Earlier this week, bird flu was found at a site near Bromborough in Wirral - one of 33 outbreaks of the disease across the country. Julie Judge who runs Hedgerow Henporium chicken breeders in Great Sutton near Ellesmere Port, said sales were being hit and costs had increased by 50%.

In the past three months almost 1.8 million farmed and captive birds have been culled in an attempt to combat the spread of avian flu, the BBC has reported. Avian flu, also known as bird flu, is "an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds. In rare cases, it can affect humans", the NHS explains.

The government announced that from Sunday the avian influenza prevention zone housing measures will be extended

Almost 1.8 million farmed and captive birds have been culled in the past three months because of the spread of avian flu across the UK, the BBC has learned. There have been 33 outbreaks of the virus on farms and, on Wednesday, the government said bird-keepers in five more English counties would have to house flocks indoors from Sunday.

The U.S. is in peak flu season, as the CDC releases a map of influenza activity across the country. See which states are at the highest risk of flu activity. At least 49 cases of measles, mostly in children,