Avian influenza: Surveillance Zone, near Tain, Highland

Risk assessment: infected premises near Tain, Highland

A 3km Surveillance Zone (SZ) was declared, taking effect from 21 January 2023. This followed a risk assessment of the infected premises by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). This is below.

Rapid risk assessment: summary

There are no registered premises within 3km of this infected premises (IP). One visitor to the premises has been identified and a high priority tracing has been initiated. Due to the lack of biosecurity on the IP there is a risk of direct and indirect transmission from kept birds to wild birds; however the background risk from wild birds is very high and so the additional risk to poultry posed by this IP is assessed to be very low.

Background

The IP is a hobby backyard flock, located in the North East of Scotland, in very close proximity to the Nigg Bay RSPB reserve and the Cromarty Firth. Prior to suspicion of notifiable avian disease there were 58 birds, comprised of 4 geese, 1 swan, 39 ducks, 9 hens and 1 cockerel and 4 turkeys.

A turkey died on 17 January 2023. On 18 January 2023, two turkeys, and two hens died; a swan was ataxic with nasal discharge and died later that day. The birds were kept in their housing after initial suspicion. A visit was carried out by APHA on 20 January 2023, notifiable avian disease could not be ruled out, and samples were taken. The Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer (DCVO) for Scotland confirmed HPAI H5N1 on 21 January 2023.

The keeper reports that one turkey died on 15 January 2023, but at the time they thought it had been pecked and bullied, and therefore disease was not suspected.

Hazard identification

The hazard being assessed is highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1.

Risk question

Notes

• none in the last 15 days
• no eggs given away since 2020 and birds were off-lay since October 2022

Risk

Negligible.

Animal by-products

Notes

• no recent disposal of animal by-products such as carcases and manure – nothing within last 30 days

Risk

Negligible.

Equipment shared with other properties

Notes

• no equipment shared with other properties

Risk

Negligible.

Other mammalian species

Notes

• the owner keeps pigs, sheep, deer and goats

• there have been no moves off of these species

• the pigs will be sampled. Indirect transmission between poultry and pigs is possible given the limited biosecurity

• direct contact between poultry and pigs seems unlikely from the description of the housing and range arrangements

Risk

Direct risk of spread from mammalian species on the IP to poultry is negligible.

Other comments

Indirect contact is possible from the pigs to poultry via the person who visited the pigs. This risk is considered low to medium but uncertainty is high as it is not known if the pigs are infected. Tracings have been initiated to investigate this further.

Birds were allowed to roam outside during the day and were housed at night prior to suspicion of notifiable avian disease; biosecurity was very limited. The housing had large voids through which wild birds could enter and so there was a high risk of direct and indirect contact with wild birds.

The premises is in close proximity to the Nigg Bay Nature Reserve at which there is a large abundance of wild, waterfowl and the keeper at the IP reports that there are a lot of wild geese flying overhead. 

One person has visited the premises, they did not enter the area with poultry, but there is scope for indirect contamination as a result of environmental contamination. A high-risk tracing has been initiated.

Conclusion

The national risk level for HPAI H5N1 in wilds birds is currently very high, so although there is scope for transmission to wild birds the additional risk to poultry in 1km, 3km and 10km is assessed as being very low.