The Farming Express The Farming Express Jan iss3 | Page 24

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

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 bird flu-hit farm where 6,000 ducks The private vet first contacted the APHA
have been culled waited almost a week on November 11, but both parties agreed
to sound the alarm - after staff first
it was probably a bacterial infection and Germany and the Netherlands.
thought the animals were spooked by
prescribed the ducks with antibiotics the A leading health expert claimed there
Bonfire Night.
same day.
will ‘probably be human cases’ of the
Egg production dropped at the Cherry
strain - despite it never infecting a
Valley breeding site in Nafferton, East A fall in egg production can be a
human before. 
symptom of several different things.
Yorkshire, on November 8, but a vet
Elizabeth Mumford from the World
only sounded a formal bird flu alert with These include general stresses, such
Health Organisation warned the virus
as disturbance due to such things as
the government on November 14, last
was ‘unpredictable’ as all 6,000 white
fireworks which were a feature of that
Friday.
Pekin ducks on the farm were gassed to
weekend 
The firm said staff first thought the
death and dumped in metal containers.
Cherry Valley spokesman
noise of fireworks might have stressed
 She said there could be ‘a few sporadic
the birds into laying fewer eggs. Then a
cases’, adding: ‘We believe any time
When ducks continued to d