Animal disease control

What is a 'notifiable disease'?

‘Notifiable’ diseases are animal diseases that you’re legally obliged to report to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), even if you only suspect they are affected.

Notifiable diseases can be:

• endemic – already present in the UK, such as 'bovine TB'
  
• exotic – not normally present in the UK, such as 'foot and mouth disease' and avian flu (bird flu)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) provides more information about  notifiable diseases in animals on the GOV.UK website.

Are there any current notifiable disease restrictions affecting livestock or poultry in the East Riding?  

There are currently no exotic notifiable disease restrictions in place in the East Riding.

How can I protect my livestock and poultry from disease?

Livestock

The maintenance of strict biosecurity procedures will minimise the risk of infection, as will remaining vigilant for signs of disease and reporting suspicions immediately.

Read information about controlling disease in farm animals on the GOV.UK website.

Poultry

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have produced some useful guidance on protecting poultry:

Defra - Help protect your birds from the risk of bird flu (1mb)

Defra - Biosecurity and preventing disease in poultry and captive birds (359kb)

Who should I contact if I suspect a notifiable disease?

If you notice signs of any notifiable disease in your livestock, you must report them immediately to your local Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) office.

The East Riding is in the APHA 'North Region' and can be contacted on:

Tel: 03000 200 301

Please note: If you find dead wild birds such as swans, geese, ducks, gulls or birds of prey, you should report this to the Defra helpline, as they may want to collect and test them for bird flu.

Tel: 03459 33 55 77

How do I report other concerns about animal disease controls?

Report a concern about animal disease controls