Bird flu zone in Powys after case confirmed in Wales
"Highly pathogenic" bird flu has been confirmed at a commercial poultry premises in Glyn Ceiriog, according to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Defra also confirmed that 3km and 10km bird flu surveillance zones have been put in place around the premises, with the larger area covering the very northernmost part of Powys.
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant is among the villages that fall within the zone.
The confirmation of the presence of the H5N1strain of the virus has prompted immediate action from animal health authorities.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been confirmed at a premises near Glyn Ceiriog, Wrexham. All bird keepers should remain vigilant & follow stringent biosecurity measures to prevent future outbreaks. See https://t.co/NesSSQTuAQ: https://t.co/yW5wGJ4qaR for info. #BirdFlu pic.twitter.com/x8c4mknqlW
— APHA (@APHAgovuk) June 24, 2025
All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled, DEFRA said.
Bird flu, or avian flu, is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds. In rare cases, it can affect humans.
There are lots of different strains of bird flu virus. Most of them don't infect humans. The NHS website states there are four strains that have caused public health "concern" in recent years:
H5N1 (since 1997)
H7N9 (since 2013)
H5N6 (since 2014)
H5N8 (since 2016)
Although H5N1, H7N9 and H5N6 don't infect people easily and aren't usually spread from human to human, several people have been infected around the world, leading to a number of deaths.
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