The government has confirmed a second outbreak of bird flu at a site in Newington.\u00a0Stock picture<\/p>\n
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced the measure at 8.15pm yesterday (December 3).<\/p>\n
It means those who own birds in the area will have to monitor and safely house them.<\/p>\n
The animals cannot be moved elsewhere during this time.<\/p>\n
People are also required to keep a record of visitors and whether they come into contact with any of the birds.<\/p>\n
It comes after DEFRA put a 3km captive bird (monitoring) control zone<\/a> in place after cases of the flu were discovered at a different farm near the village on October 28.<\/p>\n The rules for protection and control zones are the same \u2013 with the latter being used for outbreaks at non-commercial sites.<\/p>\n More than 60 birds at Happy Pants Ranch in Newington had to be culled<\/a> after the disease was found at the rescue centre.<\/p>\n Boss Amey James was then left facing a \u00a316,000 bill<\/a> from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to test her 40 pigs for the flu.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Hen Weekend Chicken Boarding boss Katriona Shovlin told her customers she had to temporarily shut.<\/p>\n Her special hotel is in Susans Lane near Upchurch, which was just within the controlled zone, which covers Lower Halstow, Bobbing and Funton.<\/p>\n The two zones overlap and stretch from Key Street in Sittingbourne to Station Road in Rainham.<\/p>\n A 10km surveillance area, which goes from Rochester to Bapchild, is also in place.<\/p>\n Measures within a surveillance zone are the same as those in protection and control zones, except animals do not need to be housed.<\/p>\n It is the third zone currently in place in the county.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, November 25, the virus was found at a farm in Lydd<\/a> – where all the poultry will be culled.<\/p>\n While the disease primarily affects birds, some strains can spread to humans through close contact with infected animals or contaminated environments.<\/p>\n People could get a range of symptoms, from mild flu-like illness to severe respiratory disease.<\/p>\n The news comes after suspected outbreaks in the Canterbury and Thanet area, which have seen reports of \u201cat least 50\u201d swans dying.<\/p>\nA bird flu outbreak at Happy Pants Ranch in Sittingbourne meant 61 birds had to be culled. Picture: Happy Pants<\/p>\n
A third bird flu outbreak has been discovered in Kent at a site in Newington<\/p>\n
The swans were found in the Sarre Penn, between Canterbury and Thanet. Picture: Johnny Allen<\/p>\n