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Irish poultry producers urged to be vigilant for signs of bird flu
 POULTRY
producers in Ireland have been urged to maintain the highest levels of
vigilance after swans were found dead Britain with the lethal strain of
bird flu.
Officials at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in Dublin
are monitoring developments and keeping existing contingency arrangements
under review.
The department said it has taken ornithological advice from the National
Parks and Wildlife Service and Bird Watch Ireland on current migratory
patterns between Britain and Ireland.
“There is currently little migration and the migratory pattern is
stable and as such the risk to Ireland remains low,” it said.
But the department reminded poultry flock owners of the need to exercise
the highest standards of bio security.
It also confirmed its National Disease Control Centre management committee
had met to discuss the confirmation of the presence of high pathogenic
H5N1 avian flu in three dead wild mute swans in Dorset.
Irish Farmers Association Poultry Committee chairman Ned Morrissey said
the latest case of the disease in Britain reinforced the need for poultry
growers to remain vigilant.
He said producers in Ireland had implemented extra measures such as the
installation of water chlorination systems to ensure the health status
of their flocks was protected.
Mr Morrissey said flock owners are safeguarding their domestic flocks
by having the highest levels of bio-security measures in place to avoid
any exposure to wild birds.
“Poultry producers meet the highest veterinary standards and are
particularly vigilant at the moment to protect the health of their flocks,”
he said. |
