Page 2 . Farming Express
Duck farm first noticed signs of bird flu almost two weeks ago when egg production dropped but did not report it because they thought animals were just spooked by fireworks
• Bird flu alarm was not sounded at Yorkshire farm for almost a week
• Issues began just three days after 15,000 eggs were sent 50 miles away
• Operator Cherry Valley insisted egg loss can be a sign of many things
• But it is also one of the six danger signs of bird flu listed by Defra
• 6,000 ducks culled after H5N8 strain became UK ’ s first case in six years
• WHO scientist claimed it could pass to humans for the first time
The bird flu-hit farm where 6,000 ducks have been culled waited almost a week to sound the alarm - after staff first thought the animals were spooked by Bonfire Night . Egg production dropped at the Cherry Valley breeding site in Nafferton , East Yorkshire , on November 8 , but a vet only sounded a formal bird flu alert with the government on November 14 , last Friday . The firm said staff first thought the noise of fireworks might have stressed the birds into laying fewer eggs . Then a vet suspected a bacterial infection , but antibiotics didn ’ t work . Only three days before the first problem was seen , a shipment of 15,000 eggs left the farm . They are now being tested for the virus in incubators 50 miles away amid fears they may have to be destroyed . A drop in egg numbers is one of the six key warning signs for spotting bird flu listed by the Department for Environment , Food and Rural Affairs ( Defra ). But Cherry Valley , which breeds 7million ducks a year for ready meals sold in Tesco , M & S , Lidl and Aldi at 33 sites across Britain , said many factors could have been responsible A Cherry Valley spokesman told
MailOnline : ‘ On November 8-9 the farm first noticed problems and notified a consultant [ private ] vet , who was in touch with the Animal and Plant Health Agency ( APHA ). ‘ There was no suspicion of bird flu originally , party because it was around bonfire weekend and there were fireworks . ‘ These are one of the external factors which cause stress in animals and egg production to drop . ‘ So it could have been one of many things rather than jumping to the very worst conclusion straight away , much like a person feeling ill and going to the GP .’ The private vet first contacted the APHA on November 11 , but both parties agreed it was probably a bacterial infection and prescribed the ducks with antibiotics the same day .
A fall in egg production can be a symptom of several different things . These include general stresses , such as disturbance due to such things as fireworks which were a feature of that weekend Cherry Valley spokesman
When ducks continued to die and the antibiotics didn ’ t work , the vet reported a suspected bird flu case on November 14 , the spokesman added . Tests then confirmed the disease the next day and a public warning went out a day after that . In a statement , the firm added : ‘ There are well-established robust processes in place and they were closely followed . ‘ There was no suspicion of bird flu initially as a fall in egg production can be a symptom of several different things . These include general stresses , such as disturbance due to such things as fireworks which were a feature of that weekend .’ Defra confirmed yesterday the virus was the same H5N8 strain found in
Germany and the Netherlands . A leading health expert claimed there will ‘ probably be human cases ’ of the strain - despite it never infecting a human before . Elizabeth Mumford from the World Health Organisation warned the virus was ‘ unpredictable ’ as all 6,000 white Pekin ducks on the farm were gassed to death and dumped in metal containers . She said there could be ‘ a few sporadic cases ’, adding : ‘ We believe any time that humans are in close contact with poultry , there ’ s a possibility of transmission to humans ’. Although the possibility of seeing human cases was low , she said : ‘ I don ’ t see why we wouldn ’ t . If it ’ s really circulating widely , there ’ s no reason we shouldn ’ t see human cases .’ It was the first time an expert had claimed the H5N8 strain could pass to humans . Other top scientists , including Britain ’ s chief vet and Public Health England , have stressed repeatedly that the risk of transfer to humans is negligible . Yesterday a second site owned by Cherry Valley was drawn into bird flu fears for the first time . The firm ’ s Usselby hatchery near Market Rasen , Lincolnshire , incubating between 14,000 and 15,000 duck eggs which left the stricken farm on November 5 and are due to hatch in two weeks . Defra is now set to test the eggs and work out whether they need to be destroyed . A spokesman said : ‘ As part of our robust action in response to the confirmed case of avian flu , we are considering a range of measures including destroying a shipment of eggs sent to a separate farm for hatching earlier in November . ‘ This is in line with our tried and tested procedures for dealing with avian flu outbreaks .’ Cherry Valley admitted the move
but insisted : ‘ As the World Health Organisation , the Minister , the Food Standards Agency , Public Health England and others have made clear , there is absolutely no risk to humans and people should continue to eat all forms of poultry . ‘ Any eggs that are destroyed are done so to protect the integrity of the supply chain and ensure that the disease does not affect more birds .’ Dr Colin Butter , head of avian viral immunology at The Pirbright Institute for animal health , said : ‘ It ’ s certainly possible that eggs from an infected flock could carry influenza on their surface .’ He added : ‘ In chickens you would know very fast because they die . With highly pathogenic bird flu , which this is , the can die within a couple of days , so you know very fast that you have a problem in the flock . ‘ However , with some water fowl such as ducks , the symptoms of influenza can be much less severe , so farmers have to be on a very sharp lookout .’ But he added : ‘ There ’ s all evidence to suggest this farm picked it up extremely quickly ... [ And ] I ’ m quite sure the scientists from Defra have this question in hand .’ A Defra spokesman said : ‘ The advice from the Chief Medical Officer and Public Health England remains that the risk to public health is very low . The Food Standards Agency have said there is no food safety risk for consumers .’