Monday 10/November/2025 – 11:18 PM
British experts warned of an outbreak of the bird flu virus, after the death of swans near a famous lake in Britain, according to the BBC.
Experts warn of an outbreak of bird flu after the death of swans in Britain
The five birds at Lake Bakewell, near Bristol, showed signs of bird flu, including blue eyes, animal charity Curious Critters said.
It comes as the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) issued a mandatory housing order to cover England following a surge in virus numbers.
So far this season, which started in October, there have been 26 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 on farms across the UK, with 22 cases in England.
The public was urged to keep dogs on leads and not feed wild waterfowl, including ducks and geese.
Sarah Goodwin, a farmer and free-range egg producer at Central Farm in Chippenham, Wiltshire, warned that if the strain struck her farm, it would be disastrous.
She said: Chickens make up about half of our business. It would be completely disastrous if they contracted bird flu. All the birds would be culled.
Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s chief veterinary officer, said the move would bring infection rates down from the highs we are currently seeing.
The UK’s Health Security Agency has confirmed that the risk to the public’s health is very low, while the Food Standards Agency said that bird flu poses a very low risk to food safety and that properly cooked poultry and eggs are safe to eat.
