Bird flu: Tighter rules amid Christmas turkey fears

All poultry and captive birds in England must be kept indoors from 7 November under new restrictions to fight avian flu, the government has announced.

The housing order comes after turkey farmers warned of a shortage this Christmas caused by the country's largest ever bird flu outbreak.

The British Poultry Council has said shoppers could be hit by price rises.

About 5.5m birds have now died or been culled since October 2021.

That includes 2.3m birds this October alone.

In total, more than 210 cases of bird flu have been confirmed since October 2021, including 80 confirmed cases in England this month.

"We are now facing this year, the largest ever outbreak of bird flu and are seeing rapid escalation in the number of cases on commercial farms and in backyard birds across England," said Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss.

The disease circulates naturally in wild birds that can spread the flu to poultry and captive birds when they migrate to the UK.