Two further cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 have been confirmed in England, taking the number of confirmed cases since the start of October to five.
The latest cases were confirmed on 7 November at a mixed poultry premises near Garstang, Wyre, Lancashire, and a free-range laying flock near Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire.
The Lancashire premises housed meat turkeys, geese and chickens, alongside companion ducks, pheasants, peacocks and guinea fowl.
A 3km Protection Zone (PZ) and 10km Surveillance Zone (SZ) have been declared around each infected premises.
The cases bring the number of H5N1 outbreaks in England this season to four, alongside a further case in a commercial free-range laying flock near Biggar, Scottish Borders, confirmed on 2 November.
A separate H5N5 outbreak was confirmed in a small backyard flock on the Isle of Lewis on 2 October. The 10km Surveillance Zone around that premises was revoked on 5 November following the successful completion of disease control and surveillance activities.
The risk of HPAI H5 in wild birds in Great Britain remains medium, while the risk of poultry exposure is assessed as low where biosecurity is suboptimal or poor, and very low where good biosecurity is consistently maintained.
Producers are being urged to maintain stringent biosecurity, particularly on mixed farms where measures must be applied between different types of livestock. Accurate recording of feed and water consumption is also recommended to help identify potential early signs of disease.