Mandatory Bird Housing Order Takes Effect Across England on November 13 to Combat Avian Influenza
UK Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss announced a mandatory housing order across the whole of England from 12:01am on Friday, November 13, 2026: anyone keeping 50 or more birds must house their poultry and captive birds, and the requirement also covers anyone who sells or gives away eggs, poultry products or live birds, with limited exceptions such as certain zoo birds. An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone with mandatory biosecurity measures applies across England with immediate effect.
The order follows a rise in confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in kept and wild birds this season. The government says housing birds is the main available step to cut contact between poultry and wild birds and slow the spread.
Veterinary officials stress that the risk to public health remains very low and that properly cooked poultry and eggs are safe to eat. Any suspected case must be reported immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency, and moving birds without authorisation is an offence. (Source: UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs)
Source: UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：蛋鸡养殖场内的笼养蛋鸡（资料图，非涉事农场）。照片：Maqi，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Laying hens in cages at an egg farm (file photo, not an affected premises). Photo by Maqi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
