A 10km surveillance zone surrounding a poultry farm near Stokeinteignhead, that was implemented after bird flu was detected at the site, has been revoked.

The government Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said the decision was made ‘following the successful completion of disease control activities and surveillance’.

A 3km (1.9 mile) protection zone and 10km (6.2 mile) surveillance zone was put in place after a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPIA) H5N1 was confirmed at Orchard Farm on February 19.

The 3km protection zone was revoked on March 21.

All 5,000 hens at the farm were culled by the APHA on February 21 in a bid to prevent the spread of the disease. In addition, around £10,000 worth of eggs and £5000 worth of feed were also destroyed.

Farmer Jerry Saunders described the cull as ‘heartbreaking’ and said his business was ‘effectively gone’.

The farm has three options going forward: firstly, it can pay for a government contractor to clean and disinfect the farm, which has to be done twice; the second option would see farmers, Jerry and Emma, complete a clean themselves; alternatively, the farm would be mothballed for 12 months with no activity taking place on the premises. Unfortunately, the earth floors of Orchard Farm’s hen houses would make the first two options difficult as it would be almost impossible to collect the waste water from any clean up.

A fundraiser to support Jerry and his family following the outbreak of the highly pathogenic disease raised nearly £100,000 and the grateful farmer said the money would ‘allow us to breathe’ and would be the ‘difference between ruin and survival’.

Orchard Farm is situated above the southern bank of the River Teign estuary. It is not clear how the disease arrived on the farm; one theory is that it came from migrating seabirds.