Video: Bird flu payments to be made 'as quickly as possible'
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has said that compensation payments to poultry farmers impacted by avian influenza (bird flu) will be made "as quickly as possible".
The comments come as a third outbreak of bird flu on a commercial poultry farm was confirmed yesterday evening (Monday, November 10).
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said that restriction zones have been established around the affected holding near Clontibret, Co. Monaghan.
The latest case follows two outbreaks last week, also in commercial turkey flocks in Co. Meath and Co. Carlow.
Speaking with Agriland at the Listowel Food Fair in Co. Kerry last night, Minister Heydon said that his "thoughts are with the flock owners impacted directly".
"We want to protect our commercial sector and our captive birds in as far as we possibly can.
"That’s why we have the mandatory biosecurity measures, the new housing order that I’ve had to introduce in consultation with my colleague Minister Andrew Muir in Northern Ireland," he said.
A mandatory housing order came into effect yesterday for all poultry and captive birds in Ireland.
This order also includes a ban on gatherings of birds from different premises to protect the birds from the risk of infection e.g. shows, fairs, sales.
Compensation
Minister Heydon said that a compensation scheme is in place for flock owners impacted directly by an outbreak of bird flu.
"There won’t be any delay on our part but obviously no two cases are the same so the individual flock owner, depending on their level of engagement throughout that process, we’ll get payments out as quickly as possible.
"But ultimately what we want here is as few flocks impacted as possible.
"That’s why it’s absolutely critical that we continue to work with our poultry sector, continue to implement biosecurity measures that are really, really important.
"The same with people who have backyard hens and for the general public to play their part as well by identifying sick wild birds that are out there and reporting them and not handling them," he said.
Bird flu
Minister Heydon paid tribute to the collaboration between DAFM staff and the poultry industry on the issue.
“I will continue to support the sector in what is a really challenging space," he said.
The minister said that bird flu is “a dynamic disease” and is “operating differently than it has done before”.
He added that it is a concern to have three outbreaks of the disease so early in the "high-risk season".
"We know from before, we had outbreaks previously in 2020 and 2022 and we managed to get on top of that and we are all working together to try and contain this as best as we can," he said.
