The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on Sunday confirmed that more than 10,000 turkeys will be culled at a British farm after the news of a possible bird flu outbreak came to the fore, reported news agency AFP. The flu was identified among 10,500 rearing turkeys at a farm in northern England, Defra said, with all foul to be culled to prevent a spread.

Public Health England (PHE) said the risk to public health from the virus was very low.

“Avian flu has been confirmed at a commercial turkey fattening farm near Northallerton, North Yorkshire,” said Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss.

“PHE has confirmed that the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency advises that bird flu poses a very low food safety risk for UK consumers.”

According to a UK government website, the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 was confirmed at a farm near Northallerton, Hambleton, North Yorkshire. “A 3km Protection and 10km Surveillance Zone has been put in place around the infected premises. These zones replace the Temporary Control Zones put in place on 28 November 2020,” an update on the website read.

To date, six cases of avian influenza in poultry have been confirmed in North Yorkshire (H5N8), Leicestershire (H5N8), Gloucestershire (H5N8), Herefordshire (H5N8), Cheshire (H5N8) and Kent (H5N2).