Defra animal health laboratory has confirmed that the outbreak in East Yorkshire is the H5N8 strain. This is the same strain as that which has caused outbreaks among poultry in Germany and the Netherlands in the last week.
However there are no known records of this strain being detected in humans and the risk to public health remains very low.
Defra investigations continue. Over the next few days the outcome of tests on all poultry holdings within a 3km protection zone around the outbreak site will be known. The restrictions on movements of all poultry, products and waste and the restriction on the release of gamebirds within a 10km surveillance zone still apply, and a cull of 6000 ducks on the farm was due to be completed yesterday. These are important measures to minimise the risk of disease spread to other farms or into the wild bird population.
A field assessment around the outbreak site found low levels of wild bird activity. Although it is still unclear how this strain entered the UK, the possibility that wild birds were responsible continues to look unlikely.
These intensively raised chicken farms with high densities are nothing more than the avian version of concentration camps. Simply awful holes. Is it surprising that diseases exist? As usual, DEFRA prefers to blame our long-suffering wildlife rather than acknowledge that contemporary farming practises are to fault.