
Since mid-January, eight HPAI outbreaks have been confirmed in poultry flocks in Great Britain.
Affected flocks range from 240 to around 1.4 million birds each, and are located mainly in northeastern England. However, cases were recorded in one flock in the southern county of Sussex, and one in Shropshire in western England. All but one of these outbreaks involved commercial flocks.
Around each suspected outbreak, restrictions have been imposed in the 3-km protection zone, and 10-km surveillance zone.
For the current outbreak, the H5N1 HPAI virus has been detected in 21 poultry flocks in England, and one in Scotland, according to the government agriculture department, Defra. In addition, the H5N5 virus variant has been detected on one English farm.
Following the recent spike in HPAI outbreaks, Defra announced that from January 25, mandatory biosecurity measures must be put in place around all poultry across the whole of England and Scotland. Furthermore, the previous Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) has now been extended to include Shropshire, York, and North Yorkshire. These regions join the East Riding of Yorkshire, city of Kingston upon Hull, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, where housing of all poultry is already mandatory.
Also now applying HPAI-related restrictions is the Netherlands.
This is because the restricted zone related to an outbreak just over the border in Germany extends into Dutch territory, according to the Dutch agriculture ministry.
New HPAI outbreaks elsewhere in European poultry
Over the past two weeks, Poland has recorded a further five HPAI outbreaks in commercial poultry flocks.
According to official notifications to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), one of the affected flocks comprised laying hens, and the rest affected meat turkeys.
These bring the Polish outbreak total in this population so far this year to eight, directly impacting close to 297,000 birds, reported Poland’s chief veterinary office (as of January 27).
Italy’s animal health agency has registered two more HPAI outbreaks on commercial farms to WOAH. Affecting one farm in Lombardy and one in Veneto, both premises had laying hens.
They bring to 18 the number of HPAI outbreaks in Italy so far this year.
One more outbreak has been logged with WOAH in Hungary’s northeastern region of Hajdu-Bihar. Also affected there was an egg flock.
For the year to date, seven European countries have together registered a total of 31 HPAI outbreaks in poultry. This is according to the Animal Disease Information System by the European Commission (EC; as of January 22). Through its Animal Disease Information System, the EC monitors listed animal diseases in European Union (EU) member states and adjacent countries (but not Great Britain).
Highest total so far is Italy (with 18). Also recording cases in 2025 have been Albania, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Portugal.
Covering backyard poultry, hobby flocks, and zoos, WOAH has been notified over the past two weeks of outbreaks among captive birds in the Czech Republic (Czechia), Germany, Poland, and Portugal.
Widespread new cases in wild birds
As of January 22, 18 countries monitored by the EC System had confirmed a total of 97 HPAI outbreaks affecting wild birds so far this year.
Among them is Northern Ireland, where a wild goose tested positive for the virus in County Tyrone in mid-January. It was the first case of the HPAI “season” in the territory, according to the agriculture department, DAERA.
Also registering new cases in the wild bird population with the EC System over the previous seven days were Austria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, the Republic of Ireland, and Romania. In each of these cases, the birds had tested positive for the H5N1 virus serotype. In addition, the H5N5 variant has been detected in one wild bird in northern Germany.
Meanwhile, the veterinary authorities of the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Italy, and Switzerland have notified WOAH of new HPAI cases in their respective wild bird populations.
Two more cases in European wild mammals
To WOAH the Norwegian animal health agency has retrospectively confirmed an infection with the H5N5 HPAI virus serotype in an otter.
The animal was found dead in October of last year in the same northern area — Troms and Finnmark — as a case from December affecting a European lynx (wild cat).
Earlier this month, Iceland recorded its first case linked to the same virus variant in a European mink. It was found dead in the Reykjavik area. Previous cases in the country had involved four domestic cats at two locations.
Restrictions eased on French poultry exports
Last week, the ministry of agriculture in France announced that the United States (U.S.) and Canada have lifted embargoes on selected French poultry products.
The restriction had come into effect in October of 2023, when France introduced its first HPAI vaccination plan. This made vaccine administration mandatory for all commercial duck flocks in mainland France.
Since then, the French authorities have undertaken intense negotiations and health diplomacy with both North American countries.
From mid-January, the U.S. has lifted restrictions on French exports of poultry and poultry products (excluding ducks), including genetic products, such as hatching eggs and day-old chicks. At the same time, the U.S. ended its embargo on duck products from other EU member states.
This followed a similar move from Canada in December, which covered imports of avian genetics from France.
Human infection in England
A rare human infection of the influenza A(H5N1) virus has been reported by the U.K. Health Security Agency.
The patient in the West Midlands of England had close and prolonged contact with large numbers of infected poultry on a farm, and is described as “currently well.”
According to the Agency, the case tested positive for the D1.2 genotype of the virus. This is known to be circulating in birds in Great Britain, and is different from the one being detected in birds and mammals in the U.S.
The risk of infection to the general public continues to be assessed as “low.”
View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation in poultry, and on disease developments in the U.S. dairy sector.