AVIAN INFLUENZA(BIRDFLU) IN WINTER 2016-2017

Avian influenza (bird flu) is a disease of birds. The H5N8 strain of the disease has been found in the UK in farmed and wild birds since December 2016.

Public Health England advises the risk to public health is very low and the Food Standards Agency has said there is no food safety risk for UK consumers.

If you keep poultry and captive birds

H5N8 avian flu remains a threat to poultry and kept birds across the UK and keepers must comply with strict disease prevention measures.

An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone is in place across England. It applies to everyone who keeps poultry or captive birds. This means all keepers - whether they have commercial flocks or a few birds in their back garden - must follow strict rules on biosecurity.

These include minimising your movement in and out of bird enclosures, cleaning footwear, keeping areas where birds live clean and tidy and feeding birds indoors. Read our short, simple advice for keepers of backyard flocks .

From 13 April 2017 the Prevention Zone rules have changed. All poultry in England are now allowed outside as keepers are no longer required to house them or have total range netting in place in Higher Risk Areas of England. Read detailed advice about the Prevention Zone requirements .

This decision was taken based on the latest veterinary advice and scientific evidence which concluded the level of risk to poultry in the Higher Risk Areas has now reduced to the same level as that across the rest of England. All keepers must continue to follow our detailed biosecurity requirements. NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

A ban on poultry gatherings remains in place across the UK. This applies to birds including chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese, and restricts events such as livestock fairs, auctions and bird shows.

Advice on rearing game birds and shooting while the Prevention Zone is in force is available from The National Gamekeepers Organisation.

All disease control measures will be kept under review based on the latest situation and up-to-date scientific advice.

Welfare of housed birds in warm weather

If your birds are housed it is especially important to keep a close eye on them in warmer weather to ensure they remain comfortable and healthy.

Check them regularly and ensure they have enough water and sufficient ventilation. You should monitor the maximum temperature and take action if it significantly exceeds 21ºC for adult birds or around 13ºC for adult ducks.

Free range status

All egg producers in England can now let their birds outside provided they observe strict disease prevention measures. Keepers can sell products as free-range if they come from birds which meet all the free-range requirements.

Reporting suspicion of disease in your poultry

For advice and guidance on what to do if you keep poultry or to report suspicion of disease in animals, call the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301 or read our detailed guidance on avian influenza.

Reporting dead wild birds

Members of the public should report dead wild birds - such as swans, geese, ducks, gulls or birds of prey - to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77. Defra will then collect some of these birds and test them to help us understand how the disease is distributed geographically and in different types of bird.

Cases of avian influenza since December 2016

The H5N8 strain of the disease has been confirmed at farms in Northumberland, Suffolk, Lancashire and Lincolnshire, and in backyard flocks in North Yorkshire and Carmarthenshire.

Where avian influenza has been confirmed, we put restrictions around the site - a 3km Protection Zone and a 10km Surveillance zone - to limit the spread of disease, and we investigate the source of the infection. There are currently no Protection Zone or Surveillance Zone restrictions in place.

As well as being found in poultry, the same strain of the virus has also been found in wild birds in England, Scotland and Wales. We publish a list of cases where we find avian influenza in wild birds.