Thousands of birds to be culled over suspected avian flu

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Thousands of birds to be culled over suspected avian flu

Thousands of birds are to be culled in County Tyrone after suspected avian flu was reported at a commercial poultry premises.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) was

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Minister Andrew Muir said after further investigation appropriate disease control measures had been put in place, including the “humane culling of all poultry on site”, which is 64,000 birds.

He said it was a “precautionary measure”.

Temporary control zones

“This suspected incursion of HPAI, following the recently confirmed case at a captive bird premises near Magherafelt further shows we cannot afford to be complacent,” he added.

Temporary control zones (TCZ) are also in place to mitigate any further spread of the disease.

Chief veterinary officer for Northern Ireland, Brian Dooher, appealed to all bird owners, both “backyard and commercial”, to take necessary steps to protect flocks.

“This includes ensuring continuous excellent levels of biosecurity and adhering to all the requirements mandated under the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ),” he said.

“Samples from the infected premises have been sent to the National Reference Laboratory to confirm strain and pathogenicity. Should HPAI be officially confirmed, these TCZs will be revoked and replaced with a three kilometre Protection Zone (PZ) and 10 kilometre Surveillance Zone (SZ),” he added.

Last week the department announced that all kept birds and poultry must stay indoors

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A similar order has been issued in the Republic of Ireland.

An Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) has

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