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All poultry in England are to be allowed outside from Thursday 13 April 2017 following updated evidence on the risk posed by wild birds, the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer has announced.

The requirement to keep poultry in Higher Risk Areas of England housed or completely enclosed in netting, introduced to minimise the risk of them catching avian flu from wild birds, will be lifted. However, all keepers in England will continue to be required to comply with strict biosecurity measures. A ban on poultry gatherings also remains in force until further notice.

The decision to lift the additional requirements in the Higher Risk areas is based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice, which concludes that the level of risk to poultry in the Higher Risk Areas has now reduced to the same level as that across the rest of England. This is because of changes in the wild bird population: the majority of over-wintering migratory birds have now left the UK, and resident wild waterfowl are at their lowest levels and entering the breeding season when they become less likely to move long distances to forage for food.

The risk of poultry becoming infected from H5N8 remains heightened and countries across Europe continue to experience outbreaks and observe cases in wild birds. Defra is stepping up surveillance of wild birds across the UK to inform our risk assessments.

All poultry keepers must continue to take steps to reduce the risk to their birds, including minimising movement in and out of bird enclosures, cleaning footwear, keeping areas where birds live clean and tidy and feeding birds indoors.

Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens said:

We continually review our disease control measures in light of new scientific evidence and veterinary advice. Based on the latest evidence on reduced numbers of migratory and resident aquatic wild birds we believe that kept birds in the areas we previously designated as Higher Risk are now at the same level of risk as the rest of England and may now be let outside.

However, all keepers must still observe strict disease prevention measures to reduce the risk of contamination from the environment, where the virus can survive for several weeks in bird droppings.

This does not mean business as usual: the risk from avian flu has not gone away and a Prevention Zone remains in place, requiring keepers across England to take steps to prevent disease spreading. We continue to keep measures under review and keepers should check GOV.UK for regular updates.

Lifting the housing requirement in Higher Risk Areas means free range birds across every part of England can now be allowed outside again.

H5N8 avian flu has been found in wild and farmed birds in the UK since December 2016, including chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese. Where avian flu has been confirmed, we have taken swift action to limit the spread of disease with restrictions around affected premises and full investigations to determine the source of infection.

H5N8 can be spread indirectly via the contaminated environment, for example in wild bird droppings, contaminated feed or bedding, as well as being passed from wild birds to poultry directly from bird to bird. All disease control measures continue to be kept under review depending on the latest scientific advice and disease outbreak situation.

Further information

1. Read guidance on how to continue to comply with the Prevention Zone currently in place across England.

2. Read the latest veterinary risk assessment for Avian Influenza H5N8 in the UK and Europe.

3. Read more information about the ban on gatherings, which remains in place.

Mr Saeed, was a director of SFS (Oldham) Limited which operated the Scouthead petrol station in Oldham, and which went into liquidation on 5 February 2016, owing £61,730 to creditors. Of this, £53,678 was owed to taxpayers as he had not been paying the full level of duty on diesel fuel sold.

The disqualification means Mr Saeed is banned from acting as a company director or from managing, or in any way controlling, a limited company from 14 April until 2023.

An Insolvency Service investigation found that between 26 March 2013 and 13 March 2015, Mr Saeed caused SFS to trade the detriment of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) by causing SFS to sell diesel which did not bear duty at the full rate and by causing SFS to supress sales of illicit diesel. HMRC subsequently raised an assessment and penalty totalling a combined £58,344.

Aldona O’Hara, Chief Investigator of Insolvent Investigations Midlands & West at the Insolvency Service, said:

Company directors have a duty to ensure businesses meet their legal obligations, including paying taxes.

Neglect of tax affairs is not a victimless action as it deprives the taxpayer of the funds needed to operate public services.

Notes to editors

Mr Saeed’s date of birth is July 1968 and he resides in Oldham.

SFS (Oldham) Limited (CRO No. 08423011) was incorporated on 27 February 2013 and traded from Scouthead Filling Station, Huddersfield Road, Oldham, OL4 4AS.

Mr Saeed was the sole director from 27 February 2013 to 05 February 2016 (the date of liquidation).

The matter of unfitness, which Mr Saeed did not dispute in the Disqualification Undertaking, was that; Between 26 March 2013 and 13 March 2015 he caused SFS to sell oil which did not bear the full rate and he further caused SFS to supress sales of illicit diesel resulting in HMRC raising an assessment and a penalty totalling a combined £58,344.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

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