Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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62. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the additional measures that have been put in place following the confirmation of the incidence of bird flu H5 virus in Holland and Britain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44700/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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An outbreak of H5N8 strain avian flu has been confirmed in chickens recently in Germany, the Netherlands and UK. I am very pleased that the Member States concerned and the EU Commission have already taken urgent steps to control the spread of the virus. The measures taken include the culling of the poultry on the affected holding, the establishment of protection and surveillance zones, the prohibition of movements to sell live poultry, eggs, poultry meat and other poultry products to other EU countries and non-EU countries and the culling of affected flocks only in the restricted zones. These measures will help to reduce the likelihood of the disease spreading to other countries, such as Ireland, but clearly, given the nature of the disease and the fact that it can be spread by migratory birds, they cannot guarantee that the disease will not spread.

I would like to stress that avian influenza is a disease of poultry and that there is no known food safety risk associated with the strain of the disease which has been confirmed in the 3 countries.  The strain of the disease which has been confirmed is not the H5N1 virus that can cause severe disease in people who are infected from close contact with birds. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has stated that no human infections with the particular form of virus which has been confirmed as being involved in these outbreaks have ever been reported world-wide and that the public health threat from these outbreaks is considered very low.

In light of the increased threat of an incursion of this disease into this country, my Department has reviewed its state of preparedness to deal with an outbreak of the disease. The Department has a full range of contingency plans in place and, should an outbreak occur, it will take immediate measures to prevent the spread of the disease. The Department has been liaising with other State agencies including FSAI and the Department of Health on the matter. Close co-operation is being maintained with Bird Watch Ireland in relation to migratory patterns of wild birds. My Department has also been in touch with officials in DARDNI with a view to ensuring maximum co-operation in the event of an outbreak.

The key focus at this stage is that bio-security measures are applied at the optimal level on farms. In view of this, contact is being maintained with farm representatives and poultry processors to ensure that a high degree of vigilance is being maintained with a view to preventing the incursion of the disease, insofar as this is possible, and to detect an outbreak at an early stage in order to prevent its spread. Avian Influenza is notifiable to the Department and it is a legal requirement to notify any unusual increase in mortalities or any suspicion of the disease to the veterinary practitioner and to the Department.

The Department also operates an Avian Influenza hotline (1890 252 283)where members of the public can report dead wild birds.

I can assure the Deputy that the Department continues to maintain the upmost vigilance in its approach towards this disease and it will continue to monitor the situation very carefully.