The island’s chief veterinary officer, Amy Beckett, has confirmed the Isle of Man is no longer an infected area for avian influenza, bringing an all-island ‘Surveillance Zone’ to a close.

However, bird keepers are still urged to house their poultry where possible this winter.

A ‘protection zone’ around the property near Sulby where the island’s first case of the H5N1 strain killed 11 geese on January 16 was removed earlier this month.

Of the three bird flu cases confirmed in the island, the first time the virus has been recorded here, the two others on Tholt-y-Will and St John’s were classed as wild birds so didn’t require a protection zone.

Dr Beckett added: ‘There is still a significant risk to kept birds this winter, so we urge people to house them were possible and continue to practise good biosecurity. All well-cooked local poultry and poultry products, including eggs, remain safe to eat.’