Vegan Charity Calls for End to Factory Farming as Bird Flu Decimates Wild Bird Populations

Viva! says highly pathogenic avian influenza poses a grave risk to both birds and humans, with the next pandemic a “matter of when – not if”.

• Viva! urges the phase-out of factory farming as a virulent bird flu strain causes mass deaths among birds across the country
• The charity warns that intensive poultry farming increases the risk of a future human pandemic
• Recent outbreaks have led to mass bird deaths in Kent and culling on farms and at sanctuaries
• Viva! argues that ending factory farming and shifting towards vegan diets is essential to reduce viral reservoirs and lower the risk of another global pandemic

1 December 2025: Viva!, the UK’s leading vegan campaigning charity, has reiterated its call for intensive poultry farming to be phased out as a virulent strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) spreads across the UK.

The call comes as heartbreaking scenes of dead and dying waterbirds continue to be reported in regions including Canterbury and Thanet. At least 50 swans have died in the area, with wildlife rescuers in Kent calling the situation the “beginning of the end” for the region’s iconic birds. Across the country, hundreds more wild birds found dead in 2025 have tested positive for the disease.

Large numbers of mute and whooper swans are reportedly dying in the worst-hit areas and experts warn the current H5N1 strain sweeping through the country is also fatally hitting geese, other waterbirds and raptors especially hard. Mass culling is taking place on poultry farms where the disease has been identified and birds living in sanctuaries are also at risk. In late October, 61 birds including chickens, ducks and an emu were killed at Happy Pants Ranch – a rescue centre in Kent – after H5N1 was found at the site, leaving owner Amey James “devastated”.

While an undeniable tragedy for the UK’s wild and captive bird populations, H5N1 also poses a potential threat to human health. The virus is not yet easily spread directly from person to person, unlike seasonal flu and Covid-19, but it can already spread from birds to mammals, including mink, seals, cows and humans. Worryingly, Viva! says factory-farming systems drastically increase the chance that the virus could mutate into a far more contagious form, potentially leading to another global pandemic.

Juliet Gellatley, founder and director of Viva!, said today: “We don’t know exactly where this strain of H5N1 arose. But we do know that intensive chicken farming substantially raises the overall risk that dangerous new bird flu strains will emerge and begin to spread between humans, causing terrible suffering and death.”

“We understand that threat and know the answer, but the government is not listening. If decision-makers disregard the warnings of experts, they could condemn many people to needlessly die. The scramble for a universal flu vaccine has already begun. But there is a far simpler solution – we could just remove the viral reservoir and end factory farming, before it ends us.”

Bird flu was not always lethal – wild waterbirds lived with it for millennia – but taking birds to market, where they mixed with domesticated poultry, has allowed the virus to mutate and spread. Since then, tens of millions of birds have died and hundreds of millions more have been slaughtered as part of ongoing culls. Parts of the UK have also been designated Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZs), with strict biosecurity measures and compulsory housing orders used to try and limit the spread of the disease.

Science shows that viruses thrive in dingy, filthy and overcrowded conditions, where stress and selective breeding reduce immunity. This perfectly describes Britain’s factory farms, which produce 80 per cent of the nation’s meat.

“Viva! has investigated factory farms for over 31 years, exposing the horrific conditions chickens are forced to endure during their short lives,” added Gellatley. “Over one billion chickens are slaughtered for their meat in the UK every year, and around 95 per cent of them are intensively reared on factory farms. We are literally handing viruses the perfect opportunity to mutate into more deadly forms. A global pandemic is now a matter of when – not if. Only by going vegan and ending factory farming right now can we hope to stave off what feels like the inevitable.”

ENDS

Notes

• Viva! is a registered charity (number 1037486) and the UK’s leading vegan campaigning organisation
• For more information on bird flu, visit here – viva.org.uk/birdflu
• For assets and further information, including access to Viva! spokespeople, contact Rachael Simpson-Jones, PR manager at Viva! – rachael@viva.org.uk