A shop in a popular UK beauty spot has placed strict restrictions on the number of cartons of eggs customers can buy amid escalating fears of bird flu.
The store, located in picturesque Coniston in Cumbria, placed a sign warning people of the concerns of the H5N1 strain. The Government has placed several areas of the country under mandated enhanced biosecurity for kept birds – including in Cumbria – which remain in place. Amid the concerns the Village Store in Coniston, which has a population of around 900 people, has warned people packets of eggs will be restricted to a single carton per family.
The sign reads: “As a result of the Avian influenza, we have had restrictions on ALL eggs. Due to this issues we are having to put restrictions on the customer. One pack of eggs per person/household.”
Talking to the Mirror, the store confirmed it is an independent store which is not part of the Co-op supermarket chain, but is part of the buying group and sells its products.
The flu is typically transmitted through close contact with an infected bird—either dead or alive. This includes touching the bird, its droppings or bedding, and even preparing infected poultry for cooking.
However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised that properly cooked poultry and other products, such as eggs, remain generally safe to eat.
The infectious form of influenza usually spreads among birds and livestock but, in rare cases, may impact humans, too.
The NHS says although several strains exist, four key types have sparked concern in recent years.
It explains: “These include H5N1, the strain recently identified on a Yorkshire farm, H7N9, H5N6, and H5N8.
“Although H5N1, H7N9 and H5N6 don’t infect people easily and aren’t usually spread from human to human, several people have been infected around the world , leading to a number of deaths.
In its latest update on Bird flu, the Government says from April 7 enhanced biosecurity remains in force for kept birds in Cheshire, City of Kingston Upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, Herefordshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Shropshire, Suffolk, Worcestershire and York. It was later extended to cover Cumbria, County Durham, Northumberland and Tyneside.
The Government says: “From 00:01 on Monday 7 April 2025 the regional AIPZ mandating enhanced biosecurity and housing for kept birds currently in force.
“If you’re in a bird flu disease control zone you must follow the rules for that zone and check if you need a licence to move poultry, poultry by-products, eggs, material or mammals.
“Practising good biosecurity at all times protects the health and welfare of your birds and for commercial keepers will help protect your business from HPAI and other diseases.”
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
