The H5N1 strain of bird flu was confirmed at a farm in Crockey Hill on January 13, 2026 in a second large commercial poultry flock.

The Government has imposed a 3 km restriction zone and a 10 km surveillance zone both centred on the farm.

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The 3km zone, which has the tighter controls on poultry, reaches Fulford and Heslington whereas the less restrictive 10 km zone spans a larger area to the outskirts of Rufforth and Riccall. 

All poultry on the premises will be humanely culled.

This outbreak follows another incident at a large commercial poultry farm in Elvington, on the outskirts of York, on Christmas Eve; all of the chickens there were culled,.

The protection and surveillance zones (Image: DEFRA)

“All bird keepers should remain vigilant and follow stringent biosecurity measures as detailed on GOV.UK:www.gov.uk/birdflu and follow any housing measures/Protection/Surveillance Zone restrictions in their area that apply to prevent future outbreaks,” said a spokesperson for the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Please visit GOV.UK’s website for information about this case and check the disease control zones on our avian influenza interactive map to see what restrictions are in place: https://defra.maps.arcgis.com/…/webappviewer/index.html…#birdflu#PoultryKeepers