Debate contribution: Avian Influenza: Suspected Outbreak

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 7 October 2025.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

7 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statement

Heading

Avian Influenza: Suspected Outbreak

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5164495

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to make a statement to the Assembly on the recent suspected case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) at a commercial poultry premises outside Omagh, County Tyrone. A veterinary investigation was instigated on Friday 3 October 2025 at a commercial broiler breeder poultry premises outside Omagh, County Tyrone, after a number of mortalities. Samples were taken for testing at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI). Following the preliminary results from AFBI, which indicated the presence of HPAI H5N1, the Chief Veterinary Officer took the decision, based on a number of factors, including the preliminary results, clinical signs and the epidemiological picture, to establish two temporary control zones (TCZs) centred on the infected premises. A 3-kilometre TCZ A and a 10-kilometre TCZ B were introduced on Sunday 5 October 2025, effective from 9.00 am. It is the first suspected case of HPAI in a commercial poultry premises in Northern Ireland since the last confirmed case on 24 February 2025. I am sure that you will agree, Mr Deputy Speaker, that that is devastating news for the premises owner concerned and for the wider industry. The last confirmed case of HPAI H5N1 in a wild bird that was collected in Northern Ireland was on 24 July 2025. England continued to have cases of HPAI in poultry premises throughout the spring and summer of 2025, with the most recent case confirmed on 28 September 2025 in a commercial poultry premises in Cumbria. Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is a highly contagious viral disease affecting the respiratory, digestive and/or nervous system of many species of birds, and it is essential to emphasise that failure to report it constitutes an offence. The advice from the Public Health Agency (PHA) notes that avian influenza is primarily a disease of birds and that the risk to the general public’s health is very low. The advice from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) notes that avian influenza poses a very low food-safety risk for UK consumers and that properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat. Northern Ireland relies heavily on the wider agri-food industry as a source of employment. Poultry and egg production contributes significantly to the agri-food economy and is valued at over £600 million, and it is vital that we protect that industry. I will outline the actions and measures that are being taken by my Department in response to the incursion. My Department commenced a full depopulation of the site on Tuesday 7 October 2025. I put on record my thanks for the engagement and cooperation of the flock owner during a time that, I recognise, is incredibly difficult for them, the staff and their families. My Department has also implemented disease control zones around the premises, and the necessary surveillance activities are ongoing. All flock keepers within the disease control zones will be contacted with information on the restrictions and the requirements that have been laid down by my Department for the moving of poultry and poultry-related products. A movement-licensing centre has been established to facilitate those movements. My departmental officials, including the Chief Veterinary Officer, remain in close contact with colleagues across the other jurisdictions and will keep key stakeholders in the industry updated. On the next steps and communications, I will keep in regular and close contact with my colleagues in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. I will ensure that updates are provided as necessary to my Executive colleagues and, very importantly, to the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee in the first instance. I will be happy to return to the House if there are any further significant and serious developments in the time ahead. My officials will continue extensive ongoing engagement with officials across all jurisdictions. They will also ensure regular and timely updates to all our key stakeholders. My Department will also continue to deploy wide-ranging communications, reminding all flock keepers of the necessity of adhering to high levels of biosecurity. Comprehensive biosecurity guidance is available on the DAERA website, and adhering to that protects against disease spread. It emphasises the importance of maintaining high biosecurity standards to help to reduce the risk of transmission of those diseases. Continued vigilance is paramount, and it is essential that private veterinary practitioners and flock keepers remain alert to any unusual symptoms and immediately report such symptoms to a veterinarian or directly to DAERA. Further detail, including photos of clinical signs, is also available on the DAERA website. We must continue to convey clear messages of maintaining high biosecurity standards and promptly report any unusual symptoms in order to help protect Northern Ireland's farms and the wider industry. At this time, I request that Members assist us in disseminating key messages about maintaining vigilance and high biosecurity standards and about the need for farmers to report any unusual symptoms immediately. Taking such steps will further help ensure the protection of our livestock and of the agriculture sector, which is vital to our economy.

As I outlined, this has been reported to the House as a suspected case, because we still need to get the results back from the National Reference Laboratory (NRL). We therefore have to follow a process. If, however, a notifiable strain of avian influenza is confirmed on a premises, compensation, based on current market value, will be payable for all poultry culled at the Department's direction.

Significant engagement occurs North/South and east-west by veterinary service colleagues in the Department. I reassure the Member that that engagement is ongoing. I have also contacted my ministerial counterpart in the South, Martin Heydon, and I spoke to the Scottish and Welsh Ministers on Sunday at the Anuga conference in Germany, so there is significant engagement ongoing. There is a real need for us all to accentuate the importance of biosecurity, because that is our best protection method against the risk of avian influenza. I echo the comments made so far about our concern for the affected premises. In some ways, it is an exemplar premises, practising the best biosecurity methods. That, however, emphasises the challenges that we face, the impact that an outbreak can have and the need for us collectively to do what we can to try to protect agri-food in Northern Ireland from avian influenza.

There will be compensation payable for the birds that are culled at the Department's direction. We will also cover the cost of the initial disinfection that takes place. The depopulation will start late this morning. Approximately 23,000 birds will be depopulated, but I repeat the assurance that we will cover the cost of the birds that are being depopulated at our direction and also the initial disinfection cost.

The budget position in-year in Northern Ireland is extremely challenging. I understand that there will potentially be only one monitoring round coming up, which will be in December, so the challenge will be to meet the costs out of that. I give the Member and the House an assurance, however, that we will meet the costs. That means that it will be tough for us internally, but it is important that we meet the costs of compensation, because there is a significant impact on the premises holder.

The veterinary service is adept at responding to such crises and has been very prompt in dealing with this, to the extent that it was meeting at 8.00 am on Sunday to deal with the issue, and it will continue to work through this. It is important that the Department, collectively, supports the agri-food industry. I am proud of the veterinary service and the work that it does, but it is important that Members accentuate the importance of biosecurity.

Thank you, John. It is a mandatory legislative requirement that all keepers of birds, except keepers of pet birds that are kept in the owner's home, must be registered with DAERA. That registration enables DAERA to communicate with bird keepers quickly to manage potential disease outbreaks. Registered keepers will receive important information on biosecurity rules and disease outbreaks to help protect their flocks from the threat of avian influenza. Having information on the location of all susceptible kept birds also allows for more effective surveillance in disease control zones and, for trade purposes, enables disease-freedom requirements to be met following an outbreak of disease in Northern Ireland. The message is that, if you are not registered, do it today.

They are still in effect. We will take advice from the Chief Veterinary Officer on any movements to relax those restrictions. There are two zones in place, and it is important that we manage movements in the area so that we can restrict the spread. Avian influenza does not respect borders. That is why it is important that we cooperate North and South. The Chief Veterinary Officers from the North and South are cooperating on it, and I have reached out to my counterpart in the South. They have issued messaging around the issue down South. It is important that I came to the House to update Members on the issue. If the issue occurs again, I will write to the Committee and keep it apprised. As we move into the winter months, there is a likelihood that we may see more of this, so it is important that we accentuate the importance of biosecurity.

The spread of the disease can be minimised primarily through the biosecurity measures that I have outlined. They are available on the DAERA website. The premises that have been affected have excellent biosecurity, to the extent that anyone coming in and leaving the premises has to go through relevant checks. It is important that that is done at all premises. People also need to be conscious of the risk of ingress that can occur during storms. It is important that people evaluate their premises now, when storms are not occurring, to make sure that they are protected against water ingress and access from rodents. They are key issues on which we can take action.

We can take a number of steps in addition to those that I have outlined. We will take advice from the Chief Veterinary Officer. There are additional actions that we can take to make Northern Ireland an entire control zone. We have done that previously. We can take that step, but we need to do so in the context of the risks that we face. We can also issue a housing order. We can step through those. I will be advised by officials in that regard, and officials will continue to engage with industry on the issue. I am conscious of the impact on the industry. That is why we continue to engage with it. The best thing that we can do collectively is to accentuate the important point around biosecurity and, as a Department, fulfil our duty regarding compensation for the birds that are culled at our direction.

Thank you, Diana. It is DAERA's policy not to permit the vaccination of birds outside of zoos as an immediate disease control response. Stamping out is the most effective means of controlling an outbreak. A high standard of biosecurity, separation of poultry from wild birds and careful surveillance for signs of disease also remain the most effective means of controlling the disease and protecting other animals. Due to the role of zoos in global conservation, the vaccination of zoo birds is permitted in Northern Ireland. To date, no zoo birds have been vaccinated. The UK continues to invest in avian influenza research. We monitor current vaccine usage in Europe and globally, as well as the effectiveness of any disease control measures taken, including vaccine deployment. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), in conjunction with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, will continue to monitor the development and availability of vaccines for their utility in preventing and responding to avian influenza outbreaks as they are put forward for market authorisation by vaccine manufacturers. Any future decisions on disease control measures, including vaccination, will be based on the latest scientific and veterinary advice.

The main clinical signs of HPAI in birds are a swollen head; blue discolouration of the neck and throat; loss of appetite; respiratory distress; diarrhoea; fewer eggs being laid; and increased mortality. Low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) is usually less serious. It can cause mild breathing problems, but affected birds will not always show clear signs of infection. The severity of LPAI depends on the type of bird and whether a bird has other illnesses.

Mr Gaston, gas has arrived on-site, and depopulation is occurring this morning. I thank veterinary service staff for their work on that. The situation on the affected site is challenging, but depopulation work is under way.

On compensation, we are guided by the Department's legal vires. As I have outlined, we will compensate farmers for the birds that are culled at our direction and for the initial disinfection of premises. The wider issue of how the outbreak has occurred highlights the challenges posed by avian influenza. It is a real issue for us. Biosecurity is important, but businesses operating an exemplar premises with the highest biosecurity can still be affected by the disease. The veterinary service will continue to investigate the outbreak, and we will continue to do our work of depopulating the site. Collectively, we can send a message that biosecurity is important and it is important to adhere to the advice that is issued.

2,245 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:21 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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