Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 117: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she is satisfied regarding the measures currently in place to protect this country against an outbreak of avian flu; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23606/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The decline of the avian influenza epidemic in wild birds, which has affected a total of 13 Member States since last February, has continued this month, with no cases in wild birds being notified throughout the European Union to the 21st June. In May there were 17 cases, compared with 200 cases in February, 362 cases in March and 162 cases in April, giving a total of 741 notifications since February.

The position throughout Europe is one of relative stability, though there were concerns in early June, following an outbreak in Hungary on a free range goose farm in the south of the country. To the 21st June, a total of 15 confirmed and suspicious cases have been notified. Very stringent measures have been taken by the Hungarian authorities, with more than 500,000 poultry killed and destroyed. This brings the total number of outbreaks to date in poultry flocks in the EU to five.

Romania has now reported 127 confirmed outbreaks in 19 counties since the disease re-appeared in mid-May. A total of almost 1 million poultry have been killed and destroyed in that country with the number of outbreaks dropping significantly in the last two weeks. Control measures and additional biosecurity measures remain in place and EU safeguard decisions have been taken with regard to imports of poultry and poultry products.

I have, since last September, put in place a comprehensive range of contingency measures aimed at minimising the risk of the virus being introduced to Ireland and ensuring that the Department is equipped, in the event of an outbreak, to ensure its very early identification and speedy eradication. A particular focus in terms of minimising the risk posed to our poultry flocks is to encourage very high levels of biosecurity on poultry farms and the Department has written to over 8,000 poultry farmers enclosing an Information Booklet for Registered Poultry Flockowners. The main objective is to avoid contact between wild birds and domestic poultry, their litter and feed. Further advice issued to all poultry flockowners advising them of the need to ensure that all water sourced from surface supplies used for poultry is treated to inactivate any viruses. This is a key message from my Department, which we have repeated given the potential for the virus to be spread by water to which wild birds may have had access.

In February, I appointed an Expert Advisory Group, comprised of veterinary, scientific, medical and ornithological experts to advise me in relation to animal health control measures. That Group has now met on three occasions and has consistently concluded that the control measures currently in place are appropriate, given the current level of risk posed by avian 'flu. The day-to-day disease management responsibility and planning with regard to avian 'flu rests within my Department.

Contingency planning is continuing and contact is being maintained with various State and non State agencies, whose assistance may be required in the event of a case/outbreak. My Department intends to meet as many of those agencies as possible next month to brief them on recent developments and to discuss further the particular roles they may be asked to play.

Due to the potential public health aspect associated with avian 'flu, my Department has engaged the services of an Occupational Health Specialist and I am also availing of the assistance of the School of Public Health in UCD who have just finalised occupational health protocols for those involved in disease control activities. The document, which is available to all of those agencies who may be involved in disease control activities in support of my Department and which has been posted on my Department's website, identifies the staff potentially exposed to the virus, indicates the circumstances where potential exposure to the virus is higher or lower and the appropriate risk reduction methods to be employed.

In the event of an outbreak in either wild birds or domestic poultry, the immediate measures to be put into place are provided for in EU legislation and have already been put into effect in those Member States affected by the disease. My Department has circulated all registered poultry flockowners setting out the measures to be implemented in the event of avian 'flu in wild birds or an outbreak in poultry and the implications of those measures for those located in the areas. This will be updated as further modifications to EU legislation take place in the light of the recent experiences of the various Member States with this disease.

I have recently relaxed controls to facilitate pigeon racing from a limited area in France. Pigeon racing is already allowed between the United Kingdom and Ireland. Specific conditions are attached to licences issued either to import birds to transit through the State or to export birds to France to be released to race back. Should the risk assessment on which these decisions were made change at any point, to suggest an increased threat, I will not hesitate to reverse these decisions.

I am satisfied, given the range of measures in place that our contingency arrangements are currently proportionate to the current risk. They are being kept under constant review and may be modified accordingly.

Finally, because of the obvious mutual concerns shared by authorities on both sides of the border, there has been and continues to be close ongoing contact between my Department and DARD in Belfast and DEFRA in Britain.