Major bird flu outbreak sparks fears over Scots poultry ahead of Christmas

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A major bird flu outbreak in Aberdeenshire has sparked fears over poultry farming in Scotland on the lead up to Christmas.Around 1,500 birds have died near Peterhead as a result of Avian influenza, with carcasses being found washed up on coastlines in Balmedie, Stonehaven, Inverbervie and Cruden Bay beaches in recent months.

Local MP David Duguid described the situation as "extremely worrying" as he raised concerns ahead of the festive period.The Tory representative told Aberdeen Live: "It’s extremely worrying to hear of a substantial avian flu outbreak near Peterhead as poultry farmers prepare for Christmas.

An outbreak of this size is devastating and highlights that this deadly disease isn’t going away.“Poultry farmers are still rightly worried about this horrific disease and the serious risk it poses to their flocks as they enter their busiest time of the year.

Having spoken to poultry businesses across my constituency, I know they are working incredibly hard to minimise the threat of avian flu and are doing all they can to protect the health and welfare of their birds.“I will now be writing to the Scottish Government to ask what it is doing to prevent a repeat of last year and I urge them to consider all options to safeguard our area against further outbreaks.”It follows a number of outbreaks across the north-east, with more than 4,000 found dead as avian flu continues to devastate avian populations.