DARD lifts gathering bans for GB poultry

The ban on the movement of poultry from Great Britain to attend bird gatherings in Northern Ireland has been lifted.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) imposed the ban as a precautionary measure on 25 May following the low pathogenic Avian Flu H7N2 outbreak in Wales.

The decision to lift the ban was taken following the revocation in Great Britain of a ban on bird gatherings involving chickens and ducks.

DARD wishes to remind bird keepers of the requirement to register on the NI Bird Register, with the exception of caged pet birds kept in the owner’s home. In the next few weeks, DARD will contact everyone registered on the Bird Register to ask them to update their registered details, and to provide a mobile phone number and e-mail address if possible. This will ensure that DARD can communicate with bird keepers quickly in the event of an outbreak here.

Parallel action is being taken today by the Department of Agriculture and Food in Dublin.

DARD would also like to remind all importers, including those of birds attending shows, that they must obtain a copy of the relevant General Import Licence prior to importing poultry and birds from Great Britain. Importers are also advised that the conditions of the licence must be fully adhered to. Copies of the General Import Licences are available for download from the DARD website at http://www.dardni.gov.uk/index/animal-health/animal-import-licences.htm

DARD will continue to work closely with DEFRA, the Welsh Assembly Government, and with the Department of Agriculture and Food in Dublin to monitor the situation.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. Avian influenza is a disease of birds. The virus does not easily cross from birds to infect humans; in almost all instances this requires extremely close contact with infected birds, particularly faeces.
2. Low pathogenic Avian Influenza is a notifiable disease. Typically, infection with LPAI is often difficult to detect, with very few if any clinical signs. An infected flock might show signs of respiratory distress, diarrhoea, a loss of appetite or a drop in egg production.
3. Avian Influenza can be spread to domestic birds is through contact with infected wild birds. Contact may be direct or indirect through faecal contamination of anything that may come into contact with domestic birds such as feed, water, utensils or clothing. The risk of disease spread can therefore be reduced by minimising contact with wild birds.
4. Guidance to help bird keepers find practical ways of minimising contact with wild birds is available in the leaflet ‘Preparing for Avian Influenza – Separating flocks from Wild Birds’ issued in June 2006. Information is also available on the DARD website.
5. Guidance for members of the public on what they should do if they find a dead wild bird is available on the DARD website.
6. Bird gatherings can go ahead in Northern Ireland subject to the usual biosecurity, notification and record keeping conditions in the DARD general licence. For further information, see the DARD website.
7. The Food Standards Agency advises that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers.
8. All media enquiries to DARD Press Office, Tel: 028 9052 4619.