Irish Examiner View: Freedom day for chickens

Lifting the ban on confining poultry should be welcomed.

It is cheering news that Ireland is lifting the requirement to confine poultry this Friday after it was imposed last November to mitigate the risk of avian flu.

The Department of Agriculture says that there has not been a case among wild birds for a month, suggesting that the risk has now been reduced, although some restrictions remain in place including the requirement to ensure that poultry or other captive birds cannot come into contact with wild birds and that they do not have access to permanent or standing water.