Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 356: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if a procedure is in place for wildlife rangers to collect and clinically examine wild fowl, particularly migrating birds, for traces of bird flu; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7768/06]

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 357: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the procedures in place for local authorities to collect and clinically examine dead wild fowl that may be suspected of contamination from bird flu; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7769/06]

Paul McGrath (Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 362: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food the protocol in place within her Department for the collection and clinical examination of wild fowl, particularly migrating birds, for traces of bird flu in view of the spread of this disease across Europe; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7767/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 356, 357 and 362 together.

My Department has very clear arrangements in place for the reporting, collection and testing of dead wild birds. My Department is responsible for the collection and testing of such birds and last week the avian influenza helpline facility was extended and widely advertised in the national media. As a result there has been a significant increase in the number of wild bird mortalities being reported to my Department.

The helpline is part of an early warning system which my Department has operated for several months with the active assistance of the national parks and wildlife service, the National Association of Regional Game Councils and Birdwatch Ireland. This system, which involves the reporting of increased or unusual patterns of wild bird mortality, is part of a more intensified approach to wild bird surveillance and is a critical element in the early detection of the disease.

With the extension of the helpline last week, my Department wrote to all county and city councils advising them that all reports of wild bird mortalities should be reported to my Department. The Department has not requested wildlife rangers or local authority staff to recover dead wild birds.

My Department records fully all incidents reported, through the early warning system, by any of the agencies involved or by members of the public through the avian influenza helpline. Under the present arrangements, a veterinary officer from my Department recovers the carcases of single dead waterfowl and migratory birds, and multiple dead native birds and delivers them to the reference veterinary laboratory for testing to establish cause of death.