Avian influenza and the risk from backyard flocks

Poultry owners big and small in the U.K. have been ordered to keep their birds indoors, or take other appropriate steps, to keep them separate from wild birds. The measure is simply precautionary -- a response to the increased risk from avian influenza viruses circulating in several European countries.The H5N8 virus detected in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, among others, has not spread to the U.K., but it easily could via wild birds, and the U.K., Scottish and Welsh governments are taking no chances. Migratory birds, it seems, have been paying little attention to Brexit and it is not disrupting their travel plans.The order, due to initially last for 30 days, has been welcomed by farming bodies. They recognize the need to protect bird health, particularly in the run-up to Christmas, which is a crucial time of year for many poultry producers.