LAST UPDATE | 5 Nov

A COMPULSORY HOUSING order has been introduced on poultry and captive birds following recent bird flu outbreaks. 

Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon said the order to protect these birds from the risk of avian influenza will come into effect on Monday, 10 November.

This order requires that all poultry and captive birds must be housed or confined in such a way that they do not have access to other poultry, captive birds, or wild birds. 

This reduces the opportunity for contact with potentially infected wild birds, which is one of the main ways in which the virus can spread.

Heydon said he was taking this measure due to the increased risk of bird flu to poultry and to reduce the threat to the “industry and to our poultry farmers’ livelihoods”. 

Heydon also sought to emphasise the importance of biosecurity, which he said “remains the single most effective way to prevent the virus spreading from wild birds into poultry, or between poultry flocks”. 

The order applies to all bird keepers, including commercial, backyard and hobby owners.

Meanwhile, Heydon remarked that there has been “strong and ongoing cooperation” between his Department and counterparts in the North on the issue.

Similar measures are to be introduced in Northern Ireland on Thursday.

It comes amid reports that a flock of about 15,000 turkeys were to be culled in Co Fermanagh after a suspected case of bird flu was detected on a farm.

The culling of 12,000 chickens is also understood to be under way at a commercial poultry premises near Pomeroy, Co Tyrone.

Strict new biosecurity regulations in the Republic for poultry had been introduced at the start of November and Heydon said this “compulsory housing order is an additional risk mitigation measure”.

The public is urged not to handle sick or dead wild birds and to report any episodes of sick or dead wild birds to their Regional Veterinary Office or, if outside business hours, to contact the National Disease Emergency Hotline on 01 492 8026. 

The Irish Farming Association (IFA) had yesterday called for a housing order to be put in place after it was confirmed that a commercial turkey flock in Co Carlow had been hit by the virus.

It’s the first outbreak of bird flu in a commercial poultry flock since 2023.

However, more than 40 wild birds have been infected in Ireland this year, including 12 at Fota Wildlife Park recently, which prompted the attraction to close temporarily.

Nigel Sweetman, chair of the IFA poultry committee, told The Journal that the compulsory housing order should contain the virus.

He remarked that much like the Covid-19 lockdowns to halt the spread of coronavirus for humans, this is akin to a lockdown for poultry and captive birds. 

However, he warned that the “disease pattern has changed” and that it is sometimes taking longer for birds to die of bird flu, which exacerbates the risk.

Sweetman also expressed concern about hobby owners and those who keep poultry as pets, adding that these flocks “can become a “nucleus of infection”.

For hobby owners who may not be able to move their birds indoors, he said it is essential to have netting that keeps wild birds away.

He also warned these owners to avoid leaving food out for wildbirds and to refrain from any actions that “may entice wildbirds” to come into close contact with their flock.

He also noted that the virus can live for close to two weeks in bird’s faeces, further underscoring the need to keep wildbirds from flocks.

Meanwhile, he welcomed the housing order and remarked that it is important to “use every tool in the toolbox” to combat bird flu.

He also said it is not “cruel” to keep poultry and captive birds indoors and added: “It’s better to have a healthy bird indoors than a sick bird outdoors.”

And when asked if consumers can expect to see a reduction in eggs or poultry on the shelves, Sweetman said this will not be the case unless there is a rapid acceleration in the spread of the virus. 

He also called on the government to assist farmers and called on supermarkets to not start a “price war” on poultry as it will “kill production”.