Avian influenza (bird flu) has now been confirmed on three commercial farms in Co Monaghan, the Department of Agriculture has said.

The most recent case is understood to involve a 100,000-bird laying hen flock in the Castleblayney area.

This is the latest case, following the finding of the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 on a 30,000-bird turkey farm in south Monaghan and a broiler farm just 1km away from the turkey farm.

There have been eight suspected cases of bird flu in Northern Ireland

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the broiler farm had up to 13,000 birds.

There have been eight suspected cases of bird flu in Northern Ireland, including a duck farm, but there were no positive results as we went to press on Wednesday.

Serious

Andy Boylan, IFA poultry chair, has said that the issue is “more serious than I thought, it just spreads so easily.

“I had hoped it would stay away from north Monaghan as this area is very densely populated with poultry.

A temporary control zone (TCZ-B) was announced for Northern Ireland from Tuesday night, 30 November, as a result of the third Co Monaghan case, close to the border with Armagh.

The Department of Agriculture has imposed 3km and 10km disease control zones around the affected flocks in a bid to halt the spread of the disease.

All poultry movements within the TCZ-B are now required to be licensed.

People treat these birds as pets, but they have no idea the risk to the commercial business

The Department advice to poultry flock owners is to remain vigilant for any signs of disease in their flocks, maintain strict biosecurity measures and report any disease suspicion to their nearest Department regional veterinary office.

Boylan urged everyone with backyard flocks to confine them to a smaller area with netting or lock them into a shed, so that wild birds carrying the disease do not mix with them.

“People treat these birds as pets, but they have no idea the risk to the commercial business,” he said.