First case of bird flu in sheep found on UK farm

The world's first case of bird flu in sheep has been found in the UK, the nation's chief veterinary officer has confirmed.

The exact location of the farm has not been revealed, but a government spokesperson said the case was identified on a site in Yorkshire where bird flu had been confirmed in captive birds.

The spokesperson said the single infected sheep had been "humanely culled" and no further cases among the flock were found after "extensive testing".

"There is no evidence to suggest an increased risk to the nation's livestock population," they added.

Christine Middlemiss, the UK's chief veterinary officer, said "strict" measures had been put in place to prevent the further spread of the disease.

She added: "While the risk to livestock remains low, I urge all animal owners to ensure scrupulous cleanliness is in place and to report any signs of infection to the Animal Plant Health Agency immediately."

Bird flu, also known as avian influenza or H5N1, is a disease caused by a virus that infects birds and sometimes other animals.

A government spokesperson said there had been a "small number" of cases of bird flu in humans in the UK since 2021.

All bar one had been asymptomatic, although they warned the infection "can be serious".

The infections were detected in people who had "close and prolonged contact with a large number of infected birds".

The spokesperson said the disease continued to infect new mammals and spread between them, "increasing the opportunities the virus has to evolve".

"The concern is that these changes in the virus may at some point allow it to spread readily between people."

Dr Meera Chand, emerging infection lead at the UK Health Security Agency, said current evidence "suggests that the avian influenza viruses we're seeing circulating around the world do not spread easily to people".

Dr Chand added: "The risk of avian flu to the general public remains very low."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said 1.78 million farmed and captive birds had been culled between November and February due to the spread of the disease across the UK.

A government spokesperson said the infected sheep was a female who had been showing signs of mastitis, an inflammation of the udder tissue.

The lambs of the affected ewe tested negative for bird flu, the spokesperson added.

While this is the first time this virus has been reported in a sheep anywhere in the world, bird flu has previously been detected in livestock in other countries, according to Defra.

According to the American public health agency the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cases have previously been found in the US in dairy cows.

The National Sheep Association (NSA), which represents the views and interests of sheep producers in the UK, said mixing different animals was "questionable at the best of times, but should be avoided when England is undergoing a period of mandatory housing measures for poultry due to bird flu outbreaks".

The Yorkshire farm where the case was found was a smallholding where sheep and poultry were being kept together, a spokesperson added.

NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said the positive case was "not a threat to food safety of consumers".

National Farmers' Union president Tom Bradshaw said: "Farmers are understandably concerned that avian influenza has been found in a sheep.

"This remains a single case within what is understood to be a backyard flock, and no other infection has been found amongst the remaining sheep.

"Commercial producers continue to do all they can to protect their animals by following strict biosecurity measures.

"While the risk to the nation's livestock population remains low, it's vital that all keepers of domesticated poultry, cattle, sheep and goats maintain high standards of biosecurity and remain vigilant for any signs of disease."

Defra has placed England in an "avian influenza protection zone" to prevent bird flu and stop it spreading.

Thirteen regions have also seen mandatory housing measures introduced, which state that birds must be kept inside.

They are Cheshire, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, Herefordshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Shropshire, Suffolk, Worcestershire, and York.

The Food Standards Agency said properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, remained safe to eat.