An egg association has warned of “long-term consequences” for the UK industry following the latest detection of bird flu at a farm in Shropshire, near England’s border with Wales.
The government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said in an incident update on 20 January that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1, “has been confirmed in commercial poultry at a premises near Wem, North Shropshire”.
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Griffiths Family Farms, part of Oaklands Farm Eggs, was identified as the farm in question by the British Free-Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA), which quantified the business as one of the largest egg processors in the country.
“All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled,” Defra and APHA said in the update. However, Defra declined to comment on the number of birds that would be, or have been, destroyed due to the outbreak at the farm as some media reports put the count at more than a million.
“Immediate steps have been taken to limit the risk of the disease spreading, including the introduction of a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone surrounding the premises and all remaining poultry at the farm have been humanely culled,” a Defra spokesperson informed Just Food.
“Bird keepers must continue to remain alert for signs of the disease, exercise stringent biosecurity measures at all times, and report any suspected cases of avian influenza or other notifiable diseases to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.”
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By GlobalDataIn a statement issued on behalf of the Griffiths family, Elwyn Griffiths acknowledged the APHA detection of bird flu at the Wem farm following testing, although he did not provide any details on the numbers of birds involved in the cull.
“This is obviously devastating news for the business and the Griffiths family personally,” he said.
“We will now work as quickly as possible to ensure the welfare of hens on the rest of the site, and also to ensure the wellbeing of farm staff who are caring for the hens on the ground.
“We are now in the hands of government officials at APHA who will outline the next steps which we will be required to take.”
Defra said in the same rolling incident update that bird flu was also detected at an unnamed “free-range layer” facility in November, the first case since 14 February last year. And another was identified in Scotland, again with the location and owner unnamed, on 10 January.
“This outbreak reminds us that the virus is still circulating and remains a risk, and producers should exercise strict biosecurity measures,” Defra said in November.
Meanwhile, Gary Ford, head of strategy and producer engagement at BFREPA, provided a comment on the outbreak at the Wem farm via a statement.
“The outbreak at arguably the country’s biggest laying sites was devastating – especially for the Griffiths family, but also for so many associated businesses, including feed suppliers, pullet rearers, end of lay hen processors, and hauliers,” Ford said.
“Our thoughts are with the Griffiths family and their staff. For the wider industry, this will have long-term consequences. The site at Wem processes about half the UK’s barn egg production. It will have a very significant impact.”
Griffiths was set up as a family business in 1955.
“We produce millions of eggs each year, all meeting the strict standards laid down by the Lion Code of Practise. This mark guarantees that the eggs have been produced to the highest standards of food safety in the world,” the company states on its website.
Defra added in the latest incident update that while the Wem farm is in England, “part of the surveillance zone extends into the Wrexham local authority area of Wales”.
It continued: “Whilst there have been no cases of HPAI confirmed in Wales during this outbreak, in line with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) rules Great Britain is no longer free from highly pathogenic avian influenza.
“No cases of HPAI have been confirmed in Northern Ireland this season and Northern Ireland continues to have WOAH self-declared zonal freedom from highly pathogenic avian influenza.”
