Kent County Council has reported that Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) testing has confirmed bird flu of the highly pathogenic (HPAI) H5N1 strain in commercial poultry at a premises near Elham, Folkestone and Hythe, Kent.
To mitigate a possible outbreak:
- APHA deep clean and cull of birds has been completed
- KCC Trading Standards officers are now carrying out foot patrols inside the 3km protection zone to raise awareness of the need for bird keepers to be vigilant, follow strict biosecurity and report any suspected cases to Defra here
- Residents can help by not touching sick or dead wild birds and visiting gov.uk to report findings.