Bird flu has been found at a third site in Kent, the government has confirmed.
It has put in place a 3km protection zone following the outbreak at a commercial poultry farm in Newington, near Sittingbourne.
The government has confirmed a second outbreak of bird flu at a site in Newington. Stock picture
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced the measure at 8.15pm yesterday (December 3).
It means those who own birds in the area will have to monitor and safely house them.
The animals cannot be moved elsewhere during this time.
People are also required to keep a record of visitors and whether they come into contact with any of the birds.
It comes after DEFRA put a 3km captive bird (monitoring) control zone in place after cases of the flu were discovered at a different farm near the village on October 28.
A bird flu outbreak at Happy Pants Ranch in Sittingbourne meant 61 birds had to be culled. Picture: Happy Pants
The rules for protection and control zones are the same – with the latter being used for outbreaks at non-commercial sites.
More than 60 birds at Happy Pants Ranch in Newington had to be culled after the disease was found at the rescue centre.
Boss Amey James was then left facing a £16,000 bill from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to test her 40 pigs for the flu.
Meanwhile, Hen Weekend Chicken Boarding boss Katriona Shovlin told her customers she had to temporarily shut.
Her special hotel is in Susans Lane near Upchurch, which was just within the controlled zone, which covers Lower Halstow, Bobbing and Funton.
The two zones overlap and stretch from Key Street in Sittingbourne to Station Road in Rainham.
A third bird flu outbreak has been discovered in Kent at a site in Newington
A 10km surveillance area, which goes from Rochester to Bapchild, is also in place.
Measures within a surveillance zone are the same as those in protection and control zones, except animals do not need to be housed.
It is the third zone currently in place in the county.
On Tuesday, November 25, the virus was found at a farm in Lydd – where all the poultry will be culled.
While the disease primarily affects birds, some strains can spread to humans through close contact with infected animals or contaminated environments.
People could get a range of symptoms, from mild flu-like illness to severe respiratory disease.
The news comes after suspected outbreaks in the Canterbury and Thanet area, which have seen reports of “at least 50” swans dying.
The swans were found in the Sarre Penn, between Canterbury and Thanet. Picture: Johnny Allen
Animal welfare volunteers told KentOnline how they fear swan populations could be decimated.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advises that bird flu is primarily a disease of birds and the risk to the general public’s health is very low.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said bird flu poses a very low food safety risk for UK consumers. Properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.
The bosses of Eagle Heights in Eynsford say they found out about the new case just minutes after it had planned to announce its reopening.
Eagle Heights Wildlife Foundation in Eynsford has had to extend its closure following the latest case. Picture: Eagle Heights
Exactly one month ago, it made the “incredibly hard” decision to temporarily shut after the initial avian flu case was confirmed in the county.
The bird of prey centre had received the all-clear from its vet and was planning to reopen to visitors next week.
But after hearing the news, it has made the “heartbreaking” decision to stay shut.
Director Samantha Leonard said: “We had the announcement written, scheduled, and ready to go.
“After a full month of being closed, we were so excited to welcome visitors back. Then, minutes before we were due to go public, we received the news of another case in the same area. We couldn’t believe it.”
All of the birds at the site remain healthy, and the extended closure is a preventative measure.
Since the start of the current outbreak season on October 1 2025 up to today, 1.48 million poultry or other captive birds have died, or have been or are in the process of being culled and disposed of for disease control purposes.