Date Published: 12/11/2025
The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has ordered a mandatory housing order to cover the whole of England from 0001 on Thursday 6 November 2025, following the escalating number of confirmations of avian influenza in kept and wild birds.
The new measures mean bird keepers across the whole of England must house all poultry and captive birds if they keep more than 50 (except in specific circumstances e.g. some zoo birds) or if they sell or give eggs away.
A GB wide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) is also in place and requires all keepers whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock to undertake enhanced biosecurity measures to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of the disease. These enhanced biosecurity measures include reporting of changes in egg production, mandatory record keeping, disinfecting footwear, and cleansing & disinfecting housing and concrete walkways on a continuous basis
This nationwide housing order extension follows last week’s introduction of housing measures for north, central and parts of east of England to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of the disease.
Avian Influenza
Commonly known as bird flu, avian influenza is a disease of birds which presents a very low risk to human health but a significant threat to the United Kingdom’s poultry industry and kept bird populations, in addition to posing a threat to natural biodiversity through its impacts on wild birds.
The risk of bird flu outbreaks occurring in the United Kingdom typically increases on a seasonal basis, with the arrival of migratory wild birds in the autumn and winter months. The first cases are usually expected in late autumn with the peak risk occurring between December and February.
It’s vital that people who keep birds to continue to practice good biosecurity to prevent further outbreaks and their birds from becoming infected with this disease.
Whether you own a few pet chickens or ducks, 1000s of poultry on a commercial premises, or farm gamebirds, you all need to implement high standards of biosecurity. This is the key to preventing the spread of this disease. Although wild birds have introduced the disease, it is often humans that cause the spread to their birds.