Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency have updated the national bird flu position for Friday 19 December 2025. The protection zone around Feltwell (Norfolk) has been lifted into the wider surveillance zone. New confirmations this week include a large commercial flock near Brockworth in Gloucestershire and, in Scotland, a case near Penicuik in the Scottish Borders. Standard 3km protection and 10km surveillance zones apply.
Across the 2025 to 2026 outbreak season to date, the UK has recorded 70 confirmed HPAI H5N1 cases: 57 in England, 2 in Scotland, 7 in Wales and 4 in Northern Ireland. Under World Organisation for Animal Health rules, the UK is not currently recognised as free from highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Great Britain remains in an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone requiring strict biosecurity. In England and Wales there are mandatory housing measures: keepers with 50 or more birds must house them; smaller non‑commercial flocks do not have to be housed, but any flock under 50 birds that sells or gives away eggs, products or live birds must be housed. England’s housing measures took effect from 00:01 on 6 November; Wales followed on 13 November.
Scotland also has an AIPZ in force, but current measures do not include mandatory housing. Keepers must meet biosecurity requirements and follow any local disease‑control declarations. On 18 December, Scotland confirmed HPAI H5N1 near Penicuik with 3km and 10km zones established.
Where new cases are confirmed, Defra declares a 3km protection zone with stringent movement and cleansing rules and a 10km surveillance zone with enhanced monitoring. For example, the Brockworth case announced on 18 December triggered these zone controls and humane culling on site. Businesses should use the official interactive map to verify whether any part of their premises falls inside a zone.
Movements of poultry, captive birds, eggs, poultry by‑products, litter, manure and even certain mammals are prohibited in control zones unless covered by a general licence or a case‑specific licence. Food businesses handling meat from birds originating in a protection zone must follow special marking and handling requirements set out in Defra’s licence suite.
Bird gatherings are permitted only on defined terms. Events involving psittacines, birds of prey and racing pigeons may proceed under a general licence outside disease control zones, while gatherings of poultry and other captive birds require a specific licence and risk‑mitigation conditions. Organisers must notify APHA in advance and comply with licence terms.
Vaccination of poultry or most captive birds is not permitted in England. Vaccination is currently limited to eligible zoo birds subject to APHA authorisation and strict conditions. Government and industry continue to assess vaccine options through the avian influenza vaccination taskforce, but culling and biosecurity remain the primary control tools.
APHA assesses the risk of H5 in wild birds in Great Britain as very high, with the risk of poultry exposure ranging from very high where biosecurity is poor to medium where standards are consistently stringent. UKHSA advises that the risk to the general public remains very low, a position reiterated during the January 2025 human H5N1 case investigation.
For keepers and land managers, the immediate actions are operational. Check the map daily for zones, implement housing where required, maintain records, cleanse and disinfect vehicles and footwear, and report suspicion promptly. Released or kept gamebirds must not be fed within 500 metres of premises with more than 500 kept birds, and releases are paused while housing measures apply in England. For consumers, the Food Standards Agency continues to judge the food safety risk as very low; properly cooked poultry and eggs remain safe to eat.