The UK has faced its largest-ever outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu) with over 200 cases confirmed across the country since late October 2021, with the UK seeing a “rapid escalation” in cases number on both commercial farms and domestically kept birds across England. Bird flu is very contagious pathogen among birds and there is a legal requirement to report even suspected cases in the UK.
In response to this, the Government has introduced measures to manage the spread of the disease with all bird keepers being required to keep all birds housed (kept indoors) until further notice as well as taking other biosecurity measures. DEFRA has also introduced a new compensation regime for affected farmers.
The Committee will be holding an one off session examining:
- The impact of the bird flu outbreak on the poultry sector and the support available to them
- The cause of outbreak and the effectiveness of the controls being put in place manage the disease
- The impact on the availability and price of poultry products – including turkeys in the run up to Christmas
The UK Health Security Agency has advised that the risk to public health from the virus is very low and the Food Standards Agency have stated that avian influenzas pose a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.