All-Wales Avian Influenza Prevention Zone

5 February 2025

Last month (January), the Welsh Government introduced an all-Wales Avian Influenza Prevention Zone to protect poultry and captive birds from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
Now Powys County Council's Animal Health Team are reminding all keepers of poultry and other captive birds, irrespective of the size of the flock or how the birds are kept, that the prevention zone requires them to take appropriate and practicable steps including:
- Ensuring the areas where birds are kept are unattractive to wild birds, for example, by netting ponds and surrounding areas and by removing wild bird food sources;
- Feeding and watering flocks in enclosed areas to discourage wild birds;
- Minimising movement of people in and out of bird enclosures;
- Cleaning and disinfecting footwear, using foot dips before entering poultry enclosures, and keeping areas where birds live clean and tidy;
- Reducing any existing contamination by cleansing and disinfecting concrete areas and fencing off wet or boggy areas;
- Keeping domestic ducks and geese separate from other poultry;
- Wild game birds "caught up" during the open season must not be moved for a minimum of 21 days, subject to conditions within the declaration.
- Ensuring records are kept in line with the conditions within the declaration. Completing the mandatory biosecurity self-assessment checklist within 7 days. To help keep birds disease-free, we have created two biosecurity self-assessment checklists for commercial and small poultry keepers.
Keepers with more than 500 birds will also be required to take extra biosecurity measures, including restricting access to non-essential people, changing clothing and footwear before entering bird enclosures, and cleaning and disinfecting vehicles.
Keepers must also remain vigilant for signs of disease. Avian Influenza is a notifiable disease, and any suspicion should be reported immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on 0300 303 8268.
Cllr Richard Church, Cabinet Member for a Safer Powys, said: "Although there have been no cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) confirmed in poultry or other kept birds in Wales so far this outbreak season, the number of cases in poultry flocks continues to increase across Great Britain and there is a heightened risk of transmission from wild to kept birds.
"The prevention zone has been declared to reduce the risk of infection from wild birds so poultry and captive bird keepers must have the appropriate biosecurity measures in place.
"Poultry keepers should remain vigilant for any signs of disease in their birds or any wild birds and seek prompt advice from a vet if they have any concerns.
Further information on avian influenza can be found on the Welsh Governments website at https://gov.wales/avian-influenza-bird-flu