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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average period of time was that business premises affected by avian influenza outbreaks were required to be closed for in the latest period for which data is available.

Keepers at infected premises where avian influenza has been confirmed in poultry or other captive birds have a choice to either wait 12 months before restocking birds or undertake secondary cleansing and disinfection to enable them to restock earlier. During the current outbreak on average keepers who chose to undertake secondary cleansing and disinfection and restock have been able to complete this process within 184 days. Decisions around whether to undertake secondary cleansing and disinfection, and how quickly the process is completed, and therefore when business activity can resume is a commercial decision by the keeper.