Supermarket shelves could be stocked with free-range eggs from next week, as the governments mandatory bird flu lockdown is set to be lifted.
Restrictions, which will be removed from midnight on 18 April, have seen birds across England and Wales kept inside since the lockdown was enforced in November 2022, due to the avian flu outbreak.
The move will see eggs that have been laid by hens with access to outside range areas, able to be labelled as ‘free-range’ once again.
This comes as according to reporting by The Telegraph, the risk level has now been lowered to “medium.”
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However, some areas in Norfolk will remain in lockdown and poultry farmers will have to maintain enhanced biosecurity measures as the environment department has warned that the risk of infection could remain for several more weeks.
In a bid to stop the virus from spreading further, poultry and captive bird feeders are required to cleanse and disinfect clothing and bird housing, limit the number of people on their farms and reduce contamination from manure and slurry.
Since the outbreak started in 2021, at least 48 million birds have been culled across the UK and Europe, however, the government has said the risk to public health is very low, with no positive cases found so far of avian viruses in people.
Although, if the virus was to spread, vaccine makers such as Moderna and GSK have said they are ready to produce hundreds of millions of bird flu shots for humans.
While vaccinating poultry is currently banned, the government is also said to be exploring the potential of the idea to prevent any future outbreaks.
