The UK’s wild bird population may be at risk following an outbreak of bird flu on a Yorkshire duck breeding farm.
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said today that it has confirmed at least one case of the virus at the farm – but officials told the BBC that it was not the deadly H5N1 strain.
A 10km restriction zone has been set up around the site and all poultry on the facility is to be culled in order to prevent any spread of infection.
While Defra has insisted the risk to public health is “very low”, Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens has said the strain is “highly pathogenic to birds”.
He told the BBC that the main concern is safeguarding wild birds.