Poultry and captive birds must be kept inside as the country faces its biggest outbreak of avian flu

Poultry and captive birds must be kept inside from Monday (November 7), says the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), as the country faces its biggest ever outbreak of avian flu.

South Cambridgeshire District Council is urging local bird-keepers, including pet bird owners, to keep their birds in lockdown and use strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from the disease, regardless of type or size.

The lockdown housing measures legally require all keepers to ensure their birds are indoors and to follow stringent rules, such as keeping the number of people entering the bird enclosure to a minimum and using specific footwear that can be cleaned before and after entering the enclosure, just for dealing with the birds.

The compulsory housing measure follows more than 80 confirmed cases across the UK since the beginning of October, three of which have been in Cambridgeshire. Cases were confirmed near March and Somersham on October 31 and declaration orders are in place bringing in additional rules for those who keep birds within 3km of the infected site at March and within 10km of the infected site at Somersham.

The full details of these requirements can be accessed at gov.uk. An online tool is available to help you determine if your birds fall within one of the disease control zones APHA Interactive Disease Map (arcgis.com).

Cllr Brian Milnes, lead cabinet member for the environment, said: “Scrupulous biosecurity and separating flocks in all ways from wild birds remain the best form of defence. Whether you keep just a few birds or thousands, from Monday, November 7 onwards you must keep yours indoors. This is the best way to protect your birds from this highly infectious disease.”

To achieve the requirements, birds must be kept in an area that is fully covered, so as not to allow wild birds to enter or their faeces to contaminate the area. Failure to comply with the housing measures set by DEFRA could result in a fine.

Over the last year, the United Kingdom has faced its largest ever outbreak of avian flu with more than 200 cases confirmed since late October 2021. The introduction of the housing measures comes after the disease was detected at over 70 premises since the beginning of October, as well as multiple reports in wild birds.

The UK’s chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said: “We are facing this year the largest ever outbreak of bird flu and are seeing rapid escalation in the number of cases on commercial farms and in backyard birds across England. The risk of kept birds being exposed to disease has reached a point where it is now necessary for all birds to be housed until further notice.”

Cambridgeshire County Council has a role in supporting DEFRA and the APHA as part of the national animal disease contingency plan, with its trading standards team responsible for identifying all captive birds within the protection zone.

[Read more: Bird flu case near Soham confirmed as disease spreads west]

Trading Standards officers will be calling at homes within the March and Somersham disease control zones next week to ascertain if birds are kept by those households. If they are, the information will be referred to APHA for veterinary assessment to determine if a health check on the birds is required. Anyone with concerns about breaches should report the information to Cambridgeshire County Council’s customer services team on 0345 0455206.

For the latest information about bird flu, including symptoms, how to report sick birds and the latest control measures visit gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenza-bird-flu.