The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has confirmed further cases of avian influenza (bird flu) in seabirds from Northern Ireland.
On Friday (July 8) the department announced a positive test result in wild birds from Rathlin Island. Then yesterday (July 11) it announced a further five positive test results, this time in Gannet (one) and Guillemot (four) birds from the North Coast (Portrush West Strand and Portballintrea).
This brings the total confirmed cases to seven in less than a week.
Across the border, bird flu was also confirmed in a wild bird this week, by the department’s Republic of Ireland counterpart. The bird, a raven, was presenting with neurological symptoms, off the coast of Co. Kerry.
DAERA has said it continues to work closely with all stakeholders, including the Public Health Agency and local councils, in relation to this matter, and has taken proactive measures to improve biosecurity at seabird breeding colonies.
However, it reminds the general public not to pick up or touch dying or dead birds, and to keep pets away from them. It asks that dead birds be reported to DAERA.
Furthermore, as the virus can spread from wild birds to housed poultry flocks, maintaining high biosecurity standards should be a priority for all farmers.
Bird flu in NI
Since the beginning of June 2022, there have been positive avian influenza results obtained from dead wild birds submitted from three locations in Northern Ireland: Portrush, Bangor, Lough Erne and Rathlin Island.
Northern Ireland has experienced its largest-ever outbreak of bird flu since the 2021-2022 epidemic season began, as has the UK and Europe.
Around 5,300 detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus were reported in poultry, captive and wild birds in 36 EU/EEA countries and the UK during the 2021-2022 epidemic season.
That is according to European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) latest overview of HPAI, which shows that this is the largest number of HPAI cases for an epidemic season ever reported.