The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland has confirmed positive test results for avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds from Rathlin Island.
Rathlin Island is an island off the coast of Co. Antrim, and is Northern Ireland’s most northerly point. This is not the first time it has had a positive bird flu test.
Since the beginning of June 2022, there have been positive bird flu results obtained from dead wild birds submitted from three locations in Northern Ireland: Bangor; Lough Erne; and Rathlin Island.
The Department said it is is working closely with all stakeholders, including the Public Health Agency and local councils, in relation to this matter, and has taken proactive measures to improve biosecurity at seabird breeding colonies.
Following these confirmations in wild birds the department is also stressing the need for all flock keepers to take action to improve biosecurity in order to prevent any incursion of the disease into poultry flocks.
It is also reminding the general public – as coastal areas become busier over the summer months – not to pick up or touch sick, dying or dead birds, and to keep pets away from them, as this can cause the disease to spread to other colonies of seabirds or poultry flocks.
It also said that dead birds should be reported to the DAERA helpline.
Bird flu
Northern Ireland has experienced its largest-ever outbreak of bird flu since the 2021-2022 epidemic season began, as has the UK and today Agriland reported that the same goes for Europe.
Around 5,300 detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus were reported in poultry, captive and wild birds in 36 EU/EEA countries and the UK during the 2021-2022 epidemic season.
That is according to European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) latest overview of HPAI, which shows that this is the largest number of HPAI cases for an epidemic season ever reported.
The persistence of the ‘bird flu’ virus in wild birds indicates that it may have become endemic in wild bird populations in Europe.
