Two new outbreaks of avian influenza (bird flu) have been confirmed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 has been confirmed in poultry near Ely, East Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire and near Newton St. Cyres, Mid Devon, Devon.
All birds on both infected premises will be humanely culled and 3km Protection Zones and 10km Surveillance Zones have been put in place around the premises.
Bird flu update
Meanwhile, following successful completion of disease control activities and surveillance within the disease control zone surrounding a premises near Holy Island, Berwick Upon Tweed, Northumberland, the 10km Surveillance Zone there has been revoked.
Local movement restricitons have also been removed, however the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) remains in force.
An AIPZ came into force across Great Britain on the November 3, 2021, and in Northern Ireland on the November 17, 2021. This was extended to include housing measures across the UK on the November 29, 2021 and further updated on March 29, 2022 to allow the release of racing pigeons, doves and other columbiformes under certain conditions
Risk
The risk of incursion of HPAI H5 in wild birds in Great Britain remains assessed as very high, owing to continued high numbers of HPAI H5 detections in wild birds across various species, Defra and the APHA have said.
However, the risk of poultry exposure to HPAI H5 in Great Britain is assessed as medium (with low uncertainty) where good biosecurity is applied but high (with low uncertainty) where biosecurity is suboptimal.
This assessment takes into consideration the AIPZ, including housing measures, which is currently in force across the UK.
