Defra said the H5N1 virus had been detected at a premises near Poringland in Norfolk and at another location near Feltwell on Friday. As with earlier outbreaks, officials have put in place a three kilometre protection zone and a ten kilometre surveillance zone around the affected area. All poultry within these zones will be humanely culled to prevent further spread.
The latest cases mean that nine sites across the East of England have now been affected, including four in Suffolk. Avian influenza is a viral disease that mainly affects birds, although it can sometimes infect other animals including foxes, seals and otters.
Earlier this month, bird flu was confirmed at a premises in Attleborough as well as another site near Feltwell. Before that, infections were detected at a farm housing thousands of turkeys near Wells next the Sea and at a large commercial poultry unit near Ormesby St Margaret.
So far this year, Defra has recorded thirty one cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in England and forty across the UK. Last year the total reached eighty one, while only six cases were confirmed in 2023.
