Avian flu: Poultry flocks allowed outside as rules ease

Bird flu restrictions in Northern Ireland were introduced last year to curb the spread of avian influenza

Poultry owners in Northern Ireland are able to let their flocks outside again from Tuesday, as bird flu restrictions ease.

The change will also take effect in England and Wales, and in the Republic of Ireland.

Birds in Scotland have not been under a housing order.

But an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone remains in place across the UK, meaning flock owners must still follow strict biosecurity protocols.

Bird flu restrictions in Northern Ireland requiring poultry and captive birds to be kept indoors were introduced last year to curb the spread of avian influenza.

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Northern Ireland has had just one instance of the disease in the past six months, and none in a commercial setting since December 2021.

Free-range eggs

John McLenaghan, deputy president of the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU), said it was welcome news for a sector that has faced a number of challenges in recent years, including rising feed and energy costs as well as bird flu.

"I think that combined team effort between industry, Daera and the organisations like ourselves have got us to this point where we can be quite proud of the fact that we have so little cases and no commercial case at all.

"But that's not to be complacent.

"Although the risk is now categorised as being low, there still is a risk, and those habits which farmers and bird keepers have got into over the winter in terms of how they inspect their flock, and how they change their clothing and stuff, we would encourage them to keep doing that."

The removal of the housing order means that free-range eggs will make a return to the supermarket shelves.

The current outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza strain (H5N1), previously described as the largest in these islands, began in October 2021.

The most recent housing order was introduced in November 2022.

The scale of the outbreak is one factor that has had an effect on the number of poultry farms in Northern Ireland.

But the UFU deputy president is optimistic about the future of a sector that is worth almost £0.5bn to the Northern Ireland economy annually.

"Farmers in Northern Ireland are at the top of their game globally in terms of things like poultry production, and that's something we want to see encouraged going forward," Mr McLenaghan added.

"We have seen poultry numbers drop across the UK, but we still believe there are still very real opportunities for progressive farmers, the sort of farmers we have in Northern Ireland, to continue in the industry."