England Bird Flu Update April 2026: H5N1 Cases Reach 79
England bird flu update April 2026: H5N1 cases reached 79 after outbreaks in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire triggered c...
England's latest avian influenza update shows H5N1 is still moving through commercial poultry, with fresh confirmations on 11, 14 and 17 April 2026. Defra reported outbreaks near Market Rasen, two further premises near Gainsborough and a site near Great Shelford, with the 17 April case marking a fourth large commercial poultry unit near Gainsborough in West Lindsey, Lincolnshire. Each infected site has triggered a 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone, and infected flocks are being humanely culled. That makes Lincolnshire the clearest pressure point in this April cluster, even as England has begun easing some wider restrictions.
That mixed picture matters. On 9 April 2026, avian influenza prevention zone housing measures were lifted, meaning many keepers in England can let birds outside again. But the change is not a return to normal. Birds must still stay housed if they are inside a protection zone or a captive bird...