There was a detection of bird flu in Ireland at the end of October. A case of bird flu was confirmed in a peregrine falcon that was found in Oranmore, Co Galway.
In the UK poultry owners were subject to strict measures to prevent the spread of bird flu after an outbreak in Wrexham North Wales. There have also been outbreaks in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire and Stratford -upon-Avon. Then just as we go to print an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) is set to be introduced in Northern Ireland from midnight on 17 November, the agriculture minister Edwin Poots has announced.
Mr Poots said the AIPZ places a legal requirement on all bird keepers to follow strict biosecurity measures.
It follows "multiple detections" of the H5N1 virus in wild birds across GB. Cases have been confirmed in captive birds and poultry in five locations.
The flu season is upon us for sure, be it bird or human, and vigilance is the watchword.
