Defra has lifted several avian influenza controls following completion of cleansing and surveillance. On 16 February 2026 the 10km surveillance zone around a third premises near Gainsborough, West Lindsey (AIV 2025/121) was revoked; the protection zone near Chedburgh, West Suffolk (AIV 2025/119) ended and its surveillance zone was revoked; and, separately, the surveillance zone near York, North Yorkshire (AIV 2025/135) was lifted. The GOV.UK summary was last updated on 16 February 2026. (gov.uk) A further change landed on 14 February 2026, when HPAI H5N1 was confirmed in other captive birds at a premises near Ancroft, Northumberland. A 3km captive bird (monitoring) controlled zone now applies around that site. (gov.uk)
Additional revocations were confirmed on 13 February 2026. The protection zone at a second premises near Dereham, Norfolk (AIV 2025/130) ended, with the surveillance zone revoked; a 3km protection zone at a second premises near York (AIV 2026/05) was lifted and the area merged into the surveillance zone; and 10km surveillance zones near Sudbrooke and Welton in West Lindsey, Lincolnshire, were revoked. (gov.uk)
Separate to local disease zones, Great Britain remains under an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ). In England, mandatory housing applies: keepers with 50 or more birds must house them; those with fewer than 50 birds for personal use do not have to house; and keepers with fewer than 50 birds who sell or give away eggs, products or live birds must house them, as these birds are treated as ‘poultry’. Wales applies equivalent housing measures. (gov.uk)
For holdings exiting a protection or surveillance zone, the revocations remove local movement and gathering prohibitions, but AIPZ biosecurity and any England-and-Wales housing duties continue to apply. Keepers should verify their status on the official map and read the applicable declarations before changing on‑farm routines or resuming movements. (gov.uk)
Movement is licensable where controls remain in force. In protection and surveillance zones, moving poultry, other captive birds, mammals to or from premises with birds, eggs and poultry meat generally requires a licence; record‑keeping is mandatory even when movements are permitted. Outside disease zones, you should still check whether a licence is needed for specific consignments. (gov.uk)
Bird gatherings are permitted only on defined terms. Outside disease control zones you may use a general licence for events involving psittaciformes, birds of prey and racing pigeons, but you must notify APHA at least seven days before. Any gathering that includes poultry or certain other captive birds requires a specific licence, and no gatherings are allowed within active disease zones. (gov.uk)
Risk assessments remain firm. APHA reports the risk of HPAI H5 in wild birds as very high; exposure risk to kept birds is high with poor biosecurity and medium where stringent biosecurity is consistently applied. These assessments underpin the continuing AIPZ and housing measures. (gov.uk)
Season totals provide context for planning. For the 2025 to 2026 outbreak season to 16 February 2026, England has recorded 74 confirmed HPAI H5N1 cases and one LPAI case; Scotland nine HPAI; Wales seven HPAI; Northern Ireland four HPAI-taking the UK total to 94 HPAI and one LPAI. The first confirmations this season were on 9 October (Northern Ireland), 11 October (England), 25 October (Wales) and 12 November (Scotland). (gov.uk)
Public health and food safety positions are unchanged. UKHSA continues to assess risk to the general public as very low, and the Food Standards Agency advises that properly cooked poultry products, including eggs and game birds, remain safe to eat, with avian influenza posing a very low food safety risk. (gov.uk)
Wild bird surveillance and reporting remain essential. APHA’s weekly reporting and interactive tools track findings in wild birds; the public should report dead wild birds via the official service and avoid contact with sick or dead birds. Cleaning garden feeders and water baths helps to reduce disease transmission between wild birds. (gov.uk)
Feeding and field practice rules apply in the AIPZ. Gamebird feed must be managed to discourage wild bird access, and within AIPZ areas there are minimum distances from poultry or other kept birds and from water bodies where ducks and geese congregate. These measures reduce opportunities for virus spread from wild to kept birds. (gov.uk)
Influenza of avian origin in mammals is notifiable in Great Britain. Anyone examining wild or kept mammals, or handling relevant samples or carcases, must report suspicion or detection of influenza A virus or antibodies immediately-by calling APHA in England (03000 200 301), Wales (03003 038 268) or the local Field Services Office in Scotland. Failure to report is an offence. (gov.uk)
Vaccination policy is unchanged. Poultry and most captive birds in England cannot be vaccinated against avian influenza. Vaccination may be authorised for zoo birds where eligibility criteria are met and APHA approval is granted; Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate continue to monitor vaccine developments and oversee any authorised use. (gov.uk)
The legal framework cited by government includes the Avian Influenza and Influenza of Avian Origin in Mammals (England) (No.2) Order 2006 and subsequent amendments, the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, the Avian Influenza (H5N1 in Wild Birds) (England) Order 2006, and successive Exotic Disease (Amendment) Orders, alongside the Avian Influenza (Vaccination) (England) Regulations 2006. These instruments underpin controls, enforcement and penalties. (gov.uk)
What to do now: confirm your zone status on the official map, maintain or reinstate housing where required, review biosecurity against the AIPZ declaration, and check whether any planned movements or events require licensing. Where local zones have been revoked, document the change and update staff instructions, but continue to operate to AIPZ standards. (gov.uk)