Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 27: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the steps she is taking to prevent an outbreak of avian flu here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5627/06]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her views on further precautions which are necessary to prepare for a possible outbreak of avian influenza; her further views on the fact that the disease is now spreading to African countries; the impact this may have on further spread of the disease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5928/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 40 together.

My Department has been and is continuing to review and modify its contingency arrangements to, in the first instance, minimise the risk of an outbreak of avian flu in Ireland and, thereafter, to control and eradicate any disease outbreak should that occur. In this regard, my Department is informed by the most up-to-date expert scientific and veterinary advice available. In particular, regard is being had to the spread of the virus and the developments of the past week, including the confirmation of outbreaks in swans in a number of member states.

This is a matter of obvious concern and the further spread of the virus has increased the risk of the introduction of the virus into Ireland. In view of this increased risk, I have set up an expert group to provide ongoing advice on avian control measures. This group will be chaired by Professor Michael Monaghan of the faculty of veterinary medicine at UCD and will include members with veterinary, scientific and ornithological expertise from within and outside this Department. Given the role of migratory wild birds in spreading the virus there are obvious limitations on what can be done in terms of preventing the virus's introduction to the country. Therefore, much of my Department's precautionary focus is on equipping ourselves to identify any outbreak quickly and to move to ensure its speedy eradication if it arrives here.

To date, a range of EU and national measures has been put in place and others are under active consideration, including a requirement for the compulsory housing of domestic poultry, as has been done in some other European countries closer to the recent outbreaks. The latter is provided for in EU legislation in certain defined circumstances and I will have no hesitation in introducing such a requirement here as soon as I believe it is appropriate. I am asking the expert group for advice on this.

We have also introduced a register of poultry flockowners and owners of other birds and it is now a statutory requirement that all poultry flockowners register with my Department. While we have received a very encouraging response to the register, there are certainly some who have yet to register and they should do so as a matter of urgency. The register will be of vital importance to us in identifying the precise locations of neighbouring flocks to any disease outbreak and will be of enormous assistance in ensuring that the necessary control procedures are fully in place. Poultry flockowners who fail to register are not alone compromising the well-being of their own flocks but also their neighbours' flocks and will do nothing to assist my Department in its efforts to ensure the speedy eradication of any disease outbreak.

My Department has been maintaining a vigilant approach to the threat posed by avian flu and has introduced a series of incremental measures commensurate with the risk. Additional measures are under active consideration and I will not hesitate to introduce any such additional measures as are appropriate in the face of an increased threat. At this stage, I am satisfied that the measures in place are appropriate to the current level of risk but the situation is clearly evolving and is being kept under constant review with a view to introducing such additional precautionary measures as are warranted.