A note from your clerk: Avian Influenza/Bird Flu cases
Sadly, SCC has been notified of another confirmed case of avian influenza/bird flu in a backyard flock in Whepstead. DEFRA’s Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) has imposed restrictions on the premises, and the county’s Joint Emergency Planning Unit (JEPU) has been informed.
Published: 4 December 2025
More information (including a map in the link to the Declaration within it) on the case is here.
Bird keepers within the 3km Protection Zone must house their captive birds. This morning our County Councillor, Bobby Bennett, posted on Facebook, and shared that within some local community groups on the platform in the hope that it will reach bird keepers in the area: See Bobby Bennett’s Facebook Post here
SCC Trading Standards will deal with necessary enforcement of the legal controls that are implemented by APHA, and Suffolk County Council will also promote APHA messaging and necessary reassurance to the public.
In addition to the restrictions imposed by the 3km protection and 10km surveillance zones around the infected premises, an avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ) with mandatory housing measures is in force across England to protect poultry & captive birds. This applies to all keepers of over 50 birds and all keepers who sell or give away eggs or poultry products (even if they keep fewer than 50 birds).
Here are some links which may be of assistance:
- Biosecurity and hygiene standards to keep birds safe from bird flu:
- The signs of bird flu and how to report it in poultry and other captive birds:
- How to report dead wild birds:
- Check what zone you are in on the bird flu disease zone map:
- Avian influenza prevention zone (AIPZ) details:
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