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Swans in trouble today


Leemc

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4 hours ago, peterboat said:

Not seen any dead swans yet but no doubt it will come, this is just more bad news for nature. 

 

It is just nature in action. Creatures live. Creatures die. Other creatures eat the ones that have died. One of the dead swans I saw today had a blood-stained throat, but I suspect that was something trying to have an opportunistic snack rather than the cause of death  - The Defra notice suggesting "suspected" avian flu implies a more likely cause of death.

 

Tens of thousands of people die of flu in a bad year, no different for swans. Life is a balancing act for all of us

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13 hours ago, Bacchus said:

 

It is just nature in action. Creatures live. Creatures die. Other creatures eat the ones that have died. One of the dead swans I saw today had a blood-stained throat, but I suspect that was something trying to have an opportunistic snack rather than the cause of death  - The Defra notice suggesting "suspected" avian flu implies a more likely cause of death.

 

Tens of thousands of people die of flu in a bad year, no different for swans. Life is a balancing act for all of us

It is different for swans.  The percentage of people who die each year is a tiny percentage compared to the percentages dying from Avian Flu.  With swans comparatively spread out the numbers may seem small.  Remember no matter how common they seem there are only in the region of 7,000 pairs in the UK.

 

The effects of the current Avian Flu can be seen in places where large numbers of birds are seen.  A reserve just across the Solway from us has had 700 deaths among swans and geese in the last 9 days.  The current wave of flu started last winter.  The Farne Islands alone have had around 50,000 bird deaths this breeding season.

 

Anybody who has even the slightest grasp of the web of life and the need for biodiversity should be very worried by the Avian Flu situation.

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1 hour ago, Jerra said:

It is different for swans.  The percentage of people who die each year is a tiny percentage compared to the percentages dying from Avian Flu.  With swans comparatively spread out the numbers may seem small.  Remember no matter how common they seem there are only in the region of 7,000 pairs in the UK.

 

The effects of the current Avian Flu can be seen in places where large numbers of birds are seen.  A reserve just across the Solway from us has had 700 deaths among swans and geese in the last 9 days.  The current wave of flu started last winter.  The Farne Islands alone have had around 50,000 bird deaths this breeding season.

 

Anybody who has even the slightest grasp of the web of life and the need for biodiversity should be very worried by the Avian Flu situation.

At the turning point at the end of the moorings (it's for the tanker so large) we normally have about 90 swans at this time of year. At the moment 2 yearlings and maybe 12 swans, duck numbers seem depleted and the gull population is down as well! 

Things are not good by any stretch of the imagination, as you know avian flu is certain death for birds.

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30 minutes ago, peterboat said:

At the turning point at the end of the moorings (it's for the tanker so large) we normally have about 90 swans at this time of year. At the moment 2 yearlings and maybe 12 swans, duck numbers seem depleted and the gull population is down as well! 

Things are not good by any stretch of the imagination, as you know avian flu is certain death for birds.

 

 

And the ones that don't die are slaughtered.

 

Our neighbouring farm has just had to slaughter 35,000 birds - that is going to hit them hard.

Apparently several farms in Norfolk have had their Turkeys slaughtered and numbers in the press say that over 3 million birds have now been slaughtered.

 

 

Millions of turkeys and other birds are at risk after what’s been dubbed “the worst avian flu outbreak in UK history.”

Around three million birds have been culled already, and the flu has been found at 155 poultry sites across the UK

Avian Influenza Prevention Zones have also been introduced in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, parts of Essex, and the whole of the South West of England.

Wild birds have also been affected by the spread. A number of swans were found dead in a river near Sudbury in Suffolk; it is suspected they died of bird flu. 

A farmer in Devon has said that he’s killed 20,000 ducks, none of whom had the disease, just to stay ahead of the outbreak.

“I wouldn’t say we’re clinging on – but it’s had a huge effect,’ he said. 

“At the moment everybody in the industry is just on tenterhooks constantly. As soon as you get a new batch of birds on our other site, you’re permanently worried.”

While many see the deaths of these birds as a tragedy, some are concerned with how the bird flu outbreak will affect the festive season if the disease spreads to turkeys.

Not a ‘Christmas’ turkey

Each year, around 10 million turkeys are killed for Christmas. Farmers have highlighted that the situation could put their seasonal market in jeopardy. 

“If bird flu, for example, gets into turkeys that could cause holy carnage; that could cause real supply chain issues in the run-up to Christmas time,” James Mottershead, chairman of the NFU Poultry Board, told Sky News. “The realities of it are quite severe.”

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43 minutes ago, M_JG said:

As serious as it is I always remain slightly sceptical about such news being used to create panic buying and hyke prices of food.

 

 

I'm not sure it is all hype. The butcher at the local farm shop we use recommended we bought our turkey a few weeks ago.

 

He is struggling to source enough stock to fulfil his orders now after a couple of farms he uses have had to slaughter their flocks.

 

We bought ours a few weeks ago. It's now in the garage freezer, but his prices have since rocketed. 

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16 hours ago, Bacchus said:

 

It is just nature in action. Creatures live. Creatures die. Other creatures eat the ones that have died. One of the dead swans I saw today had a blood-stained throat, but I suspect that was something trying to have an opportunistic snack rather than the cause of death  - The Defra notice suggesting "suspected" avian flu implies a more likely cause of death.

 

Tens of thousands of people die of flu in a bad year, no different for swans. Life is a balancing act for all of us

To a degree what you say is right, but the problem is that a lot (most?) Of our wildlife is already under pressure of one sort or another, many species are on a knife edge and something like this could be the push required to go into total collapse 

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Its the same folk that gave us C19...........................

 

 

Where did the bird flu originate?

The bird flu's origin story began in China back in 1996, when the disease was initially detected among geese, according to the CDC, and it was proven to be incredibly contagious and fatal. It seemed to affect migrant, aquatic birds more than others, but it appeared to be affecting livestock as well. A year later in Hong Kong, the first human case of avian influenza was confirmed, and ever since, the disease has affected livestock and people alike in more than 50 countries across the globe.

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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1 hour ago, Naughty Cal said:

I'm not sure it is all hype. The butcher at the local farm shop we use recommended we bought our turkey a few weeks ago.

 

He is struggling to source enough stock to fulfil his orders now after a couple of farms he uses have had to slaughter their flocks.

 

We bought ours a few weeks ago. It's now in the garage freezer, but his prices have since rocketed. 

 

We wont fret if we can't get one and we certainly won't be paying stupidly inflated prices, we will just have an alternative.

 

This stupid state of 'permacrisis' we seem to be living in since March 2020 is now getting very very boring.

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18 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

We wont fret if we can't get one and we certainly won't be paying stupidly inflated prices, we will just have an alternative.

 

This stupid state of 'permacrisis' we seem to be living in since March 2020 is now getting very very boring.

Our alternative was a nice lump of venison we have in the freezer. That can be for new years dinner instead now.

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9 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Our alternative was a nice lump of venison we have in the freezer. That can be for new years dinner instead now.

Must say, I don’t ever think I’ve bought a Turkey ?

I’ll go lamb, cow or pig. 
 

Bought goose once, very nice but far far too expensive. Could have bought half a lamb for the price!

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5 hours ago, Jerra said:

It is different for swans.  The percentage of people who die each year is a tiny percentage compared to the percentages dying from Avian Flu.  With swans comparatively spread out the numbers may seem small.  Remember no matter how common they seem there are only in the region of 7,000 pairs in the UK.

 

The effects of the current Avian Flu can be seen in places where large numbers of birds are seen.  A reserve just across the Solway from us has had 700 deaths among swans and geese in the last 9 days.  The current wave of flu started last winter.  The Farne Islands alone have had around 50,000 bird deaths this breeding season.

 

Anybody who has even the slightest grasp of the web of life and the need for biodiversity should be very worried by the Avian Flu situation.

Correct, we humans have messed up the planet, two centuries ago the UK had very low temperatures in winter which killed off lots of disease. We did not keep millions chickens in close proximity in thousands of huge temperature controlled sheds. Due to Avian flu all domestic birds are now penned as it would be a disaster if they all became infected.

The price of wheat is now so high and unpredictable that many farmers are not replacing stock ,it's too risky. The price of eggs and chicken are soon going  to be double last year's .

Inflation has just started for many families

 

 

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8 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Must say, I don’t ever think I’ve bought a Turkey ?

I’ll go lamb, cow or pig. 
 

Bought goose once, very nice but far far too expensive. Could have bought half a lamb for the price!

We had goose a few years back. Twas expensive. But very nice.

 

Currently have half a goat, half a sheep and half a pig in the garage freezer 😀 

 

Love our butchers. We go in for one thing and come out with a half a butchered something else 🤣🤣🤣

2 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Correct, we humans have messed up the planet, two centuries ago the UK had very low temperatures in winter which killed off lots of disease. We did not keep millions chickens in close proximity in thousands of huge temperature controlled sheds. Due to Avian flu all domestic birds are now penned as it would be a disaster if they all became infected.

The price of wheat is now so high and unpredictable that many farmers are not replacing stock ,it's too risky. The price of eggs and chicken are soon going  to be double last year's .

Inflation has just started for many families

 

 

We humans have not messed up anything. 

 

Our planet has always had cycles of warming and cooling.

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24 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Correct, we humans have messed up the planet, two centuries ago the UK had very low temperatures in winter which killed off lots of disease. We did not keep millions chickens in close proximity in thousands of huge temperature controlled sheds. Due to Avian flu all domestic birds are now penned as it would be a disaster if they all became infected.

The price of wheat is now so high and unpredictable that many farmers are not replacing stock ,it's too risky. The price of eggs and chicken are soon going  to be double last year's .

Inflation has just started for many families

 

 

Well blame the Russians for the wheat crisis, Wallers planted a lot of wheat but I know that the French grain harvest was in trouble due to lack of rain, climate change really is upon us this isn't a cycle it's a major disaster!

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29 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

We had goose a few years back. Twas expensive. But very nice.

 

Currently have half a goat, half a sheep and half a pig in the garage freezer 😀 

 

Love our butchers. We go in for one thing and come out with a half a butchered something else 🤣🤣🤣

We humans have not messed up anything. 

 

Our planet has always had cycles of warming and cooling.

Yes it has taking a couple of centuries or so to show the rises that have taken place in a few decades.  This is not part of cyclic weather, unless you know something that the worlds top scientists don't know.   Do you have some secret source of information better than scientists from all over the world.

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9 minutes ago, peterboat said:

Well blame the Russians for the wheat crisis, Wallers planted a lot of wheat but I know that the French grain harvest was in trouble due to lack of rain, climate change really is upon us this isn't a cycle it's a major disaster!

What happened in 2006

 

image.png.b927d13bf7f0190b8408a29649611ca3.png 

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46 minutes ago, Naughty Cal said:

Currently have half a goat, half a sheep and half a pig in the garage freezer 😀


Goat!

Now I don’t think I’ve ate goat.
And can’t say I’ve ever seen it for sale. 
I guess it’s something you’d have to order special at the butchers?



oh, and it’s all round to yours for Christmas then? 🤣🤣

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27 minutes ago, Goliath said:


Goat!

Now I don’t think I’ve ate goat.
And can’t say I’ve ever seen it for sale. 
I guess it’s something you’d have to order special at the butchers?



oh, and it’s all round to yours for Christmas then? 🤣🤣

I have, you would get it in most large cities that have specialist butchers. I have even bought live goats and had them slaughtered, not so easy today with the small local slaughter houses closing down.,

 

You can get it online https://chestnutmeats.co.uk/ or several places in Birmingham, its used a lot in kebabs 

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14 hours ago, Goliath said:


Goat!

Now I don’t think I’ve ate goat.
And can’t say I’ve ever seen it for sale. 
I guess it’s something you’d have to order special at the butchers?



oh, and it’s all round to yours for Christmas then? 🤣🤣

Not a specialist butchers no. Our local farm shop.

 

They sell all sorts. These were his daughters goats. 

 

Apparently they went down a storm. They have been to auction and bought a load more they were so popular. 

 

Their main stock is dexter cattle and Highland cattle but they do rear sheep, pigs and chickens as well.

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1 hour ago, Ronaldo47 said:

More than a decade ago my late mother's local butcher in Dagenham was selling goat. It was much in demand by the local immigrant community. 

Probably still the biggest market. There have been a couple of investigative programs on tv where they found mutton being sold a goat wholesale  https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/update/2016-08-05/sheep-meat-was-sold-instead-of-goat/  a bit of googling brings up lots of cases over the past 10 years

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On 12/11/2022 at 18:08, Alan de Enfield said:

 

There was a hard freeze inApril followed by disease and poor conditions during harvesting.

 

World wheat production was down by 500,000,000 bushels

What a strange unit. Is that American dry bushels (approx 35.24 litres)?

 

I suppose that accounts for varying moisture content.

 

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