Avian Influenza
For GFA information on current outbreaks, please see our news pages (click News menu to left of this page). General information about AI appears below.
The laws which apply to the management of any outbreak of Avian Influenza in the UK can be accessed on the Defra website, where there is also lots of advice and guidance.
The outbreak regulations most likely to affect game farmes include movement restrictions, requirements to house kept birds or to otherwise separate them from wild birds, releasing bans and shooting bans. The precise regulations and the length of time they last vary with the circumstances of the outbreak, most notably whether it is in kept or wild birds.
The GFA advises that everyone who rears gamebirds should undertake contingency planning in case there should be further outbreaks of AI that might affect their activities.
The Association continues to work closely with Defra on their action plan for responding to AI outbreaks, ensuring that game farming is interfered with as little as possible consistent with the important needs of disease control and that the restrictions make sense from a game management point of view.
The GFA will continue closely to monitor the AI situation and to provide advice to members.