GovWire

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

There have been 106 confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in England since 1 October 2022.

There have been 240 cases of(HPAI)H5N1 in England since the H5N1 outbreak started in October 2021.

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

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.

Update 11 November

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 was confirmed in commercial poultry on 11 November 2022:

• near Colkirk, Breckland, Norfolk (AIV 2022/197)
• near Berkswell, Solihull, West Midlands (AIV 2022/198)

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

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 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 free

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