Britain Enforces Nationwide Bird Housing to Combat Avian Flu

In an unprecedented move, Britain announced a compulsory bird housing measure across England starting Thursday, as a strategy against the escalating bird flu epidemic. The virus is proliferating throughout Europe, triggering the highest number of country reports in over a decade and sparking fears of a recurrence of massive bird culling and spiked food costs.

Recent outbreaks at poultry sites in North Yorkshire and Devon, along with a third case in East Sussex, were confirmed this Monday, bringing the UK's total to 23 episodes since the 2025/26 season kicked off on October 1. Out of these, 19 outbreaks occurred in England alone.

Exempt from the housing mandate are keepers with fewer than 50 birds, provided their produce is solely for personal consumption. The virus mainly spreads via wild birds during autumnal migration. Although human risk remains low, the World Health Organization stresses the need for vigilance due to the virus’s expanding reach to mammals.