Turkeys culled on Wicklow farm following bird flu outbreak

A flock of turkeys on a farm in south Wicklow has been culled after an outbreak of bird flu was detected.

The Department of Agriculture has confirmed that the H5N8 strain of the avian influenza was discovered in a “small free-range flock” in Co Wicklow. Further tests are being carried out to determine the pathogenicity and results are expected over the coming days. The department has established a protection zone around an area near Knockananna. All affected birds in Wicklow have been killed.

In a statement, the department said the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 had been confirmed in wild birds in a number of counties across the country. The department is urging poultry farmers to follow strict precautionary measures and report any suspicion of disease to their nearest regional veterinary office.

“These findings pose a risk to all poultry flocks and captive birds and, by extension, the poultry industry,” a spokesperson said

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“It is important to note that there is no evidence of risk associated with consumption of poultry meat.”

Bird flu outbreaks have also been identified in poultry flocks in Britain, Netherlands, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Croatia and Ukraine in recent weeks. Earlier this week, Sky News reported that around 25,000 turkeys would be culled following an outbreak in west Norfolk, England.

No human infections have been reported worldwide and the risk to humans is considered to be “very low”, according to the Department of Agriculture here. Nonetheless, members of the public are advised not to handle sick or dead wild birds.