Around 48m birds have been culled across the UK and the EU in the last year as a result of the largest outbreak of avian flu on record.

In the UK, 161 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) were detected in poultry and captive birds, leading to the culling of 3.2m birds.

That compared to the previous record of 26 cases in 2020/21.

The UK government said the culled birds were a "small proportion" of total production - about 20m birds a week.

There have also been 1,727 cases of avian flu in the UK's wild bird population, in 406 locations involving 59 bird species.

Last week, all of Norfolk and Suffolk, and parts of Essex, became the latest areas to be placed in an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ).

In previous years, the virus has mostly died out during the summer months but this outbreak has persisted year-round, with it proving more easily spread among bird populations.

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