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

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases of avian flu were reported in the UK in the years (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, and (4) 2022 so far.

In 2019, one case of notifiable avian influenza was confirmed in the UK, a case of Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) H5N3 in England.

During the 2020/2021 avian influenza outbreak, between November 2020 and March 2021 there were 26 cases of notifiable avian influenza confirmed including in England one case of LPAI H5N2, one case of LPAI H5N3, one case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 and 18 cases of HPAI H5N8; in Scotland one case of HPAI H5N8 and one case of HPAI H5N1; in Wales one case of HPAI H5N8 and in Northern Ireland two cases of HPAI H5N8.

To date in the 2021/2022 avian influenza outbreak, between 26 October 2021 and 30 March 2022, 109 cases of notifiable avian influenza have been confirmed, all HPAI H5N1, including 89 cases in England; 9 cases in Scotland; 5 cases in Wales and 6 cases in Northern Ireland.