A statement released on Friday confirmed the approach to tackle the deadly disease.

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed "has made regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 requiring flock keepers to confine all poultry and captive birds in their possession or under their control in a secure building to which wild birds, or other animals do not have access and to apply particular bio-security measures. The regulations, entitled Avian Influenza (Precautionary Confinement of Birds) Regulations 2016, provide for precautionary measures, against avian influenza (bird flu)."

UK flu

On Thursday, bird flu was discovered in a wild duck just over 100 miles from the Irish shore in south west Wales.

This was the second time in just over a week that bird flu was found in the UK. Last Friday, a flock of turkeys in Lincoln were found to have the airborne disease.

The Department said the measures are being taken after "highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 was confirmed in a turkey flock near the coast in Lincolnshire, England, last week and also in a dead wild duck in Carmarthenshire, Wales this week. The H5N8 subtype of avian influenza has been responsible for a number of outbreaks of disease in both wild birds and poultry in several European countries since the end of October."

Prior to this, the Department of Agriculture in the Republic had been unwilling to force poultry farmers to house birds as bird flu spread across Europe. Instead, it favoured the stepping up of all normal biosecurity measures on farms.

Legislation

On Thursday, the Irish Farmers Journal exclusively reported that legislation was being worked on for the “housing of poultry and captive birds” and it would be passed by Government on Friday. This has now come to pass.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, IFA poultry chair Nigel Renaghan said that he welcomes legislation requiring farmers to house birds.

“I have been saying publicly for a while now that it is the best interests of the sector to house birds to prevent the spread of this deadly disease to our shores,” he said.

Britain

Earlier this month, a temporary prevention zone was put in place in Britain which requires all keepers of poultry and other captive birds to keep their birds indoors. This week, a temporary suspension on gatherings of poultry was also announced in Britain.

Human fears

While deadly to birds, the H5N8 strain of bird flu poses no health risks to humans.

Read more

Bird flu: what is it and should I be worried?