Bird flu at farm sparks concern at nearby reserve

A case of bird flu at a poultry farm in Kent has sparked concern at a nearby conservation area which attracts many rare species of birds.

Birds at the farm near Lydd will be culled after confirmation of the "highly pathogenic" avian influenza strain H5N1.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs declared a protection zone around the site, which is near Dungeness Nature Reserve.

Craig Edwards, site manager at the reserve, said the potential impact of the case was "profound".

It was "very concerning and could not have come at a worse time", he added.

Mr Edwards said wintering waders and wildfowl numbers were "starting to build" at the reserve, which is jointly managed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

"We were hit by the initial outbreak of bird flu a couple of years ago and this had a devastating impact on our breeding seabirds," he said.

"Now there's this new threat just as our wintering species arrive."

Mr Edwards said the RSPB would ask visitors to report any dead birds on the reserve to its team and not to touch any carcasses.

The protection zone covers an area within 3km (1.9 mile) of the affected farm, while surveillance zone restrictions are in place within 10km (6.2 miles) of the farm.

Scientists say the risk of bird flu to humans is low, with transmission from birds very rare.

Requirements for nearby bird-keepers include keeping poultry housed, tougher biosecurity measures and recording visitors and bird movements.

Several bird flu cases have been confirmed in England in recent months.

Restrictions remain in place after an earlier outbreak near Uckfield in East Sussex.

In October, Happy Pants Ranch in Newington, Kent had to cull all its birds, including an emu, after a bird flu outbreak.

Dungeness Nature Reserve is known for its migratory birds, along with rare plants, insects and spiders.

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