Defra lifts AI risk level in wild birds to medium after detection of H5N5 strain

Defra has announced that it has raised the risk level of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5 in wild birds from ‘low’ to ‘medium’. This comes in the wake of the detection of the HPAI H5N5 strain in more than one location in Great Britain this autumn. The risk level in poultry remains at ‘low’ where there is suboptimal or poor biosecurity, and ‘very low’ where there is good biosecurity applied at all times. 

Outbreaks of HPAI in wild birds over recent years have tended to be of the H5N1 strain of the virus, however this season H5N5 has been detected. This is not seen as altogether surprising given the previous detection of that particular strain in continental Europe.  

HPAI outbreaks among wild birds are more likely to occur in coastal areas during the colder months of the year. The virus is carried from country to country by migrating birds, with seabirds being the usual vector. The recent HPAI detections have largely been in gulls, skuas and fulmars in the Shetland Islands, the Hebrides, the North coast of Scotland and coastal Northumberland, but there has also been one event of HPAI being detected in the West Midlands in 20 wild pheasants. 

For those involved in shooting, it is critical that one remains alert to the disease and follows strict biosecurity procedure. Details of government recommended biosecurity measures are can be found here, alongside a guide for identifying signs of HPAI in birds published by the government here. 

This announcement comes after all bird keepers were required to register their birds with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). The previous threshold for requirement to register with APHA was 50 birds, which covered most of those involved in pheasant and partridge shooting, but now the threshold is one bird. Gamebirds are classified as ‘kept’ when in a rearing or release pen, and ‘wild’ once dispersed out of the pen. All bird keepers are also mandated to review their records annually. 

The key benefit of the APHA register is that processes associated with lifting disease control zones should be more efficient with improved surveillance, leading to them being lifted more quickly in the case of an HPAI outbreak, which could benefit the game shooting sector going forwards.