Bird flu confirmed in flock of 30,000 turkeys in Co Laois

Eva Osborne

An outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in a flock of 30,000 turkeys on a farm in Co Laois.

Restriction zones have been established around the farm after the outbreak, which is the fourth this month, was identified last Friday.

Compulsory housing orders for all poultry and captive birds are currently in force after three bird flu outbreaks were confirmed in commercial turkey flocks in Co Carlow, Co Meath, and near Clontibret, Co Monaghan.

Fota Wildlife Park in Cork has also been closed until the end of the month because of an outbreak among its animals.

Disease control measures at the affected farms include surveillance measures, enhanced biosecurity, and movement prohibitions to reduce the risk of onward disease spread in the zones.

Bird flu outbreaks in Ireland are reported to the European Commission and to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

Following these outbreaks, Ireland has lost its WOAH disease-freedom status from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in poultry.

This is the first time outbreaks of HPAI have been confirmed in Irish poultry since November 2022.