5 Mar 2026
Officials hope the tests will help to both protect birds and trade from the ongoing threat posed by the disease.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Image © mbolina / Adobe Stock
Vaccine trials have begun in England today (5 March), in what is being billed as a potentially major step forward in the fight against avian flu.
Defra ministers and officials are said to be “hopeful” that the tests will help to boost disease controls to protect both biosecurity and food supplies.
But bird keepers have also been warned that strict biosecurity measures remain the “best defence” available against the virus.
The trials, along with wider research work, will focus initially on turkeys which are considered to be highly susceptible to avian flu.
UK CVO Christine Middlemiss said: “This targeted trial is going to be really key for our understanding of how HPAI vaccines can be effectively used for disease control in the UK.
“They have the potential to be a really valuable additional tool in helping us protect birds from infection.”
But she added: “Stringent biosecurity will always remain our best defence and I urge all bird keepers to continue to take the steps needed to prevent avian influenza spreading onto their premises.”
The department said a “small group” of birds would be part of the tests, which will use UK and EU authorised vaccines under “strict supervision” following VMD approval. Trials are also said to be ongoing in Italy and the Netherlands.
Since the current avian flu season began in October, there have been 96 recorded incidents across the UK, with the latest being confirmed at a site near Pickering, North Yorkshire on Tuesday 3 March.
Defra estimates annual outbreaks have cost the Government and industry as much as £174 million a year and APHA avian flu expert Ashley Banyard said variations in its annual impact made forecasting its impact very difficult.
Prof Banyard added: “Assessing the ability of these vaccines to generate an immune response in turkeys will give a good indication of the suitability of these vaccines as tools to protect birds against H5N1.”
Data from the trials, which are expected to run for several months, will help to shape final recommendations from the UK HPAI vaccination taskforce.