Suffolk bird flu: 82,400 ducks to be culled after outbreak

The H5N1 strain was found at the Gressingham Foods site at Debach, near Woodbridge, over the weekend

More than 82,000 ducks are to be culled amid an outbreak of bird flu, Suffolk Trading Standards said.

The H5N1 strain was found at the Gressingham Foods site at Debach, near Woodbridge, over the weekend.

The company's Redgrave site was affected earlier this month, and 35,000 ducks had to be culled there.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has urged poultry keepers in Suffolk to "step up their efforts" as the UK faces its "largest outbreak".

Chief veterinary officer Dr Christine Middlemiss said the UK was seeing its "worst" ever avian flu outbreak.

Dr Middlemiss said Suffolk in particular had seen a large increase in infections amongst wild birds.

Although there was "no direct evidence" people were helping to spread the virus, Dr Middlemiss urged farmers and keepers to be "absolutely, scrupulously clean" when moving between sheds and bird housing.

Sasha Watson, from Trading Standards, who described the latest case - the fifth in the county in a month - as a "very big outbreak" said the 82,400 ducks would be culled over the next few days.

A Defra map shows a 3km (2 mile) protection zone around the Debach, Clopton, Bredfield and Burgh area

Gressingham Foods said: "Over the weekend unfortunately a Green Label duck farm was confirmed as having Highly pathogenic Avian influenza H5N1.

"Since the weekend the farm has taken every precaution and there has been no movement of birds or other material off the premises. The farm is now under Animal and Plant Health Agency control.

"The welfare of our birds is an absolute priority, and we work to the highest standards in hygiene, bio-security and animal welfare across all our farms."

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A 3km (2 mile) protection zone has been set up around the Debach, Clopton, Bredfield and Burgh area.

People living in the area would be spoken to by Trading Standards, said Ms Watson.

More than 82,000 ducks are to be culled amid an outbreak of bird flu at the Gressingham Foods site

A 10km (6 mile) surveillance zone has also been set up, which goes from the edge of Ipswich, up to Earl Soham and across to Rendlesham.

The latest outbreak follows a case near Market Weston on 12 March.

There were also two cases near Redgrave on 1 and 11 March and another near Elmswell on 26 February.