Disease control measures have been put in place “including the humane culling of all poultry on the site”
Thousands of chickens are to be culled after a suspected case of bird flu was identified at a commercial poultry premises in Co Tyrone.
Disease control measures have been initiated by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) following the case of notifiable highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) near Omagh.
“A suspect case of notifiable Avian Influenza was reported on Friday and initial results suggest the presence of notifiable HPAI,” confirmed Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir.
“The CVO has, therefore, taken the decision, as a precautionary measure, to apply appropriate disease control measures, including the humane culling of all poultry on the site and the introduction of Temporary Control Zones (TCZ) to mitigate for onward disease spread.”
Chief veterinary officer Brian Dooher has urged flock owners to adhere to strict biosecurity protocols.
“The disease control measures are crucial to limit any potential spread of disease and I appeal to all bird owners – backyard and commercial – to take all necessary steps to protect your flock,” he said.
“This includes ensuring continuous excellent levels of biosecurity and reporting any suspect cases of avian flu to DAERA immediately.
“Samples from the infected premises have been sent to the National Reference Laboratory to confirm strain and pathogenicity. Should HPAI be officially confirmed, these TCZs will be revoked and replaced with a 3 kilometre Protection Zone (PZ) and 10 kilometre Surveillance Zone (SZ).”
Members of the public are encouraged to report dead waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks) or gulls, or five or more dead wild birds of other species in the same location, via the DAERA Dead Wild Bird Online Reporting Tool
Avian Influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is a notifiable animal disease and is a highly contagious viral disease affecting the respiratory, digestive and/or nervous system of many species of birds.
It can also pose a threat to people and other animals in certain circumstances, but these types of infections are rare.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, and the HSE, have advised:
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine carries out year round avian influenza surveillance sampling. In areas where HPAI has already been confirmed, it may not be necessary to collect further birds for sampling.
The avian influenza virus is very contagious amongst birds and can survive for several weeks in the environment.
The faeces of infected birds contains a high level of virus and so the area can remain infective irrespective of whether bird carcasses are removed from an area or not.
It is not deemed appropriate for public amenity reasons to remove dead birds or to display signage, etc. e.g. on beaches or areas with frequent human footfall, it is a matter for the Local Authority.
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