27/01/2025
🚨 New biosecurity measures have been announced for birds due to Avian Influenza (bird flu)
🐔 The Animal and Plant Health Agency have announced that from Saturday 25th January 2025 at noon, an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) with mandatory biosecurity measures will be in place over all of England and Scotland.
This means anyone with outdoor birds must;
* Keep free ranging birds within fenced areas, and ponds, watercourses and permanent standing water must be fenced off
* Cleanse and disinfect footwear and keep areas where birds live clean and tidy;
* Minimise movement in and out of bird enclosures;
* Reduce any existing contamination by cleansing and disinfecting concrete areas, and fencing off wet or boggy areas
* Keep domestic ducks and geese separate from other poultry
* Ensure the areas where birds are kept are unattractive to wild birds, for example by netting ponds, and by removing wild bird food sources;
*Feed and water your birds in enclosed areas to discourage wild birds
In some areas a mandatory housing order, where all birds must be kept housed, is in place. These areas at the moment are;
* North Yorkshire
* York
* Shropshire
* The East Riding of Yorkshire
* The City of Kingston upon Hull
* Lincolnshire
* Norfolk
* Suffolk
The current risk to human and other animal's health remains low and properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.
There is information on the Defra website and if registered (which has to be done since 1st October 2024) texts and emails have been sent out with updates.
