Poultry cull over bird flu fear

Poultry on a sixth premises are being culled on suspicion of bird flu, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

The premises, within the existing surveillance zone, and just outside the original 3km protection zone, have been designated a dangerous contact site. The birds are being culled as a precautionary measure, Defra said.

The latest premises, in Suffolk, is the fifth to be declared a "dangerous contact" site, and the sixth in total to have poultry culled, including the original infected site.

A total of 56,000 ducks, 9,000 turkeys and 3,000 geese have been culled at the latest premises. It is operated by the same company Redgrave Poultry, which runs the other four "dangerous contact" sites and Redgrave Park farm where the initial outbreak was discovered.

The latest cull is in line with contingency plans and a veterinary assessment of the risk, Defra said.

Acting Chief Veterinary Officer Fred Landeg said: "This decision has been taken based on new information which indicates the possibility that the poultry on this premise may have been exposed to infection.

"I can not emphasise enough that it is essential all poultry keepers practice the highest levels of biosecurity and report any suspicions of disease to their local Animal Health office."

The national ban on bird gatherings remains in place, and movement restrictions apply in the protection, surveillance and restricted zones, Defra said. Bird keepers in these zones are required to house or otherwise isolate their birds from wild birds.

Meanwhile, it emerged that officials at Defra are being forced to identify cuts of up to £270 million to accommodate new ministerial priorities.

Defra's top civil servant, Helen Ghosh, confirmed she had asked staff to identify the savings in response to new demands set out in Chancellor Alistair Darling's three-year spending plans last month.