Published Friday 19 January 2018 at 13:32
DEFRA has introduced an avian flu prevention zone across the whole of England following the disease being found in wild flocks in the south of the country.
More information can be found on the DEFRA website.
This information tells you what you must do if you keep birds in England.
If you keep poultry you must, by law, follow specific disease prevention measures. These apply to all keepers of birds, regardless of flock size, or if your birds are pets. These are designed to reduce the risk of infection from wild birds.
If you keep birds then you can continue to allow your birds outdoors into fenced areas, but only if these areas meet certain conditions including:
- you have made the areas unattractive to wild birds, for example by netting ponds, and by removing wild bird food sources
- you have taken action to reduce any existing contamination, such as cleansing and disinfecting concrete areas, and fencing off wet or boggy areas
- you have assessed the risk of birds coming into contact with wild birds or contamination from them
If you keep more than 500 birds, you must take some extra biosecurity measures. They include identifying clearly defined areas where access by non-essential people and vehicles is restricted, and cleaning and disinfecting vehicles, equipment and footwear.