Since October 2021, rapid influxes of confirmed cases of avian flu have prevailed the British government to enact a series of new guidelines for poultry owners in the UK.
From October 1st 2024, bird keepers in England and Wales "must register" if they "keep poultry or other captive birds" in an attempt to prevent future outbreaks of the disease (gov.uk).
Despite some online controversy discording the regulations, gov.uk states they will "protect (the) poultry industry from bird flu."
According to the NHS, bird flu is an "infectious type of influenza" transmitted between birds.
While the majority of strains do not pose a threat to humans, particular variants in recent years have been reported to cause fatal infection in humans.
The flu is spread to humans via contact with infected birds; you can't catch it through eating (thoroughly cooked) eggs and meat.
Outbreaks of the influenza can have detrimental consequences for the poultry industry, jeopardising farmers' livelihoods and potentially gambling the security of the food chain. (Kingston University London)
The new measures coming into force this month should help secure domestic farms and protect the sector.
Avian flu doesn't only threaten bird species.
In recent years, the variant H5N1 has negatively impacted mammals since spreading globally by migratory birds in the early 2020s.
Gavi.org states the toll on these populations is "devastating" and endangers animals already "pushed to the brink" by climate change and habitat loss.
Despite the myriads of reasons behind the new laws, some local poultry owners I have spoken to believe the measures will be largely ineffective at drastically preventing avian flu.
In fact, the majority of owners seem to implement existing details that protect biosecurity - such as restricting access to wild birds due to the risk of predation - leading some to believe the government measures may be nonessential.
