A turkey flock in Co. Monaghan which tested positive for avian influenza (bird flu) this week has been culled, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said.
The second confirmed case of the disease this month was announced by the department on Tuesday evening (November 22).
A previous case of bird flu had been confirmed near Clones, close to the border between Co. Monaghan and Co. Fermanagh, on November 13.
Culled
In the wake of the initial outbreak, some 3,800 turkeys were culled on November 15, as directed by the department.
It is understood that the second flock which tested positive for the disease this week contained a similar number of turkeys.
“Both flocks in which HPAI H5N1 has been confirmed in November 2022 have been depopulated,” a spokesperson for DAFM told Agriland.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone put in place by the department following the first case has been extended.
Speaking during a visit to Co. Laois today, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, said that “everyone is doing as much as they possibly can” to prevent the spread of bird flu.
“We had cases last winter and spring and we’ve had two cases so far in the last few weeks so the risk is there and the risk will continue to be there for the next few months and certainly into the early part of next year.
“The key thing is, and poultry farmers are massively aware of this, they have the highest level of biosecurity measures that they can have in place and obviously we have the housing order in place.
“It is highly infectious; it is there in the wild bird population. There are so many different ways it can get on to a farm because it is so infectious and it is crucial that everyone does all they can and in working together we have the steps there to ensure that we prevent infection, and if there is an infection that it doesn’t spread.
“It is a risk we are going to have to manage in the next number of weeks and months but I am confident that it is one that we will manage and I am confident in relation to the turkey market, in particular, that supply will be very strong and there won’t be any issue around that,” the minister told Agriland.
IFA
Meanwhile, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) National Poultry Committee chair, Nigel Sweetnam praised the efforts of farmers, industry and the National Disease Control Centre.
“It’s an extremely difficult and stressful time for all involved and we are cognisant of the mental pressures on farmers and those in the industry.
“We would appeal to retailers to act responsibly in their pricing policy of poultry.
“I want to emphasise again that the risk of infections to humans is very low and there is no risk to humans associated with consumption of poultry meat or eggs,” Sweetnam concluded.