Bird flu protection zone lifted in parts of Dorset
Getty ImagesCaptive birds and poultry can be kept outside again in parts of Dorset after the government lifted bird flu restrictions.
A 3km (two-mile) "captive bird (monitoring) controlled zone" was imposed on 18 May after bird flu was found at premises near Pokesdown.
The zone meant birds had to be kept housed and the sale of poultry eggs had to be monitored.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said disease control measures in the area had been successfully completed.
Bird flu is a disease caused by a virus that infects birds and sometimes other animals.
The major strain - H5N1, which was the strain found in Pokesdown - has affected dairy cow herds in the United States.
Since 2021, there has been handful of recorded cases in humans.
In May, two peregrine falcons that were nesting at Christchurch Priory, about 3km from Pokesdown, died within days of each other.
Avian flu was later confirmed in one of the birds while the other was still being tested.
Anyone who finds a dead wild bird is asked to report it to DEFRA.
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