INFORMATION ABOUT AVIAN INFLUENZA
11th November 2026: "An AIPZ with mandatory biosecurity is now in place across England and Scotland. It is now a legal requirement for all bird keepers in England and Scotland to follow stringent biosecurity measures to protect poultry and captive birds. This requires all keepers in England and Scotland, 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."
The APHA have further announced that, due to an increase in cases of Bird flu, there is a mandatory poultry housing order to cover the whole of England from 00.01 on 13th November 2026. However, this is not for all small keepers.
Note: This means ... you do not have to house your birds if you keep less than 50 birds and their eggs, or poultry products (meat), are for your own use only.
9th November 2026: the APHA have announced that Bird Flu cases have been identified in Kings Lynn, Biggar, Belford (Scotland), Garstang, York, Brigg, Dersingham (Norfolk) and has imposed 3km Protection Zones and 10km Surveillance Zones around these areas.
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How to care for your flock during a Bird flu restriction
Our Ask Phill video number 6 sets out our top tips for taking stock and preparing yourself and your flock to beat Bird Flu this winter (filmed in 2017).
Some of the products mentioned are no longer available, so please visit Avian Influenza page for the latest. New 2025 video here.
It seems to be the case that every winter we have a Bird flu announcement or lock-down period. This is where we are being told by The Animal & Plant Health Agency (under DEFRA) to keep up with bio-security measures and remain vigilant to keep our birds safe, or contain them within a covered run area.
For more information on recognising Bird Flu, how to deal with it and what the APHA mean when they say Protection Zone; Surveillance Zone; Housing Order; etc - visit our page Bird Flu Hints & Tips
