Animal Plant Health Agency
![](/images/news/s300_jari-hytonen-TSK69mxLsMs-unsplash.jpg?w=700&h=450&mode=crop&scale=both)
Contents:
- Latest situation
- Latest GOV.UK news stories
- All bird flu cases and disease zones
- Bird flu guidance
- Risk levels
- Bird flu webinars
- Free-range and organic status
- Defra policies and contingency plans
- Bird flu legislation
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 109 confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in England since 1 October 2022.
There have been 243 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 youre in a bird flu disease zone you must follow the rules for that zone.
Update 14 November
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry on 14 November 2022:
- near Doveridge, Derbyshire Dales, Derbyshire (AIV 2022/200)
- second premises near Oundle, North Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire (AIV 2022/201)
A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone are in place around the premises. All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed on 14 November 2022 in other captive birds at a premises near Arundel, Arun, West Sussex (AIV 2022/202). A 3km captive bird (monitoring) controlled zone been put in place around the premises. All birds on the infected premises will be humanely culled.
Further update 13 November
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed on 13 November 2022 in poultry at a third premises near Halesworth, East Suffolk, Suffolk. A 3km Protection Zone and 10km Surveillance Zone have been put in place around the premises. All poultry on the infected premises will be humanely culled.
Update 13 November
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry on 17 September 2022 at a premises near Bury St Edmunds, West Suffolk, Suffolk (AIV 2022/72). Following successful completion of disease control activities and surveillance in the zones, the 3km protection zone has ended and the area that formed the protection zone becomes part of the 10 km surveillance zone.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry on 1 October 2022 at a premises near Bury St Edmunds, West Suffolk, Suffolk (2nd premises) (AIV 2022/85). Following successful completion of disease control activities and surveillance in the zones, the 3km protection zone has ended and the area that formed the protection zone becomes part of the 10 km surveillance zone.
Latest GOV.UK news stories
Mandatory housing measures for all poultry and captive birds are now in force across England.
Find details of the measures that apply in England: AIPZ declaration including housing measures.
New package of measures announced to support poultry industry with bird flu.
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:
- spot and report bird flu
- prevent bird flu and stop it spreading
- follow the rules in disease zones
- house your birds safely
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 publics 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 youre 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:
- can go back outside again
- meet the standards in paragraph 1 for the protection of laying hens
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 o