New cases of bird flu confirmed near Suffolk border

Bird flu has been identified in commercial poultry at a farm close to the Suffolk border.

The finding of the highly infectious H5N1 strain of the disease was confirmed at a premises near Thetford on Tuesday.

A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place around the premises.

Last year, the National Farmers Union warned the country was facing the worst out-break of bird flu ever.

At the time, we spoke to Brian Finnerty, from NFU East Anglia.

He told us we need to take the disease seriously:

"A tiny amount of the virus can cause a huge amount of impact on a flock. When it does get into a flock, it can spread very, very quickly and that's where you see the higher mortality amongst your birds, which is one of the key signs of the virus.

"The key for everyone is to practice really strict bio-security, keep your feed away from wild birds, clean footwear and use disinfectant...

"It's up to all of us to work together to get on top of this disease and to eradicate it. We have a hugely important poultry industry in East Anglia. About a fifth of table poultry is produced in our region and it's worth millions and millions for our local economy."

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