Test results due on dead birds removed from The Lough  ‘next week’

Test results on dead birds found at The Lough to detect bird flu are expected early next week, Cork City Council has said.

A council spokesperson told The Echo on November 17 that two dead swans and a dead duck had been removed from The Lough the previous weekend.

The spokesperson said: “Arrangements have been made for the remains to be transported to a Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine laboratory for testing to confirm the presence or otherwise of bird flu.

“However, it will take at least 10 days before the results of these tests are formally confirmed.”

This week, a spokesperson said that they “are still awaiting the return” of the results.

In September, Cork City Council removed seven dead birds from The Lough, with another removed in early October, and “just a very small number tested positive for the low pathogenic strain of avian flu, with the last positive test being September 21”.

The spokesperson was hopeful that the results of the most recent test would be available early next week, which will be at least 14 days since the birds were sent for testing.

In the meantime, biosecurity measures remain in place, having been introduced at The Lough in September, following the first confirmed case of bird flu there.

People visiting The Lough are still being advised to avoid contact with sick or dead wild birds.

A temporary ban on fishing there remains in place, and the bird feeder is still out of action.