Bird Flu Outbreak on Isle of Lewis Poultry Farm Leaves Thousands of Birds Dead

A poultry farm on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland has been affected by another case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the UK.

The farm’s birds normally produce 28,500 eggs a day for supply to supermarkets across the UK. The poultry farmer said the birds began dying about a week before the outbreak was confirmed.

“We tend to see strange deaths in herds this age, but on Friday I received a message in the evening from a woman working at the shed saying that 39 animals had died,” the farmer explained.

The virus spread rapidly over the weekend. By Sunday night, more than 1,000 birds had died.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) was contacted, and a veterinarian visited the farm to carry out tests. However, the farmer said the signs had already indicated that the cause was likely to be bird flu.

“Deep down, when you’re scraping a dead bird out of a coop, you think… well, I didn’t need the results. I knew what the results were going to be.”

Remaining birds culled after avian influenza confirmed

By Tuesday, highly pathogenic avian influenza had been confirmed and thousands of birds had died. All remaining birds were culled within two days in an effort to limit the spread of the virus.

The farmer described the emotional impact of losing the flock.

“I think all your worst fears come true then. It’s a roller coaster of emotions. So, for example, on Sunday, I was just numb. On Monday, I was a little bit like, ‘Why me?’ Anger, annoyance, agitation.

“On Tuesday, it was just a matter of fact. I was like, ‘Yeah, I have to do this, I have to do that.’ And by Wednesday, I was just desperately sad.”

‘A terrible shock’ for poultry farmer

The farmer said the scene inside the chicken shed was difficult to comprehend.

“Usually when you open the door to your chicken coop you’d see 16,000 birds looking at you, but it’s quite shocking to see all the birds lying dead and nothing but a carpet of dead birds.

“As a poultry farmer, this is a terrible shock.”