Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has made regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare Act requiring flock keepers to confine all poultry and captive birds in their possession or under their control in a secure building, due to concerns over bird flu.
Wild birds, or other animals, should not have access to that building and farmers should apply particular bio-security measures.
These measures are being taken against a background where an outbreak of Avian Influenza H5N8 has been confirmed in a small turkey flock in Co. Wicklow and in wild birds in a number of areas across the country.
Also Read: Bird flu identified in free-range turkey flock in WicklowIn a statement, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine said that these findings “highlight the increasing risk to all poultry flocks and captive birds and by extension the poultry industry”.
Other known outbreaks
Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have also been identified in poultry flocks in Great Britain and other European countries in recent weeks.
Northern Ireland has confirmed that it will also be introducing a housing order, which is due to come into effect from December 23.
Also Read: Avian influenza housing order to come into force in Northern IrelandThe department had previously introduced regulations on December 1, making it mandatory for all keepers of poultry and captive birds to adopt enhanced biosecurity measures.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has confirmed that although the H5N8 subtype can cause serious disease in poultry and other birds, no human infections with this virus have been reported worldwide. The risk to humans is considered very low.