Britain declared free of bird flu

The UK is free from avian influenza, according to the rules laid down by international legislation.

World Health Organisation for Animal Health guidance states that a country can be declared free of the disease following a clear three-month gap from the last outbreak.

In June, the Department for Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed bird flu at premises near Banbury in Oxfordshire after preliminary testing.

Chickens were found to have a H7 strain, which is highly pathogenic.

The ban on poultry remained in place, which the UK has been under for the last 12 months due to three outbreaks this year and last year.

Now officially free of bird flu, Defra will now be able to resume talks with partners in potential markets.

The last incidence of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza strain was confirmed in the UK in November last year in Norfolk, according to Defra.

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