Fowl typhoid in Fermanagh
The outbreak of salmonella gallinarum was found in a table-egg laying flock at Donagh Cross, near Lisnaskea, on two farms less than a mile apart.
Both flocks have been depopulated, requiring destruction of 112,000 poultry.
Fowl typhoid is specific to poultry, and is not communicable to humans, nor a food safety risk. Chickens are the most commonly affected species, but the disease can also infect turkeys, game birds, guinea fowls, sparrows, and pet birds.
According to Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, his department has ongoing monitoring and contact with the relevant parties in Northern Ireland. Investigations have been launched to determine if manure from the farm was used south of the border.
In the south, all breeding flocks are tested for fowl typhoid at movement and point of lay, as are poultry exported for further production.
“It is obligatory to notify any suspicion of fowl typhoid to my department,” he said.
