The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is looking for tenders for a €1m depopulation providers contract for fowl flocks on poultry premises within the occasion there are outbreaks of avian influenza (fowl flu).
The National Disease Control Centre (NDCC) is a division of the DAFM answerable for “sustaining contingency preparedness for, and management of unique transboundary animal illnesses”.
According to the tender request description by the division, underneath this remit, the NDCC could require the depopulation of poultry premises within the occasion of an outbreak of illnesses akin to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (fowl flu) and Newcastle illness due to the “potential influence an outbreak of both illness is more likely to have on animal well being, public well being or commerce”.
“Avian influenza stays a continuing menace to the Irish poultry trade due to the chance from migratory wild birds,” the division stated.
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“Cases of extremely pathogenic avian influenza have additionally been detected in wild birds in Ireland in recent years.
“Newcastle illness can be a menace to Irish poultry attributable to potential circulation in wild birds and pigeons and sporadic outbreaks occurring in different EU member states.”
In accordance with EU laws governing each of those illnesses, it’s required that stringent measures are put in place within the occasion of a confirmed outbreak, together with humane culling of all poultry on the affected premises with a view to forestall the onward unfold of the illness.
The division stated it requires “an end-to-end service for poultry depopulation utilizing entire home gassing technique utilizing carbon dioxide, or different inert gasoline”.
The division stated it’s “extraordinarily vital to authorities in Ireland to cope with outbreaks of excessive influence poultry illnesses” akin to fowl flu “in a well timed method with a view to mitigate in opposition to the unfold of the illness”.
There is an estimated whole poultry inhabitants of roughly 31.5m birds within the Republic of Ireland, in keeping with the division’s register.
Based on the 2019 poultry survey, there are over 7,000 lively poultry holdings registered with the division.
Of these, over 1,300 preserve higher than 1,000 birds, roughly 700 report capability for over 10,000 birds, and over 250 holdings have capability for higher than 40,000 birds.
While Ireland emerged largely unscathed from the fowl flu emergency final yr, in November 2022, outbreaks of the illness had been confirmed in two poultry flocks in Co Monaghan, which led to round 8,000 birds being culled.
Strict measures had been put in place to guard different flocks a yr in the past; farmers had been ordered to accommodate all poultry. This rule was then lifted within the following April.
The UK and France suffered considerably with fowl flu with large culls taking place, and it had been feared this time final yr that Ireland would expertise the identical destiny.
France in recent months has begun mass vaccination of its geese in opposition to fowl flu.
Along with there being no outbreaks of fowl flu in poultry in Ireland this yr, there are fewer wild birds exhibiting up optimistic for it, Department of Agriculture senior superintending veterinary inspector Paul Corkery has stated.
The general scenario at the moment “seems good” and it’s hoped an outbreak in poultry will be averted — however Mr Corkery warns that “we will by no means make certain”.
“We’re wanting on the threat, and the chance at this stage seems to be decrease than it was final yr that we’d have an outbreak in poultry,” he stated.
Mr Corkery added that in some wild fowl populations “there seems to be more immunity”.
