The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that it will be lifting its mandatory housing order on Thursday, April 9 for poultry and other captive birds being kept in England and Wales.
Defra stated that the decision to remove the mandatory housing measures was made because bird flu levels have reportedly reduced.
The most recent bird flu case in Great Britain (GB) was reported to the department on February 17, with the outbreak taking place at a premises near Ancroft, Northumberland in England.
These housing measures were originally introduced GB-wide in November 2025 as a result of bird flu outbreaks across the mainland.
With the housing measures being lifted next week, Defra has given poultry farmers and keepers a seven-day notice period so they can start preparing to let their flock outside again.
Preparations
The department highlighted that some poultry will still need to be housed in the event that they are being kept in a protection zone or captive bird (monitoring) controlled zone.
For premises not in control zones, Defra emphasised the importance of non-contaminated areas for flocks to be kept in.
According to Defra, the virus that causes bird flu can stay infectious in faeces, carcasses and feathers for around 50 days and even longer in wet conditions.
The department has issued the following steps farmers and keepers must take before letting their birds outside:
- Follow biosecurity measures to prevent bird flu and stop it spreading;
- Keep wild birds away from flocks and their range, or any other outdoor areas;
- Clean and disinfect concrete areas and hard surfaces;
- Remove any build-up of faeces, carcasses or feathers and then use disinfectant to decontaminate your range;
- Expose any heavily contaminated areas to sunlight;
- Fence off or cover standing water or ponds – these areas may be contaminated with wild bird faeces.
Defra also encouraged farmers and keepers to contact their vet about how to protect their birds’ welfare when letting them outside.