.

A government spokesperson said: “A 3km captive bird (monitoring) controlled zone has been put in place around the premises.

“All birds will be humanely culled.”

Some of the government measures that apply in the 3km zone include:

  • Recording the name and address of anyone visiting the premises;

  • Stating if the person had any contact with poultry or other captive birds;

  • The occupier of any premises keeping a record of all poultry entering or leaving those premises as soon as reasonably practicable after the movement.

The 3km zone covers parts of Soham, as well as Great Fen to the north and Isleham Fen to the east.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) said its Trading Standards team is working with DEFRA and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to “identify all poultry and captive birds in the area.

“A 3km protection zone has been put in place surrounding the infected premises to try to stop the further spread of the disease.

“A full announcement will be made shortly.”

Details of the restrictions can be found at: https://bit.ly/3RPzFCR.

According to the government, there have been 29 cases of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) in England since October 1 this year.

"There have been 187 cases in England since the H5N1 outbreak began in October 2021,” said the government spokesperson.

A nationwide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) was introduced last year, which required birds to be kept housed and bird keepers to follow strict biodiversity measures.

This is to limit the spread of and eradicate disease from poultry and other captive birds.

The AIPZ for poultry and captive birds was lifted in August, with several regional zones now in force.

In April, a bird flu outbreak was reported at a farm near Ely.

Trading Standards officers from CCC were called to homes within a 3km protection zone set up following the Ely outbreak.

If you suspect any type of avian influenza in poultry or captive birds, contact the DEFRA rural services helpline on 03000 200 301.