Bird flu near Belford: what the 3km and 10km zones mean

Bird flu has been confirmed in a commercial poultry flock near Belford. Anyone keeping birds within 3km of the farm must now, by law, keep them indoors or netted away from wild birds.

The government’s chief veterinary officer confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 at the premises on Monday 19 October. The case is numbered AIV 2026/21 on Defra’s case page. All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled.

It is the first case in England this winter. Defra’s latest situation page lists only one earlier outbreak in the 2026 to 2027 season, in backyard poultry at Ness on the Isle of Lewis on 2 October.

Where the zones reach

A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone have been in force since 4.26pm on 19 October. The declaration signed for the Secretary of State says they stay in place until it is withdrawn or amended.

Northumberland County Council says the 10km zone reaches:

• north to Haggerston
• west to Doddington and Barmoor Lane End
• east to Holy Island and Bamburgh
• south to Chatton and Warenford

You can check an exact address on the government’s bird flu disease zone map.

The council says a public footpath and bridleway in the area are closed. It has asked people to keep dogs on leads when walking nearby, and is putting up posters in the affected area.

The rules inside the 3km protection zone

The declaration applies to every keeper, not just farms. The council stresses that this includes pet birds and a few hens in a back garden. Inside the 3km zone:

• all poultry and captive birds must be housed, or kept isolated from wild birds if a vet inspector directs that housing is impractical
• keepers must record every visitor to the premises, and every bird coming in or going out
• poultry, eggs, poultry meat and carcases cannot be moved into, within or out of the zone without a licence (table eggs going straight to shops and wholesalers are exempt)
• used poultry litter and manure cannot be removed or spread without a licence
• birds cannot be taken to any fair, market, show or other gathering
• game birds, including pheasants and partridges, cannot be released

Any rise in deaths, a fall in egg production or a drop in feed or water intake must be reported straight away.

The rules in the wider 10km zone

The surveillance zone has a lighter set of rules. Keepers must still keep visitor and bird movement records and follow strict biosecurity. Moving poultry or eggs into, within or out of the zone needs a licence, and the bans on bird gatherings and game bird releases apply here too.

Lorries carrying poultry or eggs can pass through either zone on a major road or by rail, as long as they do not stop inside it.

The risk to people and food

The council’s director of public health, Gill O’Neill, said: “I’d like to reassure the public that this is a disease in birds.”

She said the UK Health Security Agency has confirmed that the risk to human health is very low. The Food Standards Agency says bird flu poses a very low food safety risk and does not affect eating poultry or eggs.

Councillor Gordon Stewart, the cabinet member for public safety, said wild birds migrating from mainland Europe in winter can carry the disease. “Where wild birds are allowed to mix with domestic poultry this can lead to the disease spreading to captive birds,” he said.

Defra currently rates the risk of bird flu in wild birds across Great Britain as medium. It rates the risk to poultry as low where biosecurity is poor and very low where it is strict.

What it means for you

• If you keep any birds near Belford, check the zone map today. Inside 3km, they must be indoors or netted now.
• Found a dead wild bird? Do not touch it. Report it to Defra on 03459 335577 (option 7). A precise location, such as a what3words reference, helps.
• Think your own birds are ill? You must report it to Defra on 03000 200 301.
• Walking near Holy Island, Bamburgh or Belford? Keep dogs on leads and follow any closure signs.
• Need a licence to move birds, eggs or litter? The government’s movement licence page lists the general licences and how to apply for a specific one.
• Full biosecurity guidance and the signs of disease are in the government’s bird flu guidance.