Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the evidential basis is for the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s amendments to licensing conditions for bird gatherings, particularly the prohibition on the sale and exchange of captive-bred birds at licensed events.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Regulation 6 of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended, sets out the legal basis for permitting gatherings (such as shows) of poultry or other captive birds. In England, a licence to hold a bird gathering may be granted by Defra if a veterinary risk assessment has been carried out, and if the gathering, including the movement of birds to and from it, would not significantly increase the risk of the transmission of avian influenza virus. Detailed risk assessments can be found on GOV.UK.

The most recently published qualitative 2025 risk assessment (November 2025) sets out the risk of transmission of avian influenza at gatherings. The exact conditions of issued licences, including activities which can take place at a gathering (such as sales), are determined based on the assessed risk of each gathering.