Irish poultry farmers are being urged to implement strict biosecurity measures after bird flu was confirmed in wild birds in the South Dorset, England.

A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture said it is monitoring the situation in the UK and other European countries very closely.

“The current strain reported in the UK is HPAI H5N6, and is closely related to the H5N6 strain circulating in wild birds in mainland Europe. It is a different strain to that which is present in China, and the risk to public health is currently considered very low,” the Department spokesperson said.

“The risk to Ireland is that the H5N6 strain may be introduced into Ireland by migratory wild bird species that have been exposed to the virus in the United Kingdom or other European countries.”

Wild birds

The Department recommends that all poultry owners only feed birds indoors and discourage wild birds from their premises.

During the 2016-2017 European bird flu epidemic, Ireland confirmed 10 cases of HPAI H5N8 bird flu in 12 wild birds including swans. There were no outbreaks in domestic poultry flocks.

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