The United States reported a first outbreak of H5N9 bird flu on a poultry farm, the World Organisation for Animal Health said on Monday. Highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has spread around the globe in the past years,

Following an outbreak of bird flu at a Shropshire farm, the entire county has been put into an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ). This means anyone who has birds in Shropshire must house their animals. This applies whether or not you have just one or two chickens in a back garden right up to large commercial flocks.

The worrying spike in bird flu cases has led to decision to enforce the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) as keepers will be required to implement extra hygiene measures.