News story

Bird flu (avian influenza): latest situation in England

Find out about the latest bird flu situation in England and guidance for bird keepers and the public.

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Animal and Plant Health Agency
Published
4 November 2022
Last updated
7 November 2022 — See all updates
A flock of birds flying over the sea.

Contents:

Latest situation

Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) is in an avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ). By law you must follow strict biosecurity rules to prevent bird flu and stop it spreading.

In England you must house your birds to protect them from bird flu.

There have been 9697 confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in England since 1 October 2022.

There have been 230231 cases of (HPAI) H5N1 in England since the H5N1 outbreak started in October 2021.

Check if you are in a bird flu disease zone on the map.

If you’re in a bird flu disease zone you must follow the rules for that zone.

Further update 7 November

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry on 7 November 2022 at a premises near Oundle, North Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire. A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone are in place around the premises. All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled.

Update 7 November

Mandatory housing measures for all poultry and captive birds are now in force across England.

This means that all bird keepers must house their birds, whatever their type or size (exceptions apply to some zoo birds and other species).

Find details of the measures that apply in England: AIPZ declaration including housing measures.

Update 6 November

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry on 6 November 2022:

  • second premises near Fakenham, North Norfolk, Norfolk
  • premises near Reepham, Broadland, Norfolk

A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone are in place around each of the premises. All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was also confirmed in non-commercial other captive birds at a premises near Metheringham, North Kesteven, Lincolnshire. A 3km Captive Bird (Monitoring) Controlled Zone is in place around the premises. All birds on the premises will be humanely culled.

Update 5 November

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry on 5 November 2022 at an eleventh premises near Dereham, Breckland, Norfolk. A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone are in place around the premises. All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled.

All bird flu cases and disease zones

Find details of all bird flu cases and disease zones in England.

Find details of bird flu cases in Scotland, cases in Wales and cases in Northern Ireland.

Bird flu guidance

Find out how to:

Find guidance about bird flu vaccination.

Risk levels

The risk of of highly pathogenic (HPAI) avian influenza H5 in wild birds in Great Britain is assessed as very high (the event occurs almost certainly).

The risk of poultry exposure to HPAI H5 in Great Britain is assessed as high (event occurs very often) (with low uncertainty) where there are substantial biosecurity breaches and poor biosecurity and medium (that is event occurs regularly) (with high uncertainty) where good biosecurity is applied.

Find details of the evidence that supported these decisions in the risk and outbreak assessments.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) advise that bird flu is primarily a disease of birds and the risk to the general public’s health is very low.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said bird flu poses a very low food safety risk for UK consumers. Properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.

Bird flu webinars

Whether you have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock, the avian influenza ‘stop the spread’ webinars explain what you can do to protect your birds.

Free-range and organic status

Eggs

If you’re in a bird flu disease zone with housing measures, you can keep your free-range status if housing measures do not last for more than 16 weeks.

Birds will regain their free-range status when they:

If housing measures last for more than 16 weeks, contact your responsible sector body or organic certification body if you have concerns about losing your organic or free-range status.

Meat

Under EU poultry meat marketing regulations, keepers who are required by government to house their birds can retain their free-range status provided birds have spent a minimum of half their lifetime with either access to outside areas or housed during the fixed 12-week grace period.

If birds are housed for longer than half their lifetimes outside of the 12-week grace period, they can no longer be marketed as free-range.

“Traditional free-range” and “free-range – total freedom” birds ordinarily must have continuous daytime access to open-air runs from a certain age depending on the species. In the case of chickens for “Traditional free range”, it is 6 weeks of age with a minimum age at slaughter of 81 days.

A chicken will lose its ability to acquire “Traditional free-range” status if it is kept housed beyond the 12-week grace period and after the first 6 weeks of its life and will never be able to attain it. For “Free-range – total freedom” birds they must have continuous access to open air runs. They will lose their free-range status if they continue to be housed after the grace period and will never be able to attain “free-range – total freedom” status.

For longer-term concerns about possible loss of status, for example organic or free-range, you should consult the responsible sector body or organic certification body.

Defra policies and contingency plans

Defra controls cases of bird flu by following the:

Defra has set out practical information to support land managers, the public and ornithological and environmental organisations in their response to the growing threat of bird flu.

The mitigation strategy for avian influenza in wild birds in England and Wales explains how these groups, together with the government and its delivery partners, can reduce the impact of on wild bird populations whilst protecting public health, the wider environment and the rural economy.

Find out to report findings of dead wild birds.

Bird flu legislation

The legislation in England includes:

For Scotland go to the Scottish Government website..

For Wales go to the Welsh Government website.

For Northern Ireland go to the DAERA-NI website.

Published 4 November 2022
Last updated 7 November 2022 + show all updates

  1. HPAI H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry at a premises near Oundle, North Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire. A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone are in place around the premises.

  2. Mandatory housing measures for all poultry and captive birds are now in force across England. This means that all bird keepers must house their birds, whatever their type or size (exceptions apply to some zoo birds and other species).

  3. HPAI H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry at a second premises near Fakenham, North Norfolk, Norfolk and a premises near Reepham, Broadland, Norfolk. A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone are in place around each of the premises. HPA) H5N1 was also confirmed in non-commercial other captive birds at a premises near Metheringham, North Kesteven, Lincolnshire. A 3km captive bird (monitoring) controlled zone is in place around the premises.

  4. HPAI H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry at an eleventh premises near Dereham, Breckland, Norfolk. A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone are in place around the premises.

  5. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry on 4 November 2022 at a second premises near Kirkham, Fylde, Lancashire. A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone are in place around the premises. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in poultry at a premises near Holt, North Norfolk, Norfolk on 3 September 2022. Following successful completion of disease control activities and surveillance in the zone, the protection zone has ended and the area that formed that protection zone becomes part of the surveillance zone. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in captive wild birds (non-poultry) on 29 August 2022 at a premises near Paignton, Torbay, Devon. Following successful completion of disease control activities and surveillance within the zone, the 3km Captive Bird (Monitoring) Controlled Zone has been revoked.

  6. First published.