Rattus has raised before the threat of free range pheasants spreading bird flu to the UK poultry industry.
The UK is in the grip of another Bird Flu epidemic with large parts of East Anglia with poultry in lockdown with all free range birds kept inside.
Because pheasants are classed as wild birds, despite being raised in intensive units, they are not subject to the same rules as poultry and don’t need licenses to be moved etc etc. At this time of year pheasants constitute about half the avian biomass in Britain. They can still get bird flu. They are in regular contact with wild birds that come to feeders in large numbers.
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If there is an outbreak they impose a 10km exclusion zone where poultry but not pheasants need to be kept indoors.
Rattus thinks this anomaly faintly ludicrous but given the state of government at the moment in this country, not surprising. The recent suggestion by the new government of getting rid of all EU Environment legislation is unlikely to improve matters.
Rattus rattus
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