The battle to prevent a bird flu epidemic - Stuart Minting

Alongside avian influenza having already killed many wild birds across the UK, two outbreaks being found at East Yorkshire poultry farms and numerous others in commercial premises in the east of the country, worryingly recent months have seen the spread of the virus among dairy cows in the United States.

After mutating across species, The H5N1 avian flu is reported to be “raging out of control” among American cattle, with about a third of Californian dairy herds infected.

With cases of bird flu spreading to animals such as domestic cats in the US, regulators have recalled unpasteurised milk and issued a warning not to drink raw milk.

With at least 75 per cent of new human diseases emerging from animals it must come as no surprise to many that animal disease experts are warning the potential spread of bird flu poses a significant public health risk.

Following the First World War an estimated 100 million people died from an avian influenza that jumped to humans. While there’s only been one human case in the UK so far, the difficulties of halting a global pandemic in the 2020s are far greater than before mass plane travel.

While there’s little that can be done can be to prevent wild birds bringing the virus to the Yorkshire coast from Europe, there remains plenty of opportunities to limit the disease spreading from domestic poultry to humans.

The threat has also underlined the sense of the government's newly-introduced compulsory register for all bird keepers.

The establishment of an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone across much of eastern England means it is a legal requirement for all bird keepers within the zone to "mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of the disease” and to follow strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks, of whatever type or size.

Withstanding the government’s biosecurity crackdown, experts say the severity of the risk will depend on how harsh winter conditions are on the continent, but with a case of the H5N5 variant in Yorkshire and the H5NI variant in Cornwall, it’s vital for all poultry farmers to remain vigilant.

Nevertheless, Julian Sparrey, of animal health firm Livetec Systems, has warned one of the highest risk points for disease entering farms is through human movement.