The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has paid over €2.5 million in compensation to farmers impacted by avian influenza (bird flu) since 2020.
Under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, compensation may be paid to flock owners if a cull of their animals is directed by the minister of agriculture in the event of an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
The compensation may relate to the animal that is culled, or to an animal product, animal feed or similar item that is destroyed in relation to the outbreak. The payment may not exceed the open market value of the animal or item.
“Compensation is based on poultry valuation tables and is paid as quickly as possible,” a DAFM spokesperson told Agriland.
In November 2021, the department developed valuation tables relating to the most common species and types of poultry in Ireland based on expert advice and input.
These tables are used to quickly and consistently determine compensation payable in the case of an outbreak of poultry disease that necessitates a cull. The valuation tables are updated twice yearly.
Compensation
Data from the department of agriculture shows that €175,873 was paid to compensate flock owners impacted by bird flu in 2020.
The following year, just over €2 million was given to poultry farmers who were hit by the disease, while in 2022 the total compensation amounted to just under €336,000.
The spokesperson for the DAFM said that no payments have been made to date this year as there were no bird flu outbreaks in domestic flocks.
They added that all compensation payments due to flock owners have been made.
The department can currently recoup up to 50% of costs incurred by an EU member state in relation to bird flu outbreaks.
Housing order lifted
Meanwhile, DAFM has announced that the legal requirement to confine/house poultry and other birds as a precautionary measure against bird flu, will be lifted from next Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
Legislation requiring the precautionary confinement of birds in Ireland to mitigate the risk of spread of avian influenza to poultry was introduced on November 7, 2022.
According to the DAFM, the decision to now withdraw this requirement is based on a number of parameters which indicate a reducing risk of an avian influenza incursion.
This means that all poultry and bird owners may allow their birds access to open areas and runs from April 18.
Flock owners are still being urged to remain vigilant as, notwithstanding the reduced risk, there is still the possibility of the virus being present in the environment or being transmitted to their flock by wild birds.
Housing orders in Northern Ireland and the UK are also set to be lifted.
Bird Flu
In other news related to bird flu, a woman in China has become the first person to die from a type of the virus that is rare in humans, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.
The 56-year-old from Guangdong province is the third reported case of human infection of the H3N8 subtype of the virus; all three cases have been reported from China.
The WHO said that based on available information, it appears that this virus does not have the ability to spread easily from person to person.
The risk of it spreading among humans at the national, regional, and international levels is considered to be low. However, the WHO said that the situation will continue to be closely monitored.