Avian Influenza (bird flu)

• From 17th February 2025, it will be a legal requirement for all bird keepers, whether commercial, backyard or hobby flocks to confine all poultry and captive birds in a secure building, or otherwise separate from all other birds, in accordance with the strict biosecurity measures provided within the regulation.

• In addition, a ban on the gathering of poultry and captive birds also comes into force under this regulation in order to protect the birds themselves from the risk of becoming infected.

• These measures are additional to the requirements of the Avian Influenza (Biosecurity Measures) Regulations which came into force on 6th December 2024 and remain in place.

A Frequently Asked Questions document on what measures must be taken by poultry and captive bird keepers has been developed and is available here

• Biosecurity measures are mandatory for all poultry and captive bird keepers from the 6th December with the introduction of S.I. No. 666 of 2024 Avian Influenza (Biosecurity measures) Regulations 2024.

• These are precautionary measures to reduce the risk of transmission of avian influenza to poultry in Ireland.

• S.I. No. 666 of 2024 Avian Influenza (Biosecurity measures) Regulations 2024

• A guidance document on what measures must be taken by poultry and captive bird keepers has been developed and is available here

2025

2024

Avian Influenza, or bird flu, is a contagious and often fatal viral disease of birds. There is a constant risk of Avian Influenza being introduced into Ireland from wild birds particularly from October onwards each year as this is when migratory birds arrive and congregate on wetlands, mixing with resident species. Avian Influenza can affect many different types of birds including domesticated birds such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and other fowl.

There are two types of Avian Influenza which are named according to the impact that the disease can have on birds:

• Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI): can have up to 100 % mortality in affected flocks
• Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI): generally causes mild disease in affected birds

The Avian Influenza virus can spread in several different ways. Direct contact with other infected domestic or wild birds is the biggest risk factor for the spread of the disease. Other methods of disease spread include contamination of feed, bedding, equipment and vehicles with infected bird droppings or other material such as respiratory fluid. The virus can also be spread by people through contaminated clothing and footwear and insufficient hand hygiene practices.

Vermin or wild birds gaining access to poultry houses, feed or bedding storage areas can also lead to spread of disease. The disease has been reported on rare occasions in other animals including seals and foxes.

Good biosecurity is essential for the prevention of avian influenza in poultry and captive birds.

The main clinical signs of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in birds are:

• swollen head
• blue discoloration of the head, comb, wattles (cyanosis)
• loss of appetite
• difficulty breathing (gaping beak, coughing, sneezing, rales, gurgling)
• diarrhoea
• fewer eggs laid or eggs with watery whites
• increased mortality

Clinical signs can vary between species of birds. Chickens and turkeys can be severely affected with high mortality rates while other species (for example: ducks and geese) may show minimal clinical signs.

See further information and photos of affected birds in the leaflet below:

Advice from the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine is that people do not pick up or touch sick, dead or dying birds and keep their pets away from them. Dogs should be kept on a lead in areas where sick or dead wild birds are present

Although Avian Influenza can be very contagious between birds, the HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HSE-HPSC) and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) advise that the risk to public health from the strain of Avian Influenza that is circulating is very low.

Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has determined that the disease poses no food safety risk to consumers of well-cooked poultry products, including eggs.

The HSE recommend that people in regular contact with pigs, poultry or waterfowl are vaccinated against seasonal human flu. Further information on the flu vaccine is available on the HSE website. People with regular contact with pigs, poultry or waterfowl may avail of a free flu vaccine. It is important to note that the seasonal human flu vaccine does not protect against avian influenza. However, being vaccinated against seasonal human flu reduces the chance that a person could become infected with both the human flu and avian influenza at the same time which could lead to changes in the virus allowing it to spread more easily between people.

Avian influenza is a notifiable disease. If you have any concern that your flock has avian influenza, take immediate action. House or confine the birds away from other birds immediately and report the suspect case to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Contact your local Regional Veterinary Office (RVO) or the Avian Influenza Hotline on 01 607 2512 (9am-6pm).

Outside of office hours, you can ring the National Disease Emergency Hotline on 01 492 8026 (which is operational 365 days of the year) to report a suspect case.

Biosecurity is a set of preventative measures whether physical or through management, taken to reduce the risk of disease introduction to your flock and reduce the spread of disease between your birds and to other birds.

It is a comprehensive approach to reduce disease transmission, encompassing different methods of prevention and containment with responsibility spread across the food chain, from the primary producer in the first instance, to transporters, food producers, slaughterhouses, veterinarians and others involved in animal production and trade.

It is a legislative requirement that all keepers of poultry and captive birds should adopt the biosecurity standards set out in S.I. No. 666 of 2024 Avian Influenza (Biosecurity measures) Regulations 2024 at all times, in order to help protect their flocks against disease, including avian influenza.

Strict Biosecurity measures are essential to prevent HPAI outbreaks, but also help to protect your flock against all poultry diseases. All flock owners should ensure that they are implementing the appropriate biosecurity measures. Flock owners must always remain vigilant as there is always the possibility of the avian influenza virus being present in the environment or being transmitted to their flock by wild birds.

•S.I. No. 666 of 2024 Avian Influenza (Biosecurity measures) Regulations 2024

• A guidance document on what measures must be taken by poultry and captive bird keepers following the introduction of this regulation has been developed and is available here

General Biosecurity Advice Documents for Poultry

Updated biosecurity information is detailed on the Animal Health & Welfare Biosecurity page here.

Biosecurity Advice Documents on Wild Birds

The Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine’s primary function in relation to Avian Influenza is to help protect and to control outbreaks of the disease in poultry and captive birds. The Department is unable to collect, remove or provide treatment to sick wild birds.

The Department monitors the Avian Influenza disease situation in wild birds to inform the risks presented to poultry and captive birds.

The Department carries out Avian Influenza surveillance testing throughout the year in targeted dead wild birds to understand if avian influenza is circulating in the wild bird population.

A map detailing the cases of Avian Influenza detected in wild birds across Ireland following surveillance testing can be viewed here.

Where HPAI is confirmed in a particular location, to inform the epidemiological situation, it may not be necessary to collect further samples.

If you find a sick or dead wild bird which is included on the List of Target Species for Avian Influenza Surveillance, you can report it to us using the Avian Check Wild Bird Application. Even where birds are not collected, this information is useful as it helps us to understand the disease situation in wild bird populations.

• the App may be accessed via smart phones, tablets, PCs and laptops and will alert us directly

• do not handle sick or dead wild birds, if possible. Where this is unavoidable, you must wear gloves. Dispose of your gloves appropriately. If you do not have immediate access to a bin they should be placed inside a plastic bag and brought with you. Wash your hands and arms with hot soapy water afterwards

• do not bring sick wild birds home, particularly if you own or work with poultry or other captive birds. Wild birds may be carrying diseases which could spread to your own birds

• as a precautionary measure, keep pets on a leash in areas where there are sick or dead wild birds

Sick or dead wild birds can also be reported to us by phone:

• avian influenza hotline: 01 607 2512 (during office hours)

Animals that are considered to be wild, that being that they are not under the care or control of any person, are not required under legislation to be provided for in terms of immediate veterinary treatment nor intervention from landowners.

Disposal of dead wild birds on land

Where dead birds are on public land, it is the responsibility of the local authority to safely dispose of the carcases. Where dead wild birds are not required for surveillance purposes, the routine collection of dead birds rests with the landowner.

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine officials have been working with local authorities in relation to dead wild birds found on their lands and their responsibilities as landowners. Any decisions in that regard are for the local authorities in conjunction with public health colleagues in the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) and the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Disposal of dead wild garden birds at domestic premises

Current advice from the HSE-HPSC is that members of the public should not touch or pick up dead birds. If this is unavoidable:

• you must wear disposable protective gloves when picking up and handling dead wild birds

• place the dead wild bird in a suitable plastic bag, preferably leak proof. Care should be taken not to contaminate the outside of the bag

• tie the bag and place it in a second plastic bag

• remove gloves by turning them inside out and then place them in the second plastic bag. Tie the bag and dispose of it in the normal household refuse bin

Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly with soap after coming into contact with any animal and do not touch any sick or dead birds. You should wash hands, nails and forearms thoroughly with soap and water after handling the dead bird.

Anyone who keeps poultry in Ireland (even 1 or 2 birds) must register their premises with the Department of Agriculture. This is a legal requirement under S.I. No. 114/2014 (Control on places where poultry are kept Regulations 2014).

Registering your premises and flock details is important, as it enables the Department to contact you, where necessary, with information on poultry health and welfare in the event of a disease threat such as avian influenza.

More information on general registration of poultry premises can be found at:

Poultry Register

There have been no outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in poultry in Ireland during 2023, 2024, 2025 (to date).

The most recent outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza subtype H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) in poultry flocks in Ireland were confirmed on November 14 and 22, 2022 in Co. Monaghan. Following the outbreaks, restriction zones consisting of a Protection Zone (3km minimum radius) and a Surveillance Zone (10km minimum radius) were introduced to mitigate the spread of the virus. The restriction zones were subsequently lifted in December 2022.

Please see Avian Influenza updates for up to date information

Avian influenza (bird flu): Your questions answered

About Avian Influenza (AI)

Register as a free range or barn-reared poultry meat producer

Live Animal Movements

Poultry Hatchery Licenses

Eggs and Egg Products: Eggs

It is important that all necessary steps are taken to protect any captive birds residing at wildlife centers against avian influenza. Everyone involved in the care of poultry or captive birds, whether large or small flocks, has an important role to play to protect their birds and remain vigilant. Monitor birds carefully for any clinical signs suspicious of avian influenza. If in doubt, contact your veterinary practitioner for advice. Report any suspect cases of avian influenza promptly to your local Regional Veterinary Office (RVO or contact the DAFM disease hotline on 01 492 8026 (outside office hours).

An additional risk for wildlife centers is the risk of accepting sick wild birds, which could subsequently test positive for avian influenza. The Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine advises that birds displaying clinical signs consistent with avian influenza should not be accepted into wildlife treatment or rehabilitation centers as it may jeopardize the health and welfare of animals already on site. It should also be remembered that wild birds may not be displaying signs of disease but may still be infected with the virus, representing a risk of disease spread.

Consistent implementation of strict biosecurity measures is the single most important way to protect against infection. Implementing biosecurity measures in wildlife centers means taking practical steps that help to prevent the introduction and spread of the avian influenza virus within a flock, which include:

• Movement of visitors, vehicles and equipment onto premises must be kept to a minimum.

• Only allow essential personnel access to captive birds.

• Do not share equipment between premises.

• Wear disposable or dedicated outer clothing, boots that can be disinfected.

• Wear disposable gloves and wash hands after contact with captive birds.

• Regularly clean and disinfect walkways and equipment used.

• Boot cleaning and disinfection facilities should be available.

• Use a registered disinfectant against avian influenza in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Available at: gov.ie - Disinfectants

• Suitable pest and rodent control should be in place.

• Ensure wild birds are kept away from areas housing captive birds:

• Clean up any waste feed in outdoor areas frequently.

• Store and keep feed, bedding and water away from access to wild birds.

Egg Packing Centers are premises where table eggs are brought into the premises for grading, packing and distribution.

‘Designation’ of Egg Packing Centres is a process which ensures that certain biosecurity measures are in place in that premises which will help to prevent the spread of avian influenza in the event of an outbreak of the disease.

Holdings which deal exclusively with eggs laid on the same premises (a premises that does not bring in eggs from outside or form other premises) do not need to apply for designation.

In the event of avian influenza outbreaks in poultry, restriction zones with a minimum radius of 10km will be placed around the infected premises. Egg Packing Centers must be ‘designated’ if they are located within a restriction zone or wish to accept eggs from an area where a restricted zone is in place.

To achieve ‘designated’ status, an Egg Packing Centre must firstly become approved by DAFM as ‘provisionally designated’, which is a pre-approval step. Having this pre-approval in place in advance of an outbreak will expedite ‘final designation’ which is only ever granted in response to an outbreak of avian influenza. Having provisional designation in place, in advance, will help to minimise disruption to business.

If an outbreak of avian influenza is confirmed in poultry in Ireland, the person responsible for the Egg Packing Centre must request final designation to be activated.

Egg Packing Centres should begin the application for designation during ‘peacetime’; when there are no active avian influenza outbreaks.

Any Egg Packing Centre can apply to be designated in the event of an avian influenza outbreak subject to meeting the required conditions.