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1713200

registered interest
date	23/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the statement by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention entitled Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus Infection Reported in a Person in the US, published on 1 April 2024, what assessment he has made of the level of risk posed by H5N1; and whether he has had discussions with the (a) Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and (b) Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on the potential implications for the UK Biological Security Strategy of that statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	23177
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>We are in close contact with counterparts in the United States on the incidents of influenza of avian origin in cattle in the USA. We know that the strain of virus involved has not been detected in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, UK Health Security Agency, Food Standards Agency and Cabinet Office officials and with international partners on risk assessments to consider the routes of incursion, animal to animal spread and animal to human spill-over and to review our well-tested surveillance mechanisms and preparedness activities in light of this emerging situation.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 01/05/2024 08:58:16 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1713280

registered interest
date	23/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of H5N1 bird flu, following an outbreak in cattle in multiple US states with reports that many cattle are asymptomatic; what monitoring they carry out on (1) cattle, (2) other farm animals, (3) wild mammals, and (4) humans in contact with cattle; and what, if any, additional biosecurity measures are planned or being developed.
tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
uin	HL4021
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government is in close contact with counterparts in the United States on the incidents of influenza of avian origin in cattle in the USA. We know that the strain of virus involved has not been detected in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Food Standards Agency, the Cabinet Office and with international partners on risk assessments to consider the routes of incursion, animal to animal spread and animal to human spill-over and to review our well-tested surveillance mechanisms and preparedness activities in light of this emerging situation.</p><p> </p><p>In response to the unprecedented global outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in wild and kept birds, the UK's avian influenza national reference laboratory at the Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge laboratory has increased its surveillance in both wild birds and wild mammals and genome analysis of the virus itself while keeping a close eye on its spread in global populations of wildlife. In addition, we have published an ‘Influenza A (H5N1) infection in mammals: suspect case definition and diagnostic testing criteria’ on gov.uk to support veterinary professionals and others in knowing when to report suspicion. This case definition will be updated in due course as further information on the emerging situation in cattle in the USA becomes available.</p><p> </p><p>We are monitoring the situation closely but at this time have no reason to suspect the virus is circulating in our cattle, nor is this strain of the virus circulating in Europe. We have had no recent cases of avian influenza in kept birds, or findings of influenza of avian origin in kept or wild mammals, and the risk level from wild birds is low. We have discussed the need for surveillance in wildlife, domestic animals and humans with DHSC and UKHSA and are considering the case for additional surveillance for influenza of avian origin in cattle and how best such animal health surveillance could be undertaken.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 01/05/2024 14:24:52 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1650821

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the value for money provided by the flock depopulation measures carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency during the 2022-23 outbreak of avian influenza.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	192820
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2023 answer text <p>Avian influenza, once introduced into a premises, spreads rapidly through birds present. As set out in the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notifiable-avian-disease-control-strategy-2015" target="_blank">Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain</a> swift and humane culling of poultry and other captive birds on infected premises coupled with good biosecurity is used to prevent the amplification of avian influenza and subsequent environmental contamination, reduce the risk of disease spread from infected premises and mitigate any public health risk these infected birds may pose. Defra’s disease control measures seek to contain the number of animals that need to be culled, either for disease control purposes or to safeguard animal welfare. Current policy reflects our experience of responding to past outbreaks of exotic animal disease and is in line with international standards of best practice for disease control.</p><p>During the 2022/23 outbreak 5.4 million birds have died or been culled and disposed for disease control purposes, a small proportion of overall poultry production (c.20m birds slaughtered for human consumption per week).</p><p>At each infected premises the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carry out veterinary investigations to identify, as far as possible the likely source of infection, and establish how long the disease may have been present on the infected premises together with identifying and investigating potential routes of spread from the premises. We have recently published the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reports-relating-to-recent-cases-of-avian-influenza-bird-flu" target="_blank">2021/22 highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak </a> which provides a summary of the outcomes of these investigations. The report for 2022/23 will be published in due course.</p><p>Epidemiological investigations to date show that the introduction of infection to poultry premises is almost entirely by direct or indirect spread from wild birds and that there has been no transmission between poultry premises apart from where they are located close together and are part of the same integrated company or business, and share staff and equipment. Key findings from these investigations help drive assessment and improvements in biosecurity best practice on poultry and other captive bird premises.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 192821 question first answered 17/07/2023 15:26:28 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1650826

registered interest
date	06/07/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the flock depopulation measures carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency during the 2022-23 outbreak of avian influenza on bio-security.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	192821
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2023 answer text <p>Avian influenza, once introduced into a premises, spreads rapidly through birds present. As set out in the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notifiable-avian-disease-control-strategy-2015" target="_blank">Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain</a> swift and humane culling of poultry and other captive birds on infected premises coupled with good biosecurity is used to prevent the amplification of avian influenza and subsequent environmental contamination, reduce the risk of disease spread from infected premises and mitigate any public health risk these infected birds may pose. Defra’s disease control measures seek to contain the number of animals that need to be culled, either for disease control purposes or to safeguard animal welfare. Current policy reflects our experience of responding to past outbreaks of exotic animal disease and is in line with international standards of best practice for disease control.</p><p>During the 2022/23 outbreak 5.4 million birds have died or been culled and disposed for disease control purposes, a small proportion of overall poultry production (c.20m birds slaughtered for human consumption per week).</p><p>At each infected premises the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carry out veterinary investigations to identify, as far as possible the likely source of infection, and establish how long the disease may have been present on the infected premises together with identifying and investigating potential routes of spread from the premises. We have recently published the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reports-relating-to-recent-cases-of-avian-influenza-bird-flu" target="_blank">2021/22 highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak </a> which provides a summary of the outcomes of these investigations. The report for 2022/23 will be published in due course.</p><p>Epidemiological investigations to date show that the introduction of infection to poultry premises is almost entirely by direct or indirect spread from wild birds and that there has been no transmission between poultry premises apart from where they are located close together and are part of the same integrated company or business, and share staff and equipment. Key findings from these investigations help drive assessment and improvements in biosecurity best practice on poultry and other captive bird premises.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 192820 question first answered 17/07/2023 15:26:28 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1640542

registered interest
date	25/05/2023
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the risks of (a) bird to human and (b) human to human transmission of avian influenza.
tabling member constituency	Oldham West and Royton
tabling member printed	Jim McMahon
uin	186892
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with partners to monitor and investigate the risk to human health of avian influenza (influenza A H5N1). Our latest assessment of United Kingdom risk from avian influenza remains at limited mammalian transmission. Current evidence suggests the avian influenza viruses we are seeing circulating in birds around the world do not spread easily to people. However, the virus can spread to people following close contact with infected birds and UKHSA has introduced a screening programme to monitor those exposed to learn more about the risk.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield grouped question UIN 186894 question first answered 05/06/2023 13:19:48 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4569 label Biography information for Jim McMahon

1640543

registered interest
date	25/05/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to curb the spread of avian influenza to minimise impact on businesses.
tabling member constituency	Oldham West and Royton
tabling member printed	Jim McMahon
uin	186893
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2023 answer text <p>Defra’s approach to avian influenza prevention and control is set out in the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notifiable-avian-disease-control-strategy-2015" target="_blank">Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain</a> supported by the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mitigation-strategy-for-avian-influenza-in-wild-birds-in-england-and-wales" target="_blank">Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales</a>. To help stop the spread of avian influenza, Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZs) are in force across the UK. This means it is a legal requirement for all bird keepers (whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock) to follow strict biosecurity measures to limit the spread of and eradicate the disease. The mandatory housing measures that were lifted on 17 April 2023 together with the enhanced biosecurity measures required by the AIPZ have been vital in protecting flocks across the country from avian influenza.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, where infection in poultry or other captive birds does occur, swift and humane culling of birds on infected premises coupled with good biosecurity are used to prevent the amplification of avian influenza and subsequent environmental contamination and to reduce the risk of disease spread from infected premises.</p><p> </p><p>Together, the Government and bird keepers must do everything we can to keep disease out of kept bird flocks. We all have a shared responsibility to ensure that if disease occurs it is diagnosed early, that good management practices ensure that the risk of further spread is minimised, the outbreak is controlled, and disease is eradicated. Scrupulous biosecurity is the most effective method of disease control available and all bird keepers should apply enhanced measures at all times to prevent the risk of future outbreaks.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 05/06/2023 13:20:40 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4569 label Biography information for Jim McMahon

1624154

registered interest
date	26/04/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's consultation regarding the registration of all birdkeepers, published on 7 March 2023, for what reason that policy applies to caged birds without exposure to other birds.
tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
tabling member printed	Kim Leadbeater
uin	183003
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>On 7 March 2023, Defra, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government launched a joint 12-week public GB-wide <a href="https://consult.defra.gov.uk/poultry-register/all-birds-registration2023/" target="_blank">consultation on proposed registration requirement for all bird keepers</a> as part of our work to tackle avian influenza. The consultation closes at 23:45 on 31 May 2023.</p><p> </p><p>Proposed changes include extending the mandatory registration requirements to all bird keepers and not just those who keep 50 or more poultry (as is the current legal requirement) and requiring a mandatory annual update to the registration information. This includes owners of backyard flocks, birds of prey and pigeon fanciers. This proposal will not affect pet birds that are kept entirely inside a domestic dwelling. For example, a parrot or a budgie kept in a cage entirely within a domestic dwelling and which never leaves the said dwelling except for veterinary assistance or short-term (a few days or 2-3 weeks) periods where the owner is unable to look after the bird(s) themselves.</p><p> </p><p>A review of the poultry registration process was identified as one of the key lessons from the 2021/22 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak and previous HPAI outbreaks. In addition, the 2018 <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/farm-inspection-and-regulation-review" target="_blank">Dame Glenys Stacey Review</a> recommended the removal of the lower bird number limit for registration of poultry, due to the risk of exotic disease and the operational need to reach all poultry owners when an outbreak occurs. The mandatory registration requirements will enable the Government to communicate with bird keepers quickly, to manage potential disease outbreaks, such as avian influenza, and limit the spread. By registering their birds, keepers will ensure they receive important information on biosecurity rules to help protect their flocks from the threat of avian influenza.</p><p> </p><p>Information bird keepers will need to provide includes contact details of the owner, the location where birds are kept and details of the birds (species, number, and what they are kept for). Efficiency and ease of use will be one of the key driving factors in any registration tool. We are working on moving the register to an online portal to allow keepers to access and update their record directly. The online platform will be rolled out in phases, with the first phase likely to be rolled out by summer 2023. The proposed changes will not be implemented until new keepers can register their bird(s) via the online portal and those already registered are able to review and update their information via the online platform.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 183004 question first answered 03/05/2023 12:54:09 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4923 label Biography information for Kim Leadbeater

1624155

registered interest
date	26/04/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure any registration process for birdkeepers is effective and easy to use.
tabling member constituency	Batley and Spen
tabling member printed	Kim Leadbeater
uin	183004
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>On 7 March 2023, Defra, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government launched a joint 12-week public GB-wide <a href="https://consult.defra.gov.uk/poultry-register/all-birds-registration2023/" target="_blank">consultation on proposed registration requirement for all bird keepers</a> as part of our work to tackle avian influenza. The consultation closes at 23:45 on 31 May 2023.</p><p> </p><p>Proposed changes include extending the mandatory registration requirements to all bird keepers and not just those who keep 50 or more poultry (as is the current legal requirement) and requiring a mandatory annual update to the registration information. This includes owners of backyard flocks, birds of prey and pigeon fanciers. This proposal will not affect pet birds that are kept entirely inside a domestic dwelling. For example, a parrot or a budgie kept in a cage entirely within a domestic dwelling and which never leaves the said dwelling except for veterinary assistance or short-term (a few days or 2-3 weeks) periods where the owner is unable to look after the bird(s) themselves.</p><p> </p><p>A review of the poultry registration process was identified as one of the key lessons from the 2021/22 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak and previous HPAI outbreaks. In addition, the 2018 <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/farm-inspection-and-regulation-review" target="_blank">Dame Glenys Stacey Review</a> recommended the removal of the lower bird number limit for registration of poultry, due to the risk of exotic disease and the operational need to reach all poultry owners when an outbreak occurs. The mandatory registration requirements will enable the Government to communicate with bird keepers quickly, to manage potential disease outbreaks, such as avian influenza, and limit the spread. By registering their birds, keepers will ensure they receive important information on biosecurity rules to help protect their flocks from the threat of avian influenza.</p><p> </p><p>Information bird keepers will need to provide includes contact details of the owner, the location where birds are kept and details of the birds (species, number, and what they are kept for). Efficiency and ease of use will be one of the key driving factors in any registration tool. We are working on moving the register to an online portal to allow keepers to access and update their record directly. The online platform will be rolled out in phases, with the first phase likely to be rolled out by summer 2023. The proposed changes will not be implemented until new keepers can register their bird(s) via the online portal and those already registered are able to review and update their information via the online platform.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer grouped question UIN 183003 question first answered 03/05/2023 12:54:09 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4923 label Biography information for Kim Leadbeater

1611707

registered interest
date	18/04/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to monitor and mitigate the risk of the H5N1 virus to wild and farmed birds as seabirds return to the UK's coastlines for nesting.
tabling member constituency	Southport
tabling member printed	Damien Moore
uin	181251
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2023 answer text <p>We recognise the significant threat posed by avian influenza to both kept and wild birds and share the concerns about the impact on wild bird breeding populations in the future, particularly seabirds that nest closely in large numbers.</p><p> </p><p>For kept birds the enhanced biosecurity measures mandated by the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/animal-disease-cases-england/avian-influenza-prevention-zone-aipz-including-housing-measures-the-whole-of-england" target="_blank">Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ)</a> in force across the UK remain vital to protecting flocks across the country. For wild birds Defra’s <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mitigation-strategy-for-avian-influenza-in-wild-birds-in-england-and-wales" target="_blank">Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales</a> supports the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notifiable-avian-disease-control-strategy-2015" target="_blank">Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain</a> and provides guidance to conservation charities, ornithologists and land managers including local authorities, on how to prepare and respond to suspected and confirmed findings of avian influenza in wild birds.</p><p> </p><p>Defra’s approach to tackling this year’s avian influenza outbreak continues to be led by international best practice and the latest evidence, which suggest that unlike in kept birds there are limited measures that can be taken to reduce transmission between wild birds and in seabird colonies in particular.  However, we’re doing all we can to tackle the impact of avian influenza in wild birds, with year-round surveillance, a new research consortium – backed by £1.5m in research funding – to develop new strategies to tackle avian influenza outbreaks, and working closely and meeting regularly with conservation charities, including the WWT, National Trust and RSPB, to consider any further action we can take.  We will work with Natural England as well as key external organisations to develop and implement appropriate actions to support the recovery of vulnerable bird populations in England.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 25/04/2023 11:10:31 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1610530

registered interest
date	14/04/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing compensation to businesses that can demonstrate that they have (a) been unable to trade as normal and (b) had their trading activities severely limited as a result of avian influenza restrictions.
tabling member constituency	Witham
tabling member printed	Priti Patel
uin	180663
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2023 answer text <p>We are aware that the current unprecedented outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) has created challenges for poultry and egg producers. We are working with the industry to support continued business activities.</p><p> </p><p>In October 2022 we announced new support for the poultry industry to assist farmers and producers with the impacts of AI. This includes a change to the existing AI compensation scheme allowing us to provide swifter payments to help stem any cash flow pressures and give earlier certainty about entitlement to compensation. Any other compensation available to producers would come from the payout of private AI insurance policies and we are working with the industry to support continued access to insurance for those that require it.</p><p> </p><p>We have also introduced market support measures to assist businesses impacted by AI. These included:</p><ul><li>Allowing seasonal poultry producers to slaughter birds, freeze them and then sell them as defrosted products during the period 28 November to 31 December 2022.</li><li>Concessions to the labelling of free-range eggs from poultry housed under AI mandatory housing measures for longer than the 16-week period for which an automatic derogation applies.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Following a reduction in the risk levels, the lifting of the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone mandatory housing measures on the 18 April 2023 will come as welcome news to producers. This means that from 18 April, eggs laid by birds with access to outside range areas can return to being marketed as ‘free range’ eggs.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to monitor the impacts of Avian Influenza on the poultry and egg sectors.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 24/04/2023 14:39:21 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel