‘Unprecedented’ bird flu epidemic sees almost 50m birds culled across Europe

Poultry farmers from Arctic to Portugal reported 2,500 outbreaks in past year, with migrating birds taking avian flu to North America

The UK and continental Europe have been hit by an unprecedented" number of cases of avian flu this summer, with 47.7m birds having been culled since last autumn, according to new figures.

Poultry producers from as far north as Norway's Svalbard islands to southern Portugal have together reported almost 2,500 outbreaks of the disease since last year.