Avian Influenza 13 April 2017 update

Defra has announced that with effect from 13 April 2017 there will be some significant relaxation to the current measures to control Bird Flu in England.

There is still a significant risk to UK poultry from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N8. Continued vigilance for signs of this disease is vital and it continues to be a Notifiable Disease.

Captive birds in England

There is no longer a requirement for some areas to be treated as High Risk Areas and so the measures across the whole of the UK are now broadly similar.

This means that it is no longer a requirement to house all poultry and captive birds in England. However, there is still a legal requirement for Enhanced Biosecurity measures to be applied.

Animal keepers should:

• Keep birds in a fenced enclosures
• Keep poultry and captive birds away from wild birds despite no longer being required to use netting
  
• Make sure wild birds cannot gain access to feed and water supplies
• Feed birds inside whenever possible
• Ensure birds do not have access to water and ponds which wild birds visit
• Ensure areas where birds are kept are maintained in a clean and tidy state
• Ensure visitors are kept to an absolute minimum
• Keep all footwear used clean and disinfected
  

Other points of note

• The ban on poultry gatherings is still in force
• Additional requirements are in place for those keeping 500 birds or more
• The Prevention Zone that was put in place in December 2016 is still in force

Read How to keep your birds safe from avian influenza (bird flu) (13 April 2017)

Full details can be found on the Defra website.

More on Avian Influenza

• BVA policy briefs on Avian Influenza (AI)
• BVA news on Avian Influenza

Related BVA policy

• Animal disease surveillance
• Veterinary medicines
• Wild species