A £30,000 fundraiser will ‘allow us to breathe’ a Newton Abbot farmer who had his 5,000 hens culled after an outbreak of bird-flu has said.

The GoFundMe was set up for Orchard Organic Farm after its thousands of birds were culled by the the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

The fundraiser quickly took off, reaching more than £30,000 in just a few days.

‘People genuinely do care, it just makes all the difference, it really does’ owner of Orchard Organic Farm, Jerry Saunders, said in conversation with the BBC.

‘People genuinely do care, it just makes all the difference, it really does’ Jerry said.

‘It is remarkable, it is beyond words what a difference the support and that [GoFundMe] will make’ he added.

The Newton Abbot farmer said that the money will ‘allow us to breathe’ and that it was the difference between ’ruin and survival’.

The APHA confirmed cases of a ‘highly pathogenic avian influenza’ at a premises in Teignmouth last week.

News soon broke that two cases were identified at Jerry’s farm, which is situated above the southern bank of the estuary of the River Teign.

Thursday, February 20, saw APHA descend upon the farm, with around a dozen agents dressed in hazmat suits setting up culling equipment.

And the following day, all 5,000 of Orchard Organic Farm’s hens were gone.

Organised by Ellie Mitchell, the GoFundMe has drawn lots of donations, including from Stokeinteignhead Parents Locals And Teachers association, Ipplepen Amateur Dramatic Society and local competition company, Competition Fox.

And to mention the countless donations from individuals a part of the wider Teignbridge community.

‘It is really hard to know how to thank people’ Jerry said.

‘It is just overwhelming we are so, so thankful’ he added.

To donate, visit the GoFundMe website and enter ‘Orchard Organic Farm’ into the search-box, or click here.