Restriction zones remain amid bird flu cases

Earlier this month, all farmers were ordered to house poultry due to the risk of bird flu. The Department of Agriculture has said that poultry flock owners should remain vigilant for any signs of disease. Picture: Dan Linehan

Farmers remain on high alert as avian influenza was confirmed this week in a turkey flock in Co Monaghan.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been carrying out further testing this week to determine the pathogenicity, while restriction zones have been put in place to protect the sector.

Restriction zones are where additional protection and surveillance measures are required.

Poultry keepers with flocks located within the restriction zones are legally obliged to comply with zone requirements.

A protection zone of at least 3km radius from the infected holding and a surveillance zone of at least 10km radius has been in place.

The department continues to advise strict adherence to the precautionary measures against bird flu.

According to the department, “stringent biosecurity remains key to protecting poultry and captive bird flocks from disease”.

“Poultry flock owners should remain vigilant for any signs of disease in their flocks and report any disease suspicion to their nearest department Regional Veterinary Office,” the department added.

“The department has been liaising closely with the poultry industry in recent days and will continue to do so.”

Confinement order

All farmers were ordered to house poultry earlier this month due to the bird flu risk.

This measure was taken against a background of the confirmation of disease in wild birds along the coast since July, increasing risk levels due to colder temperatures and shorter daylight hours, as well as recent confirmation of the disease in a wild bird inland.

Recently, bird flu was confirmed in a dead swan in Co Cavan. In addition, two outbreaks had been reported in captive bird flocks in coastal areas of counties Dublin and Wicklow where HPAI H5N1 had been confirmed previously in wild birds.

These findings highlight an increasing risk to all poultry flocks and captive birds and, by extension, the poultry industry, the department said.

Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza have also been identified in poultry flocks in Britain and a number of other European countries in recent weeks.

Disruption to egg supply

In the UK, bird flu is causing disruption to the supply of eggs to supermarkets, it is being reported.

The British Free Range Egg Producers Association warned earlier in the year that there would be a shortage of British eggs by Christmas if farmers were not paid a sustainable price.

The association said that bird flu has now “compounded the issue of egg availability, with the disease resulting in the compulsory culling of hundreds of thousands of egg-laying hens across colony, barn, and free-range systems”.

Shortages across retailers including Lidl and Aldi have resulted in many shoppers being limited to the number of eggs they can purchase, while other UK retailers are importing eggs, The Guardian reported.