A bird flu vaccination programme would offer “poor value for money” if every flock were to vaccinate, a government report has found.
The ‘Vaccination of poultry against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI): joint industry and cross-government vaccination taskforce’ report was published last week and confirmed that stringent biosecurity on farm remained the most effective way of preventing infection.
The report, co-chaired by Mark Williams, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council, and Gareth Baynham-Hughes, director of Defra, found that “under current assumptions, a vaccination programme would offer poor value for money overall if every flock were to vaccinate”.
It found that an outbreak would have to be approximately 100% larger than the 2022-2023 outbreak and 600% larger than the 2020-2021 outbreak in order for the benefits of avoiding an outbreak to start outweighing costs of intervening through vaccination.
This varied by species, with the benefits of vaccinating ducks, geese and turkeys more likely to outweigh the costs in severe outbreak scenarios.
There are three main vaccination strategies that could be implemented: maintaining the current policy and only vaccinating zoo birds, use of emergency vaccination based on risk assessment and agreed trigger points, and allowing preventative vaccination either nationwide or within targeted geographic regions or species.
The report found that there remained “significant uncertainties” that needed to be resolved before the publication of a final recommendation in summer 2026.
It recommended a series of actions including an on-farm vaccination trial in turkeys and exploring laboratory capacity for surveillance purposes.
Other European countries are also considering the benefits of vaccination including in Italy, the Netherlands and France, with different measures in place. Meanwhile, some countries, such as Mexico, China, Egypt, and Vietnam, use vaccination more routinely.
Currently vaccination is not allowed other than in zoos in England and Northern Ireland. However, there is legislation that allows for vaccination under emergency of preventative plans, meaning new legislation would not need to be passed.
The report was welcomed by the British Poultry Council as a “crucial step in building the knowledge base to assess vaccination as part of a toolbox for managing avian influenza”.
“This report has been two years in the making and represents the trust and expertise at the heart of government-industry partnership,” said BPC technical director Máire Burnett. “It highlights the complexity of vaccination as an additional control measure and the need to prioritise what delivers the greatest impact for animal health, business continuity, and trade resilience – whether through targeted use or broader application (ie vaccinating at a regional level).”
She added that a top priority for the sector was “maintaining uninterrupted trade in both poultrymeat and high-value breeding stock”.
“We are committed to continue our work with government to strengthen preparedness and ensure robust and proportionate control measures,” she said.
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