The UK government has ordered all poultry keepers in England to move their birds indoors from Thursday, following a sharp rise in avian influenza cases across the country.
Under the new directive, anyone keeping more than 50 birds — or those who sell or give away eggs — must immediately house all poultry and captive birds. The measure expands earlier regional restrictions imposed last week in parts of northern, central, and eastern England.
“Given the continued increase in the number of avian influenza cases in kept birds and wild birds across England, we are now taking the difficult step to extend the housing measures to the whole of England,” said UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) stressed that the risk to humans remains low and that properly cooked poultry and eggs are safe to eat.
Across Europe, 85 avian flu outbreaks were recorded in poultry farms between August 1 and late October, with 28 reported in the final week of that period, according to ESA’s animal health monitoring system. Six of those outbreaks occurred in the UK.
Earlier in January, the government ordered mandatory culls of all birds within a 3-kilometre (1.8-mile) radius of confirmed cases, alongside stricter biosecurity and movement controls.
Avian flu spreads rapidly through bird droppings, saliva, and contaminated feed or water.
Vaccination against the virus remains prohibited in the UK, except for zoo birds.
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