Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the policy reason is for limiting avian influenza vaccination to birds kept in zoological settings.

Given the role of zoos in global conservation, vaccination of zoo birds is permitted in England subject to eligibility criteria. Existing vaccines can only be administered via injection, which rules out widespread use in wild birds. While vaccination can reduce mortality, vaccinated birds may still transmit avian influenza, increasing the time needed to detect and eradicate the virus.

The cross-Government and industry Avian Influenza Vaccination Taskforce develops recommendations for the use of vaccination to prevent the spread of avian influenza. In their initial report the Taskforce considered that sector specific vaccination in poultry is likely to be the most effective approach and set out a series of next steps to gather more information. A follow-up report will be published in summer 2026.

Defra’s policy on the use of avian influenza vaccines, together with sector-specific guidance for zoos and other collections with a zoo licence on how to apply for authorisation to vaccinate against avian influenza, is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-vaccination.