Bad Christmas news for York farmers: bird flu outbreak in Elvington

(Photo: Pixabay)

The news of the infection prompted immediate action. The entire flock on the affected farm was culled, and authorities set up a 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone in the area. The inner zone, which is subject to stricter rules, almost reaches the outer ring road of York, while the wider surveillance zone extends to the boroughs of Holgate and Dringhouses. While new restrictions were imposed in the east of York, farmers north of the city were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. The government has lifted the last of the restrictions imposed in the area where the virus was detected on a farm near Thirsk in early November. The strictest 3km protection zone there was lifted in early December after the area was officially declared “clean”. The Elvington case is not unique: similar restrictions are currently in place in several places across the country, wherever bird flu infections have been confirmed in the past. For farmers, it is a reminder that the threat of the epidemic does not rest even during the festive period – and that a single positive case can have serious consequences for an entire region.

www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk