Dittisham Parish Charity AGM & Domestic Energy Talk and one-one sessions

Nov 8, 2021 | News

Dittisham Parish Charity AGM & Domestic Energy Talk:  24TH NOVEMBER 6.30 PM

The Annual General Meeting of the Dittisham Parish Charity is taking place on Wednesday  24th November at 6.30 pm in the Village Hall.

The charity’s trustees will present the annual accounts and provide an update on projects supported during the year. They will also explain the charity’s remit and elaborate upon the type of projects it can support for the benefit of the community, inviting ideas for the charity to sponsor. All are welcome to attend.

As the official part of the evening will not take long, the charity has – in association with Sustainable Dittisham – invited Martin Rich of Devon Communities Together to talk about home energy efficiency , changes in energy sources and the current disruption to the energy market. Martin will run a Q&A session and offer one-to-one sessions if people bring their energy bills for him to review.

Any questions please email

Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ)

Nov 5, 2021 | News

Notice of bio-security precautions required by law of
all bird keepers in Great Britain (whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard

Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service have advised us that as of 5pm on the 3 November 2021 an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone was declared across Great Britain. This means that all bird keepers in Great Britain (whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard are required by law to take a range of bio-security precautions:

 

  • Schedule 1 – Minimum biosecurity measures applying to all keepers
  • Keep domestic ducks and geese separate from other poultry.
  • Ensure the areas where birds are kept are unattractive to wild birds, for example by netting ponds, and by removing wild bird food sources.
  • Feed and water their birds in enclosed areas to discourage wild birds.
  • Minimise movement into and out of bird enclosures.
  • Cleanse and disinfect footwear and keep areas where birds live clean and tidy.
  • Reduce any existing contamination by cleansing and disinfecting concrete areas and fencing off wet or boggy areas.
  • Keep free ranging birds within fenced areas, and ponds, watercourses and permanent standing water must be fenced off (except in specific circumstances, e.g., zoo birds).

 

  • Schedule 2 –Enhanced biosecurity measures for premises with over 500 poultry or other captive birds

 

Keepers with more than 500 birds will need to restrict access for non-essential people on their sites, workers will need to change clothing and footwear before entering bird enclosures and site vehicles will need to be cleaned and disinfected regularly to limit the risk of the disease spreading.

 

Full details of what is required can be found on the government website: aipz-declaration.pdf

 

To assist all bird keepers in complying with the new rules, the biosecurity guidance and self-assessment checklists   have been updated and all the latest information can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu#biosecurity

 

Remember that if you have poultry it is your responsibility to keep updated on any outbreaks and an easy way to do this is to sign up for text notifications – register with the APHA alerts service.