It seems as though (touch wood!) the H5N8 bird flu outbreak across Europe is coming towards an end – at least that’s what is being said in France, arguably the country worst hit this winter.
In England, Defra has a map of higher-risk and lower-risk areas which looks like it could win a prize for spurious accuracy if anything could. It seems to be based, at least in part, on wetland areas, both coastal and inland areas such as the Nene and Ouse Washes, but there are, for me, some puzzling high-risk blobs. Maybe you can work it out.
You have to do different things with your stock depending on whether you are in or out of a ‘higher-risk’ area so it would be interesting to know the scientific basis on which these blobs on the map were drawn.
In the past two weeks thee has only been one new wild bird tested positive for H5N8 in Great Britain and that was a Mute Swan in Somerset but we don’t yet know how many birds of how many species have been tested so ‘a Mute Swan’ doesn’t mean very much.
Let’s hope that we are near the end of this outbreak. And let’s hope that the opportunity has been taken to learn something about disease transmission for next time – as there surely will be a next time. But fingers crossed that this time is drawing to an end.
[registration_form]
That’s one of the least informative maps I’ve ever seen. As a bit of public information about a supposedly important topic it’s atrocious.
It’s a tiny representation of the UK with a nasty rash in England. And its unclear if there’s no bird flu in Wales or Scotland or if Defra simply never speaks to the devolved administrations (which is more plausible).
Even by Defra’s standards it is humiliatingly bad.
Good rant Jbc
If you mouse over it it tells you what to do (and at the side). I think it would be designed for me to look at my local area and see if I am in a zone, which it does. Bit tedious if you want to wander over wales in detail but not what its there for.
I sort of follow this bird flue ( I have no hens) and last I heard the country was divided into big areas, which was simple and easy to understand. Now it is patchy. I wonder if anyone knows about this map. Especially those with a few hens.
The only thing that has changed on the free range field is that the seagulls have gone off and are following the plow, harrows, drills etc.
Oxford seems to be a high-risk area. Probably all the mallards in University Parks.