Plan, Prevent, Protect: Biosecurity and Farm Management

The British Poultry Council has produced a biosecurity checklist for all birdkeepers to use as part of the national effort to tackle and eradicate the toughest outbreak of bird flu to date.

Biosecurity measures are not just a set of rules. They are part of the culture of keeping birds –effective and practical measures all poultry keepers must take to reduce the likelihood of getting an incursion of disease and prevent becoming a tracing or dangerous contact. A failure to efficiently plan your biosecurity means a failure to prevent disease spread, pointing to a failure to protect your birds. BPC’s biosecurity checklist encourages all bird keepers, from commercial to pet keepers, to check their biosecurity steps consistently .

BPC Chief Executive, Richard Griffiths, said: “This year has brought a tough outbreak of Avian Influenza, arguably the worst we have ever seen. Our focus is on stamping out the disease and controlling the spread, whether in commercial flocks, smallholdings, or pets, and we continue to work closely with Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to ensure that immediate action is being taken wherever an outbreak occurs. Movement controls are in place for birds and meat as part of a carefully managed containment approach led by Government vets. We, as ever, urge all poultry keepers across the country to remain vigilant and look out for signs of the disease in your birds or bird.”

Please find the British Poultry Council’s Biosecurity Checklist below.

Page 1 – Poster

Page 2 – Checklist

The Poultry Health and Welfare Group, previously chaired by BPC Technical Director Maire Burnett, hosted their annual Autumnal webinar to promote awareness of Avian Influenza and the risk it poses to the domestic wild bird population, encouraging bird keepers to step up their biosecurity practices ahead of the winter season.

Please find 5 short but essential Key Takeaways for all poultry keepers to abide by below: