Ireland is entering its higher-risk period for avian influenza, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has warned, as colder weather and migrating wild birds arrive. No wild birds have tested positive in recent months, the department told Agriland, and only two cases have been detected so far in 2026.
"Colder weather and shorter daylight hours can extend the survival time of avian influenza viruses in the environment, and migratory wild birds (the natural hosts of many avian influenza viruses) arrive in large numbers to overwinter in Ireland," a DAFM spokesperson said.
Strict biosecurity at every site with captive birds is "the single most important way" to keep the disease out and to protect flocks against all poultry diseases, the department said. Commercial poultry farmers, backyard keepers and anyone with captive birds were asked to act, and the public was advised not to handle sick or dead wild birds but to report them through the Avian Check app or the National Disease Emergency Hotline on 01 492 8026.
Across the EU, detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza kept falling over the summer. The EU recently agreed to give Italy €73 million from the agricultural reserve to compensate farmers hit by avian flu and African swine fever, of which €61 million is for poultry and egg farmers in areas affected by bird flu between September 2022 and March 2025.
France had a sharp resurgence in the 2025-2026 season, with 156 outbreaks, 125 of them on commercial poultry farms, and movement restrictions that hit the whole poultry chain. French Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard has announced a €10 million aid scheme for hatcheries, downstream companies and collection businesses that lost activity because of the control measures.
Photo: Maoileann / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Agriland
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