A fourth case of bird flu has been confirmed in a commercial poultry flock in Ireland. The case was confirmed in a turkey flock in the Butlersbridge area of Cavan.

Further testing is being carried out to determine the pathogenicity of the strain, the Department of Agriculture told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Depopulation of the flock will take place on foot of these results.

The three other cases were confirmed in Monaghan, with the most recent case understood to involve a 100,000-bird laying hen flock in the Castleblayney area.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 was also found on a 30,000-bird turkey farm in south Monaghan and a broiler farm just 1km away from the turkey farm.

Bird flu has also been found in two different poultry flocks in Northern Ireland (NI) over the past week

It is understood that the broiler farm had up to 13,000 birds.

Bird flu has also been found in two different poultry flocks in Northern Ireland (NI) over the past week.

Control measures

Control measures were put in place on a commercial duck unit near Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, after an outbreak of the disease was suspected last Thursday.

Around 27,000 breeding stock were culled on the site, which is owned by Silverhill Foods.

The following day, a second suspected outbreak was reported on a small backyard flock near Broughshane, Co Antrim. DAERA states that 30 birds were culled as part of measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

On Tuesday, the department announced that laboratory testing had confirmed the H5N1 strain of the virus was present in both flocks.

We’ve had diseases to the east and north and now a bit further west

The disease has also been confirmed in wild birds in both NI and the Republic of Ireland.

Andy Boylan from the IFA poultry committee said that poultry farmers in Monaghan are very concerend.

“We’ve had diseases to the east and north and now a bit further west,” he said.