Alistair Breed said that the risk to humans from the disease remained ‘very low’ and that he had written to poultry keepers warning them to take precautions to prevent the virus spreading to the Island, such as minimising their animals’ contact with wild birds and their droppings, as well as taking extra hygiene measures.
Outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu have happened near Wrexham in Wales, Droitwich in England and in Scotland, with the same strain found in wild birds from sites across the UK.
Bird flu can be passed from bird to bird causing illness and death. The UK Health Security Agency also says that the risk of bird flu to public health is ‘very low’ and that ‘properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat’.
Mr Breed has warned poultry owners that outbreaks were ‘unfortunately likely to continue to occur over the winter’.
He added: ‘Following the recent outbreaks of avian influenza, also known as bird flu, in the UK, I have written to local poultry keepers to highlight the risk that wild birds pose to poultry.
‘While there are no known cases of bird flu in Jersey, we are advising poultry keepers to take increased measures to help protect their birds from infection. This includes, among other steps, minimising the contact poultry has with wild birds and wild bird droppings, and owners disinfecting footwear before and after being in bird enclosures.’
He added that the situation in the UK was being monitored and that a ban on bringing birds into the Island could be introduced.
‘The UK Health Security Agency has said that avian influenza is primarily a disease of birds, and Public Health England advises that the risk to public health is low,’ he said.
‘The Food Standards Agency says, on the basis of current scientific evidence, avian influenza poses a very low food-safety risk for UK consumers.
‘The issuing of all import-poultry and hatching-egg licences for Jersey is under review. If the risk rises to an unacceptable level, then importations will be suspended.’
