Poultry housing order to protect flocks from bird flu to be lifted next month
The compulsory housing order for poultry and captive birds, which was introduced in February in a bid to protect flocks from avian influenza, will be lifted on May 10.
Making the announcement, minister for agriculture Martin Heydon urged flock keepers to continue to be cautious against the risk of the disease.
He said: 'The risk of avian influenza to our poultry is no longer as high as it had been in recent months, so it is now appropriate to lift the housing order and prohibition on the assembly of live birds.
"I want to acknowledge the hard work and cooperation from the Irish poultry industry in recent months, with farmers, vets, processors and others all working together to reduce the chances of an outbreak, which could have had such serious consequences.
It is important to note that avian influenza is still a risk and will remain a threat to Irish poultry for the foreseeable future.
'Biosecurity is the single most effective way to prevent the virus spreading from wild birds into poultry, or between poultry flocks, and must be practised year-round.'
The poultry biosecurity regulations introduced on December 6, 2024, continue to remain in force. However, the housing order will be revoked with effect from May 10.
The department's latest technical report on bird flu explained while no outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been detected in poultry in the Republic of Ireland during 2024 or 2025 (to date), the confirmation in Northern Ireland of three avian influenza outbreaks on commercial poultry farms and one in captive birds, along with the continued circulation of the virus in wild birds across the island, shows the risk to poultry flocks in Ireland remains high.
A total of 19 wild birds have tested positive for HPAI in the first quarter of 2025. Of these, 18 tested positive for the HPAI H5N1 subtype, and one positive for the AI H5Nx subtype.
Members of the public are advised not to handle sick or dead wild birds and to report any episodes of sick or dead wild birds to their Regional Veterinary Office or, if outside business hours, to contact the National Disease Emergency Hotline on 01-492-8026 or use the department's 'Avian Check App'.
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