All poultry and captive birds in England must be kept indoors from today (November 7), to contain an outbreak of avian influenza.
An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) was declared across the country three weeks ago.
The UK's chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, has stepped up mandatory housing measures meaning it will be a legal requirement to keep the birds indoors.
The new rules are set to come into force today to give owners time to make arrangements.
There have been more than 200 confirmed cases of the bird flu in the UK since late October 2021, and the disease has been detected at more than 70 premises since the beginning of October – as well as multiple reports in wild birds.
Currently, there are no reported cases on the Isle of Wight.
The Chief Veterinary Officer said: "We are now facing this year, the largest ever outbreak of bird flu and are seeing rapid escalation in the number of cases on commercial farms and in backyard birds across England.
“The risk of kept birds being exposed to disease has reached a point where it is now necessary for all birds to be housed until further notice.
"Scrupulous biosecurity and separating flocks in all ways, from wild birds remain the best form of defence.
“Whether you keep just a few birds or thousands, from Monday onwards you must keep them indoors. This decision has not been taken lightly, but is the best way to protect your birds from this highly infectious disease."
The addition of housing measures to the AIPZ already in force across England means all bird keepers across England must:
Keepers should familiarise themselves with the avian flu advice and report suspicion of disease to APHA on 03000 200 301.
Poultry keepers and members of the public should consult the latest guidance to check the latest threshold for reporting dead wild birds to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77 and not touch or pick them up.
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