A compulsory housing order for poultry and kept birds came into effect overnight in Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland will follow suit from the 10th of November. 

The All Ireland Science Media Centre asked experts to comment.

Professor Siobhan Mullan, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, comments:

“Housing free range poultry is being done to protect them from the risk of avian influenza from wild birds. It is particularly important to mitigate any welfare issues associated with the removal of access to the outside during this time.

“Enrichment can be provided to the birds in the house, particularly items that promote foraging activity such as hay nets or pecking blocks. In addition, extra attention should be paid to the litter on the floor of the house to keep it clean and dry so the birds can scratch around in it and dustbathe.

“Some farms have installed covered ‘winter gardens’ to provide additional light and airy space for birds that must be housed. Given the regularity with which birds have been required to be housed over recent years it is essential that farmers are prepared with methods to promote bird welfare during these times.”

Declaration of interest: no conflicts of interest

Dr Gerald Barry, Assistant Professor of Virology & Deputy Director of the UCD One Health Centre, University College Dublin, comments:

“The implementation of a housing order is the second such order this year and is an attempt to minimise the impact of Avian influenza on poultry farms. By keeping the birds indoors, with good biosecurity, it will reduce the likelihood of interactions between domestic poultry and wild birds, who are a major carrier of this virus and can easily transmit it to poultry, causing devastating disease and high levels of death in these populations. This of course is not ideal for free range birds that normally have space outdoors to express more natural behaviours. It may also increase the intensity of the farming environment for the birds, potentially leading to a reduction in Welfare standards in some cases. The virus is circulating consistently in Ireland now, and so vaccination should start to be considered. Targeted precision approaches to vaccination and surveillance rather than blanket use is perhaps the first step that Ireland needs to take, towards better protection of birds against major outbreaks of disease.

Declaration of interest: none received