A government order for bird owners to keep their animals inside to prevent the spread of bird flu ends today.

The order began in November after cases of avian influenza were identified across the country.

It meant hens and other birds have had to be kept indoors for almost six months.

There is no evidence that the virus can affect humans but it is highly contagious among birds and can wipe out poultry flocks.

But the government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) now says it is safe to relax the rules due to a low number of cases.

 In a joint statement, the four chief veterinary officers said:

“Whilst the lifting of the mandatory housing measures will be welcome news to bird keepers, scrupulous biosecurity remains the most critical form of defence to help keep your birds safe.

“It is thanks to the hard work of all bird keepers and vets, who have played their part in keeping flocks safe this winter, that we are in a position to take this action. However, the recent cases of avian influenza show that it’s vital that bird keepers remain vigilant for signs of disease and maintain stringent standards of biosecurity.”

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A dog lead ‘honesty box’ has been set up in Nidderdale for dog walkers to keep their pets under control.

During this time of year, the moors are used by ground-nesting birds, such as the lapwing and curlew, to lay their eggs.

But it can only take a dog sniffing about in the undergrowth for the birds to abandon their nests, sometimes for good.

To help protect the nests from dogs whose owners might have not brought a lead with them, Nidderdale Moorland Group has put a box on one of its estates. It contains several leads that visitors can borrow whilst they walk the footpaths.

The group hopes the move will mean fewer nests are disturbed and will also help keep dogs away from lambs that have recently been born.

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With warm weather expected over the Easter bank holiday weekend, the moorland group has also asked visitors not to bring BBQs or start fires, due to the risk of the flames spreading.

Last month, firefighters from Harrogate and Knaresborough tackled a wildfire on moorland near Brimham Rocks.

Harrogate Borough Council‘s co-working space, Co-Lab, has opened.

Co-Lab consists of new offices, a meeting room and communal space. It’s based on level 3 of Harrogate Convention Centre on King’s Road.

The authority secured £540,000 of funding from the Leeds City Business Rates Pool to fund the project.

It aims to connect digital, tech and creative businesses in the Harrogate district.

Alistair Forbes, Harrogate Borough Council’s in-house growth manager who will support businesses at Co-Lab said:

“Co-Lab will be focussed on digital and tech businesses, but we are inviting anyone interested in collaborating with the business community to talk to us.

“From designers to hardware specialists, technologists, marketers and developers, our aim is that everyone works together to help our community become more successful.”

Ripon butcher wins contract with Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason

Ripon-based online butcher, Farmison & Co has won a contract to supply London stores Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason.

Farmison’s new Saucepan Ready range was curated by the company’s Michelin-starred executive chef, Jeff Baker, who has cooked for the Queen and Barack Obama.

The deal comes after Inverleith LLP, an Edinburgh-based specialist consumer brand investor, acquired a majority stake in the business, so it could press ahead with expansion plans.

Business founder and chief executive, John Pallagi, said:

“It’s a real feather in our cap to get Saucepan Ready listed with these two such iconic British retailers – it’s also recognition of the superb quality of the heritage breed meat our farmers supply.”

As well as the Saucepan Ready dishes, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason are stocking Farmison & Co’s beef dripping and chicken schmaltz.

Battery storage facility planned for Burton Leonard

Plans have been submitted to build a battery energy storage system near Burton Leonard.

The application has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council by Harmony Energy Limited. The company also hopes to build a solar farm nearby.

The battery energy facility will store electricity so it can support the National Grid and provide electricity during high demand.

It would be built next to the Wormald Green Northern PowerGrid substation, off Station Lane, Wormald Green.

The storage facility would be built in the field marked in red.