The UK health authorities confirmed on 24 March 2025 a case of avian influenza (H5N1) in a sheep on a Yorkshire farm, following the repeated detection of the virus in milk samples. This is the first documented case in this type of animal in the country, although it is not the first time avian influenza has been detected in cattle in other countries.
The finding arose within the framework of routine surveillance applied to co-housed animals on a premises where the presence of the virus in captive birds had previously been confirmed.
The infected animal was humanely culled to allow a full assessment. Tests carried out on the rest of the flock have not detected any new cases, and the incident is therefore considered an isolated case in a mammal within that premises. Accordingly, the health authorities confirm that there is no evidence of an increased risk to the national livestock population.
Both the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have stressed that the risk to the general public is very low, and that avian influenza is not normally transmitted through food.
Source:
-. Influenza of avian origin confirmed in a sheep in Yorkshire (24/03/2025)