Relief as bird flu housing restrictions lifted

A Shropshire farmer has said he is relieved to let his chickens out again, as bird flu housing restrictions are lifted.

Peter Jarvis is a chicken farmer in Withington and let his 6,000 hens out on Thursday morning for the first time in five months.

Mandatory housing measures for poultry and flocks of more than 50 captive birds were introduced across the whole of England last November to prevent the spread of the disease.

"They're obviously cautious because a lot of them don't really know what's going on but they are excited and keen to be out," the farmer said.

He added it was "fantastic" to see his birds out roaming once more.

"The last couple of weeks have been an issue because the sun's been so bright the hens have wanted to go out," Jarvis said.

"We've had to keep going into the shed and moving them about.

"The sooner we can get a vaccine in and we can keep them out all year round, the better."

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs announced on 5 March that targeted trials for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) vaccines had started.

The trials will focus on turkeys, which are particularly susceptible to the disease.

As well as poultry, birds of prey have also been impacted by the curbs.

Steve Cross runs Shropshire Falconry near Wem and said, while many of his birds were housed inside anyway, it was a relief to no longer have a blanket restriction on where he could take his bird shows.

"It was terrible February/March last year when I was in a seclusion zone and I couldn't move any of my birds for three months," he said.

Cross added he was now fully booked up for summer, with shows all over the country.

"Obviously, we have to still keep up rigorous biosecurity measures, and if I have a show in a controlled or protected zone, I won't take them there," he added.

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