England has confirmed another case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1, this time in commercial poultry near Hallow, Malvern Hills, Worcestershire, on 8 November 2025. A 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone are in place and the flock will be humanely culled. Just a day earlier, four large commercial outbreaks were reported near Feltwell and Attleborough in Norfolk, near Alford in Lincolnshire, and at a second site near Thirsk in North Yorkshire as officials stepped up controls.

Case totals have been updated for the new season. As of 8 November 2025, there are 35 confirmed UK cases: 28 in England, 4 in Wales and 3 in Northern Ireland, with none recorded in Scotland so far this season. Under World Organisation for Animal Health rules, the UK is not currently free from HPAI.

Devolved administrations have moved quickly. In Wales, H5N1 was confirmed on 6 November in a large commercial flock near Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, with 3km and 10km control zones declared. In Northern Ireland, temporary control zones around commercial premises near Pomeroy (Tyrone) and Lisnaskea (Fermanagh) have been replaced with statutory 3km protection and 10km surveillance zones following laboratory confirmation.

Great Britain is under an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone. From 6 November, mandatory housing applies in England. If you keep more than 50 birds, you must house them. If you keep fewer than 50 birds for your own use only, housing is not required. If you keep fewer than 50 birds but sell or give away eggs, meat or live birds, you are classed as poultry and must house them.

For keepers, this is a practical week. Check your postcode on the Defra disease zone map, follow the specific rules for your zone, and secure any licences needed for movements. Indoors, keep feed and water under cover, install foot-dips at entry points, reduce visitors to essentials, and check ventilation, litter dryness and enrichment daily to support welfare while birds are housed.

Health agencies are clear: bird flu remains primarily a disease of birds. UKHSA assesses the risk to the general public as very low, and the Food Standards Agency says properly cooked poultry and eggs are safe to eat. The UK recorded a rare human H5N1 case in the West Midlands on 27 January 2025 linked to close contact with infected birds; there has been no sustained human-to-human transmission.

Wildlife reporting is part of the response. Members of the public are advised not to touch dead or sick wild birds and to report findings via the official service. Land managers and conservation groups can use Defra’s mitigation strategy and site posters, and track mortality on the interactive wild bird dashboard. If you feed garden birds, keep feeders and water baths clean to reduce disease spread, as advised by the British Trust for Ornithology.

There is a One Health dimension. Avian influenza viruses can infect some mammals, and “influenza of avian origin” is notifiable in both wild and kept mammals: vets must report suspect cases or detections and follow official channels in England, Wales and Scotland. Earlier this year, researchers documented the first H5N1 detection in a sheep in Great Britain, and UKHSA reported no human transmission linked to that incident-reinforcing the need for cross-species surveillance and farm biosecurity.

Vaccination policy has not changed for keepers: poultry and most captive birds in England cannot be vaccinated against bird flu. Vaccination is permitted only for eligible zoo birds with prior authorisation. Government, APHA and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate continue to assess vaccine options through the avian influenza vaccination taskforce while prioritising biosecurity, early reporting, rapid action and stamping-out.

What to watch next: early November has brought a quick succession of detections, but numbers vary widely by season. Recent years saw 81 confirmed HPAI cases in 2024–25 and 207 in 2022–23. Rapid housing, strict hygiene and tight movement controls are designed to break chains of infection as migratory waterfowl move through. Readers can follow weekly wild bird findings and updated case counts via the official dashboards and GOV.UK updates.