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Avian influenza (bird flu)
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
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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: can have up to 100 % mortality in affected flocks
- low pathogenic avian influenza: 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 leaflet for flockowners
DownloadAvian 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.
The requirement to confine/house poultry and other birds as a precautionary measure against avian influenza (bird flu), introduced on 22 November 2021, has been lifted as of 29 April 2022.
A ban on bird gatherings, shows and sales, introduced on 17 November 2021, has been lifted as of 16 May 2022.
Additional biosecurity legislation, introduced on 17 November 2021, has been lifted as of 16 May 2022. Strict biosecurity standards, as outlined in the biosecurity guidance documents below, should remain as best practice and help to protect your flock against all poultry disease, not just avian influenza. Biosecurity is the combination of all 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.
General Biosecurity Measures Guidance
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Biosecurity Advice for Backyard flocks
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Biosecurity Advice for Ducks & Geese
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Biosecurity Advice for Turkeys
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Biosecurity Information for Registered Poultry Flock Owners
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Advice for farmers spreading Poultry litter on land
Download- if you find a sick or dead wild bird which is included on the List of Target Species for Avian Influenza Surveillance, it should be reported to us using the Avian Check Wild Bird Application
- 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)
- outside of office hours: 01 492 8026
Avian Check Wild Bird App User Manual
DownloadAnyone 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
We have a national contingency plan in place for highly pathogenic avian influenza. In the event of an outbreak, a number of measures would be introduced by the department to control the spread of the disease and eradicate it from Ireland. The following document contains a summary of those measures:
Information on Avian Influenza Control Measures in Ireland
DownloadThe first outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza subtype H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) in poultry in Ireland was confirmed on November 20, 2021. Between November 20, 2021 and December 20, 2021 six outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 were confirmed in poultry flocks in Ireland. As a result, restriction zones consisting of a 3km minimum radius Protection Zone and a 10km minimum radius Surveillance Zone were put in place. Following appropriate disease control measures, and in accordance with EU and national legislation, all restriction zones have now been removed.
Below, you will find a guidance document which outlines the measures which flock owners must adhere to when they are located within such restriction zones following a HPAI outbreak in poultry.
Guidance Document for poultry premises within a Protection Zone or Surveillance Zone
DownloadAn online interactive map viewer of the location of confirmed cases of avian influenza subtype H5N1 in wild birds in Ireland (courtesy of the Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis, UCD)
Avian Influenza Update No 6 of 2022
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Avian Influenza Update No 5 of 2022
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Avian Influenza Update No 4 of 2022
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Avian Influenza update No.3 of 2022
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Avian Influenza Update No. 2 of 2022
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Avian Influenza Update No. 1 of 2022
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Avian Influenza Update No. 11 of 2021
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Avian Influenza Update No.10 of 2021
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Avian Influenza Update No.9 of 2021
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Avian Influenza Update No. 8 of 2021
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Avian Influenza Update No. 7 of 2021
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Avian Influenza Update No. 6 of 2021
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Avian Influenza Update No. 5 of 2021
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Avian Influenza Update No.4 of 2021
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Avian Influenza Update No. 3 of 2021
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Avian Influenza Update No. 2 of 2021
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Avian Influenza Update No. 1 of 2021
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Avian Influenza: Your questions answered
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