Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 66: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her Department's strategy in dealing with the threat of avian flu among the wild bird population. [9584/06]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 86: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she has satisfied herself with the preparations in place for the protection of the country from avian flu; the position regarding recent international developments in this area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12235/06]

Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 116: 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. [12044/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 66, 86 and 116 together.

In view of the role played by wild birds in spreading the avian flu virus, my Department's focus is on the early detection of any introduction of the disease in wild birds, minimising the risk of any subsequent transmission to the commercial poultry flock and in the event of such a transmission, the efficient management of the outbreak.

To those ends, my Department has in place a comprehensive and robust range of measures with a particular emphasis on maintaining high vigilance of the wild bird population with the aid of ornithological organisations and has increased avian influenza surveillance.

In the event of a discovery of H5N1 in a wild bird in Ireland, my Department will immediately implement the provisions laid down in European Commission Decision 2006/115/EC as recently transposed into Irish law by Statutory Instrument 125 of 2006 — European Communities (Protection Measures in relation to Avian Influenza in Wild Birds) Regulations 2006.

In order to minimise the risk of an outbreak of avian flu in Ireland and, thereafter, to ensure speedy control and eradication, 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 increasing number of outbreaks throughout the European Union, which increased the risk of introduction of the virus into Ireland. My Department is also taking account of the advice of the World Organisation for Animal Health, OIE, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, FAO, the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the EU Commission. I have participated in a number of discussions at the Agriculture Council and, earlier this month, discussed the issue with my French counterpart.

In view of this increased risk and as provided for in my Department's avian influenza contingency plan, I set up an expert group to provide ongoing advice in relation to control measures. This group is chaired by Professor Michael Monaghan of the faculty of veterinary medicine at UCD and includes members with veterinary, medical and ornithological expertise from within and outside my Department. The group has had two meetings to date and has examined the situation in relation the introduction of avian influenza into Ireland in the context of recent developments both in the EU and third countries. The group has, on both occasions, reviewed the current control measures put in place by my Department and has confirmed its confidence in their adequacy.

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 think it is appropriate. The expert group has concluded that the circumstances do not yet exist on which this would be warranted.

My Department also introduced and is maintaining 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. The register will be of vital importance to my Department 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.

The register is also very useful in ensuring that advice can be provided directly to poultry flockowners and my Department has already issued an advice booklet on biosecurity measures to all registered poultry flockowners and has drawn their specific attention to the need to use treated water where the water supply is being drawn from a surface water reservoir to which wild birds might also have access.

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 review with a view to introducing such additional precautionary measures as are required. My Department has been and is continuing to review and modify its contingency arrangements in order to ensure early detection and combat of avian influenza and that all reasonable precautions are taken to prepare for a possible outbreak of avian influenza in Ireland.