Farmer’s Trade Shaken up by Bird Flu

Turkeys, credit to Jody Gronning from Heart of England Farm

Compulsory measures for all poultry and bird-keepers will be introduced from Monday 7th November 2022, after an increase of bird flu cases across the nation.

Gov.UK says that all birds must be kept indoors until further notice. It says: “The UK has faced its largest ever outbreak of bird flu with over 200 cases confirmed across the country since late October 2021.”

Heart of England Farms in Warwickshire have nearly 10,000 Christmas birds, including geese and turkeys and one of the farmers are worried about the impact bird flu will have on their flock.

Across the UK from October 1st, 2022, there has been over 80 cases in commercial flocks.

Geese, credit to Jody Gronning, Heart of England Farm

Judy Gronning is a farmer and co-owner of the farm. She said: “If we had cases of bird flu on our farm, we’d have no birds left. We would lose all our trade for Christmas, which is something I’m trying not to think about, but I have to.”

Judy also said that birds would die less than a week after contracting the virus.

Bird flu is continuously mutating. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bird flu virus does not normally infect humans, but there have been rare cases of this.

The infection can take place through someone’s mouth, nose, eyes and through being inhaled.

In May 2013, there was the first human infection. A 20-year-old woman in Taiwan was sent to hospital, she was experiencing shortness of breath and flu like symptoms. Treated with oseltamivir, an anti-viral medication, she has since recovered.

For more information on Bird Flu, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.