Testing of samples for the likes of bluetongue virus or highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) continues to be done at labs outside of NI, DAERA chief vet Brian Dooher has confirmed.

Briefing the Stormont agriculture committee last Thursday, Dooher said samples for bluetongue testing are currently being sent to the Irish Department of Agriculture facility at Backweston in Co Kildare. Those going for bird flu testing are being sent to the specialist facility run by the Animal and Plant Health Agency at Weybridge in England.

Until recently, samples were going to the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) lab at Stormont; however, that process ceased following an inspection by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) last December.

Assessed

That inspection assessed the adequacy of facilities at AFBI and found that testing of suspect bluetongue cases was being done in labs suitable to assess pathogens that have a moderate risk of spread. However, the labs should have been able to contain high-risk pathogens.

When it came to bird flu, samples were being tested in labs suited to high risk pathogens, but instead a lab should be able to contain very high risk pathogens.

The advice from the HSE to DAERA was that bird flu testing at AFBI Stormont “should stop immediately”.

“Over the last two months we’ve probably taken approximately half a dozen [bird flu] samples – ferried them across [to Weybridge] to get results. Thankfully they’ve all been negative,” said the chief vet.

He added that DAERA is currently looking at putting an alternative system in place which would involve a post-mortem being done on farm, before samples are sent to the AFBI lab at Stormont.

“That’s probably a couple of months off, but we would hope to have it in place for the next high-risk bird flu season,” confirmed Dooher.

He is also hopeful that the testing of Bluetongue samples at AFBI can resume later this year, following a further HSE inspection due to take place this August.

New high-level oversight of AFBI

New high-level structures put in place to oversee the work of AFBI are not intended to remain in place for the longer term, a senior DAERA official has said.

Back in April Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir confirmed that a new Senior Partnership and Governance Oversight board was being put in place in response to the findings from an inspection of lab facilities by the Health and Safety Executive.

That report had followed on from recent allegations around poor animal welfare and illegal slurry spreading at AFBI’s Hillsborough farm, as well as a data breach incident discovered in October 2025. There has also been a recent independent review of AFBI by consultants at Baker, Tilly, Mooney and Moore.

At the Stormont Agriculture committee last Thursday, senior DAERA official Mark O’Donnell said two meetings of the new senior board have already taken place.

“I would see that kind of enhanced level of oversight being in place for hopefully a short number of months and then we will move into more of a ‘business as usual’,” he said.