Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture Matt Carthy has called on the Minister for Agriculture to review existing supports for poultry farmers affected by bird flu outbreaks.
His call follows the legal requirement to confine/house poultry and other birds as a precautionary measure against Avian Influenza (bird flu) being lifted on April 9.
The legislation requiring this was introduced in December, 2020.
The decision to withdraw this requirement is based on a number of parameters which indicate a reducing risk of an avian influenza incursion, the Department of Agriculture said.
Compensation for bird flu outbreaks
Deputy Carthy said that last year, when poultry farmers were hit with an outbreak that left the border region “depopulated”, it took “two weeks of campaigning and pressure for the government to implement a support scheme for affected farmers”.
“Any farmer that does the responsible thing and depopulates their flock should be compensated for their loss,” the deputy said.
“Therefore, Minister McConalogue must review the current framework for compensation to ensure that, if there is another outbreak this year, farmers can be confident that they will be financially supported by the department.
“While farmers affected by a second outbreak later in the year were entitled to compensation, it appears that these farmers have not yet been paid.
“This echoes the problem of those farmers who were able to eventually avail of compensation during the first outbreak – whereby it took months for them to be paid.
“If the minister will agree to review the existing framework to be more inclusive, I would also urge him to ensure that any payments are made promptly to farmers, to support them when they need it most.”
Vigilance
Bird owners should continue to remain vigilant, monitor their birds for any signs of disease and implement strict disease control measures, the department has said.
In particular, birds should continue to be fed indoors or under cover where wild birds cannot have access, the authority stressed.
The department also issued a reminder to all poultry owners, including those who keep only one or two birds, of their legal obligation to register their premises with the department.