Suffolk hit by third case of bird flu in a week

A third case of bird flu has been identified in west Suffolk in a week.

Suffolk Trading Standards said the latest case was found in Fakenham Magna, near Honington, on Thursday.

It said it was a back yard flock of 159 chickens, geese, guineafowl and ducks, near a commercial premises where a case was found on Tuesday and a garden chicken flock in Little Livermere.

Sasha Watson, from trading standards, said it was "very worrying" for another case to be found in the same area.

She said: "It's a very large number of birds, it's going to be very upsetting for the owner and devastating to be in that area and to know this is the third outbreak in very small area.

"It does look like it's all linked to wild birds."

She added: "It's in our seabirds and then getting into waterfowl so there is no season with bird flu now, it is, unfortunately in our domestic birds.

"It's very worrying, it's very resource intensive and it's very devastating for the industry as well as those who have their pet birds."

Almost 40,000 birds would be culled.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency said a 1.9 mile (3km) protection zone and six mile (10km) surveillance zone has been placed around the site.

Ms Watson urged owners to "take steps to separate their birds from wild birds".

"Whether that's netting them in an area or feeding them in an area wild birds can't get to the food, and not letting them near to any watercourse.

"It's just doing everything you can to separate them from the wild birds," she said.

Cases have also been confirmed in Clacton in Essex and Attleborough in Norfolk.

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