Northern Ireland in eight-week provincewide bird lockdown as battle against avian flu outbreak continues

Farmers’ representatives and a Stormont department have warned the highly infectious disease would devastate Ulster’s £600m poultry and egg industry if it spread through commercial flocks.

But with serious outbreaks continuing, one of which is resulting in the culling of 64,000 birds on a Dungannon farm, the whole of Northern Ireland has been told to keep their birds indoors.

That includes ordinary pets, hobby flocks and large commercial livestock operations.

Until further notice, all owners must keep their birds either indoors or otherwise separate from wild birds.

In addition, gatherings of poultry, as well as ducks, geese, swans, pheasants, partridge, quail, chickens, turkey, and guinea fowl are banned.

The orders are likely to be in place for up to eight weeks, leading officials have said.

Similar measures have been brought in by the Irish Republic in a bid to stop the spread of the virulent disease.

The lockdown started just after midnight on Monday (17th), though one senior farming representative has argued it should have been brought in sooner.

Declan Cuddy, deputy president of the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU), said industry figures had urged officials to bring in an order to house birds “immediately”, but it “hasn’t happened”.

Telling the BBC that “hindsight’s a wonderful thing”, he described the introduction of the housing order as “maybe just a bit slow”.

“Unfortunately, we are where we are now,” he said.

Department for Agriculture, the Environment and Rural Affairs minister Andrew Muir defended the speed of lockdown measures, stating his officials had “moved swiftly on this”.

Mr Muir stated the suspected outbreak and cull of 64,000 birds in Dungannon are “a wake-up call”, as the farm in question is “very well operated”.

“It’s very, very hard to deal with this,” he said.

Northern Ireland has been battling against avian flu since outbreaks were detected in three counties around a month ago, with increasingly strict measures needed to combat the spread of the disease.

When the current lockdown was announced, the province’s chief veterinary officer, Brian Dooher, urged all flock keepers to “take action now to improve biosecurity”.

“Anyone who keeps birds and poultry, not just those in the commercial sector, will now have a legal obligation to adhere to the housing order requirements, which are there to protect your flock,” he said.

"If avian influenza were to enter our commercial flock, it would have a significant and devastating impact on our poultry industry, international trade, and the wider economy."

Glenn Cuddy issued a similar statement, reinforcing that strengthened biosecurity will help protect against any further avian flu outbreaks, as well as ensuring “a high standard of animal welfare during the housing period”.

Said the UFU deputy president: “This includes regularly cleansing and disinfecting hard surfaces, fencing off ponds or standing water and the reintroduction of wild bird deterrents.

"Good farm hygiene is essential at all times and is hugely important to safeguarding your poultry business.

"If producers have any suspicion of disease, contact your vet or local divisional veterinary office immediately.”