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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice his Department (a) has issued and (b) is planning to issue to minimise the risk of future outbreaks of avian flu in England this year; what other steps he is taking to minimise the risk of outbreaks in 2023; and if he will make a statement.

Defra’s approach to avian influenza disease control is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain together with the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales. We advise all bird keepers that high standards of biosecurity should be maintained as good practice for the health and welfare of their birds. Good biosecurity is an essential defence against diseases such as avian influenza and is key to limiting the spread of avian influenza in an outbreak. Biosecurity guidance and a biosecurity self-assessment checklist have been published by Defra to assist all bird keepers in instigating and maintaining the highest possible standards of biosecurity. Keepers must also comply with mandatory Avian Influenza Prevention Zone measures where they are in force, which together with further updates on the latest avian influenza situation, can be found via GOV.UK/Bird-flu.

This year’s avian influenza outbreak has been the largest and longest ever on record in the United Kingdom and in many parts of Europe, with infections continuing beyond the normal winter period. We recognise industry and the wider bird keeping sectors concerns about how the outbreak may develop this coming winter. Our approach to tackling this year’s avian influenza outbreak continues to be led by international best practice and latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice. Avian influenza disease control and prevention measures are kept under regular review as part of the Government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of avian influenza, and decisions regarding these measures are based on published risk assessments (www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-in-europe). In addition, detailed epidemiological assessments are made at each poultry and captive bird infected premises to investigate possible source and spread, and inform any future potential disease prevention and control measures.

Alongside HM Government’s continued investment in the National Reference Laboratory and the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s Weybridge site, earlier this year we launched an eight-strong consortium that received £1.5 million in funding to develop new strategies to tackle avian influenza outbreaks. This research will help build our understanding in a number of key areas, including why the current virus strains have formed larger and longer outbreaks and understanding transmission and infection in different bird populations.