MP Rachel Gilmour is pressing the Government for support such as veterinary outreach teams to help farming and rural communities on Exmoor affected by outbreaks of bird flu.

The Chief Veterinary Officer this week confirmed cases of avian influenza (H5N1) in Winsford and near Bampton.

The Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) imposed a two-mile radius ‘protection zone’ and six-mile ‘surveillance zone’ around each of the affected premises and ordered the humane culling of all poultry on the sites.

Mrs Gilmour told Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner the situation was causing ‘considerable financial and emotional strain on our local farming and rural communities’.

She asked for clarification on specific Government support which would be provided to those affected, including veterinary outreach teams to provide on-farm assessments and any plans to extend additional economic hardship schemes to ease some of the pressures.

Mrs Gilmour said Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) would need to explain its reasoning if such help was not going to be available.

She said: “The confirmation of bird flu from the Chief Veterinary Officer is undoubtedly a concern for many of the farming and rural communities in the Tiverton and Minehead constituency.

“I wrote to the Farming Minister to ask what practical measures are being put in place to support those affected.

“I hope the Government provides the much-needed funding and logistical assurance to help set aside some of the fears brought about by these trying circumstances.

“I will continue to work with the Minister and the DEFRA to ensure our communities are given the support they need during this time.”

Anybody within the protection and surveillance zones keeping poultry commercially or domestically, is likely to be subject to movement restrictions not just for poultry but also affecting livestock, including cattle, pigs, and horses.