Control measures have been introduced after a case of bird flu was detected at a commercial poultry site in South Lanarkshire.
The highly infectious H5N1 strain was confirmed on Wednesday at Whitelees Farm in Cleghorn, close to Lanark. Authorities have now set up a 1.8-mile (3km) protection zone and a wider 6.6-mile (10km) surveillance zone around the farm.
Bird keepers in the area are being urged to stay alert and maintain strict biosecurity practices. Anyone with chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pigeons or birds of prey must ensure their details are updated on the Scottish Kept Bird Register by 21 November.
Bird flu is a viral illness that primarily affects birds but can occasionally spread to other animals, including some mammals. The H5N1 strain, which first emerged in China in the 1990s, remains the dominant form of the disease. Transmission to humans is very uncommon, and there has never been sustained human-to-human spread.
