Poultry sector on high alert for avian influenza
There have been no outbreaks of the virus in poultry in Ireland over the past three years to date, but the disease is currently circulating in wild birds.
The €700m poultry industry, which supports over 5,000 jobs and involves some 800 farms in commercial production, is again on high alert for bird flu.
Dead wild seabirds have been washed up on shorelines in Kerry, Clare and Galway during the past month, according to the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Some have tested positive for the contagious virus.
Agriculture minister Martin Heydon said all poultry flock owners in these coastal areas, whether they have commercial farms or a few backyard hens, should implement stringent biosecurity measures to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading to their flocks.
He called on members of the public who may encounter dead birds on beaches this summer not to touch or pick them up, keep pet dogs on leash and report any suspicions of avian influenza to their regional veterinary office without delay.
Mr Heydon thanked members of the public who have taken the time to submit a report to the department through its Avian Check app about sightings of dead wild birds. “This is citizen science in action to protect public and animal health,” he said.
The poultry sector, which produces 170,000 tonnes of meat and 900 million eggs annually, is a critical part of the rural economy and contributes over €140m in wages.
Exports in 2022 were valued at more than €350m, €200m of which was value-added products, and €150m primary poultry products.
The World Organisation for Animal Health recently warned bird flu has evolved beyond an animal health crisis into a global emergency, threatening agriculture, food security, trade, and ecosystems.
There have been no outbreaks of the virus in poultry in Ireland over the past three years to date, but the disease is currently circulating in wild birds.
A total of 25 of these birds have tested positive for the virus in Ireland so far this year, according to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, which is intensely monitoring the situation and reporting any suspected cases to the Department of Agriculture for testing.
The Health and Safety Authority has assured the public cases of bird flu in people are very rare. However, a bird flu outbreak among poultry and dairy cattle in the United States has led to 67 confirmed human cases, and one death.
The genotype currently circulating in the US has not yet been detected in Europe, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
In October 2023, France became the first EU country to roll out a countrywide vaccination campaign against bird flu in ducks, due to their key role in disease transmission. It was said to have helped reduce the number of outbreaks from a projected 700 to just 10.
Last year, the European Commission purchased 665,000 pre-pandemic vaccine doses targeting avian influenza and took an option for 40 million doses over the next four years, in preparation for any potential future spread to humans.
