Housing order now in place for poultry

Chief veterinary officers from all four UK nations have confirmed that housing measures for poultry will come into force from Monday 29 November 2021.

The decision follows on from recent outbreaks of avian influenza in Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu was detected in a commercial housed turkey flock in Co Monaghan on Sunday, and there have been several outbreaks in Yorkshire in recent days.

“Findings of H5N1 across Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland would suggest that the disease is already present in NI,” said Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots.

“It is of paramount importance that all bird keepers take appropriate action to review and enhance their biosecurity measures to protect their birds from this highly infectious disease,” he added.

DAERA issues warning on EFS

DAERA has reminded farmers that to avoid potential penalties on their Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) payments they must make sure the amounts claimed on their 2021 Single Application accurately reflect the amount of work actually completed.

Farmers who joined EFS in 2021 have until the end of the year to complete the work in their agreement.

For those who are not going to complete all the work, they should fill in an EFS SAF3 Amendment Form, available from the DAERA website, as soon as possible, as EFS inspections are already underway.

DAERA has also reminded 2021 recruits that they must complete online training by 31 December 2021.

Marts reminder around COVID-19

Livestock marts have called on farmers using their premises for trading animals to be mindful that safety protocols are still in place to safeguard against spreading Covid-19.

As an essential service within farming, the Livestock Market Stakeholder Engagement group stress that adherence to these protocols are vital to keep marts operational this winter.

Farmers attending sales must continue wearing face coverings, maintain social distancing as appropriate, and sanitise hands regularly.

Any farmer with COVID-19 symptoms should not attend sales in person, but are encouraged to make use of on-line trading facilities which all marts continue to offer.

Fane Valley close to deal on Drummonds

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that discussions are at an advanced stage between Fane Valley co-op and Irish seed company Drummonds about Fane Valley taking a stake in the Drogheda-based business.

This follows the setting up of Fane Valley (Ireland) Limited on the 8 November 2021 with an address in Barrow Street, Dublin 4.