Three more dead birds at the Lough

It will take at least another week to learn whether two dead swans and a dead duck taken from the Lough were infected with bird flu.

This week, Cork City Council confirmed the deaths of the three birds as restrictions remain in place at the popular Cork city amenity. Arrangements have now been made for the remains of the three birds to be transported to a Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine laboratory for testing. However, it will take until next Thursday before the results of these tests are formally confirmed.

In the meantime, biosecurity measures which were introduced at the Lough in September following the first confirmed case of bird flu there, remain in place. The last confirmed positive test for bird flu at the Lough was on 21 September.

Cork City Council removed seven dead birds from the Lough in September and removed one more in October. A spokesperson said “very few” of these tested positive for avian flu. People visiting the Lough are being advised to avoid contact with sick or dead wild birds. A temporary ban on fishing remains in place and the bird feeder remains out of action.

A council spokesperson said: “Cork City Council would like to thank people for their continued cooperation during this bird flu outbreak.”

The Lough deaths come amidst a series of bird flu breakouts across the country, with the latest reported in a commercial turkey flock near Clontibret, Co. Monaghan. It marks the third outbreak in a commercial turkey flock this month with outbreaks reported in Carlow and Meath. Earlier this month, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, announced the introduction of a compulsory housing order for poultry and captive birds which came into effect on 10 November.

He said the virus continues to circulate in wild birds across the country: “The compulsory poultry biosecurity regulations and housing order will help to mitigate the ongoing risk, but a strict and meticulous attention to biosecurity by all those who keep poultry or captive birds is the best way to protect our flocks from further outbreaks.”

Meanwhile, Fota Wildlife Park remains closed due to the ongoing bird flu outbreak. The park’s last update confirmed 73 birds have been humanely euthanise as a limited population management measure for non-endangered avian species.

This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.