Samantha Cameron accused of breaking bird flu rules designed to curb spread of virus

Given the bewildering array of restrictions, regulations and instructions emanating from Whitehall during the Covid pandemic it’s little surprise some have found themselves in a state of confusion.

Which may explain why Samantha Cameron has fallen foul of Government rules designed to curb the spread of another dangerous virus, bird flu.

The businesswoman and wife of former Prime Minister David Cameron sent feathers flying when she posted a photograph on social media showing four of her hens roaming freely outside.

The problem was that Government rules introduced on December 14 stipulated that hens must be “housed indoors” or under plastic cover or netting to prevent them being cross infected with the virus by other birds.

The rules are designed to protect poultry flocks in Britain from a number of highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza (bird flu) circulating in the UK and Europe. These have led to the culling of thousands of turkeys, ducks and hens in recent months.

There were plenty of social media users quick to point out her error when Mrs Cameron posted the offending photograph, showing the hens clucking around on December 31.

Mrs Cameron, 49, who owns the clothing line Cefinn, captioned the photograph, thought to have been taken at the couple’s £1.5 million family home in the Cotswolds hamlet of Dean, West Oxfordshire: "Frosty sunrise".

A number of her Instagram followers pointed out the birds should have been kept under cover following the issuing of the new regulations by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Tim Kennett said: "Lovely picture but I think your chickens should not be out given Defra's housing order? #AvianInfluenza"

Christine Reasbeck added: "Beautiful, but need to follow the Government guidelines for those beautiful hens."

There were plenty of others pointing out Mrs Cameron’s mistake.

"Those who keep birds are now obliged to keep them in doors or netted to stop the spread of Avian flu in the UK. It's really important that everyone plays their part,” said another of her followers, called Lucy.

But the professionals have taken a rather more sympathetic attitude to Mrs Cameron’s predicament.

Francine Raymond, of the Henkeepers' Association, told The Telegraph: "She’s not the only one to have made this mistake. Various people have told me they didn’t know about the regulations because there’s so much else happening at the moment and it was a bit buried in the blizzard of news.”

She added: “Assuming this photo was taken after December 14, it looks as though, in these busy times, Mrs Cameron missed Defra's edict that all poultry and captive birds should be kept undercover away from wild birds and the danger of catching or passing on bird flu.

"We'd all prefer to let our hens free range around the garden as it's not much fun for them to be penned in their runs, but if anyone needs advice, we'd suggest the Defra website or our own. We're happy to help."

The British Veterinary Poultry Association secretariat Sharon Wilson said: "All keepers are advised to read and follow Government requirements, available online at Avian influenza (bird flu) – GOV.UK, and also to promptly report any suspicion of avian influenza in their birds."

Defra would not comment on Mrs Cameron's case, but urged owners of hens and other birds to follow its instructions to bring flocks under cover, adding that it had done much to publicise the issue.

A spokesperson said: "The Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) means all bird keepers in England, whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock, are required by law to take a range of biosecurity precautions, including from the 14 December 2020 keeping their birds indoors except in very specific circumstances."

Mrs Cameron has been approached for comment.