Avian Influenza: Disease Control

(asked on 15th March 2021) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the continued enforcement of restrictions on chickens and other birds in response to avian flu concerns.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 24th March 2021

Effective animal disease control is one of Defra's key priorities.

In response to the increasing risk of avian influenza incursion into poultry and other captive birds in GB, Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) were put in place in each of the GB administrations on the 11 November 2020. These require people who keep birds to ensure they have enhanced biosecurity measures in place. In response to a further increase in the risk additional measures requiring all the birds to be housed indoors came into force across GB on the 14 December 2020. Following a reduction in the risk of avian influenza incursion in both wild and kept birds to medium, the 31 March 2021 will be the last day birds in GB will be required to be housed as part of the AIPZ, however the AIPZs will remain in force across GB and all other biosecurity measures set out in the AIPZs will remain a legal requirement until further notice. Biosecurity guidance and a biosecurity self-assessment checklist to assist all bird keepers in complying with the new rules are available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu.

Local Authorities have the responsibility to ensure compliance with the AIPZ and other avian influenza controls. We have established an enforcement working group with representatives from local authorities, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and GB policy leads. This Group has met regularly throughout the current avian influenza outbreak to share knowledge and expertise.

Defra Ministers and officials talk regularly to representative organisations. We post the latest advice, key messages and situational updates on our gov.uk guidance page, social media channels, issue national, local and trade press releases and have a rolling gov.uk news story. The UK's Chief Veterinary Officer and others have given media interviews to raise awareness of the disease control measures that have come into force.

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