London, Mar. 24, (PA Media/dpa/GNA) – A case of bird flu in sheep has been confirmed for the first time on a British farm where the disease had been found in poultry, the UK chief vet has said.

The case in a single sheep was identified with repeat positive milk testing following routine surveillance of livestock on a premises in Yorkshire, north-eastern England, where avian influenza H5N1 had been confirmed in captive birds.

It was found in monitoring of livestock on infected farms in the wake of the outbreak of the disease in dairy cows in the US.

The infected sheep was humanely culled and no further infection was detected in the remaining flock, the government said.

It is the first time the virus has been reported in a sheep, but officials said it was not the first time bird flu had been found in livestock in other countries, and there was no increased risk to the UK’s farm animal population.

But they called on all farmers and livestock keepers to be vigilant and practise good biosecurity measures to protect their animals and prevent further spread if there is an outbreak.

UK chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: “We have confirmed the detection of influenza of avian origin (H5N1) in a single sheep on a farm in Yorkshire.

“Strict biosecurity measures have been implemented to prevent the further spread of disease.

“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.”

The National Sheep Association (NSA) stressed the case was confined to one small holding and was not a food security risk.

NSA chief executive Phil Stocker said: “This is not a threat to food safety of consumers and it’s very important to make that clear.

“What this shows though is the importance of biosecurity and an understanding of what biosecurity means.

“In the sheep industry, we often think the term just refers to buying in stock, but in this instance sheep and poultry have mixed on the same farm, resulting in the transmission of avian influenza.”

He added mixing of stock should be avoided when parts of England was undergoing mandatory housing for poultry due to bird flu outbreaks.

Professor Ian Brown, group leader at the Pirbright Institute, a leading centre for studying animal disease, said the detection on bird flu in a sheep which has had close contact with infected birds was “not an unexpected finding”.

“It is too early to consider whether such virus is capable of onward spread within sheep but this was an isolated small holding with a small number of birds and sheep.”

But he added: “It does emphasise the importance of separating species and maintaining good farm hygiene.”

GNA

PDC