GovWire

Contents:

• Latest situation
• All bird flu cases and disease zones
• Bird flu guidance
• Bird gatherings
• Vaccines
• Latest GOV.UK news stories
• Risk levels and outbreak assessments
• Wild birds
• Mammals
• Bird flu webinars
• Defra policies and contingency plans
• Bird flu legislation

Latest situation

Further update 5 November 2024

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N5 has been confirmed in commercial poultry at a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, Yorkshire. All poultry on the infected premises will be humanely culled. A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone has been put in place surrounding the premises.

Check if youre in abird flu disease zone on the map.

If youre in a bird flu disease control zone you mustfollow the rules for that zoneand check if you need alicence to move poultry, poultry by-products, eggs, material or mammals.

In line with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) rules, this means Great Britain is no longer free from highly pathogenic avian influenza. Northern Ireland continues to have self-declared zonal freedom from highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Practicing good biosecurity at all times protects the health and welfare of your birds and for commercial keepers will help protect your business fromHPAIand other diseases.

Find outwhat you can do to prevent bird flu and stop it spreadingandhow to spot and report suspicion of avian influenza in poultry or other captive birds.

5 November 2024

All bird keepers are urged to remain vigilant and take action to protect their birds following a further increase in the avian influenza (bird flu) risk levels in Great Britain.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N5 and H5N1 have been detected in wild birds in Great Britain this autumn.

The risk level of HPAI H5 in wild birds has increased from medium to high.

The risk level in poultry:

• where good biosecurity is consistently applied at all times has increased from very low to low with low uncertainty
• where there is suboptimal or poor biosecurity remains assessed as low but is heightened with high uncertainty

While findings of HPAI in wild birds during recent years have been dominated by the H5N1 virus strain, the finding of HPAI H5N5 was likely this season and follows previous findings in Great Britain and recent detections of the strain in continental Europe.

Further information on the evidence which supports these risk levels can be found in our risk and outbreak assessments.

All bird keepers must remain vigilant and practise stringent biosecurity to protect the health and welfare of their birds. Find out how to protect your birds in our biosecurity guidance.

New registration requirements for bird keepers in Great Britain

On 19 March the government announced new measures to help protect the poultry sector from bird flu.

All bird flu cases and disease control zones

The first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N5 of the current outbreak was confirmed in England on the 5 November 2024.

Whilst there have been no cases of HPAI confirmed in Wales or Scotland during this outbreak. In line with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) rules, Great Britain is no longer free from highly pathogenic avian influenza.

No cases of HPAI have been confirmed in Northern Ireland this season and Northern Ireland continues to have WOAH self-declared zonal freedom from highly pathogenic avian influenza.

While HPAI H5N5 has been detected in wild birds in Great Britain there have been no detections of HPAI H5N5 in poultry or other captive birds this season.

Finddetails of all bird flu cases and disease zones in England.

The table below lists the number of cases ofHPAI(H5N1/H5N5) during the currentoutbreak.

• England: 1
• Scotland: 0
• Wales: 0
• Northern Ireland: 6

The last outbreak of HPAI in poultry and other captive birds in the UK occurred on 14 February 2024.

Finddetails of previous bird flu cases and disease zones in England.

Find details of previous bird flucases in Scotland,cases in Walesandcases in Northern Ireland.

Find details and assessments of past outbreaks in Great Britain in the Animal and Plant Health Agencys outbreak epidemiology reports.

Bird flu guidance

Find out how to:

• spot and report bird flu in poultry and other captive birds
• report dead wild birds
• prevent bird flu and stop it spreading
• follow the rules in disease zones
• check if you need a movement licence and how to apply
• house your birds safely
• follow the rules if you keep racing pigeons, birds of prey and other captive birds
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