Government Urged To Act As Avian Flu Spreads To New Bird Populations In Wicklow

BirdWatch Ireland has intensified its call on the Irish Government to ramp up its response as the highly-pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza spreads to new bird populations around the county.

 While initially concentrated on tern populations, the highly-contagious disease is now showing up in other species, with numerous reports of dead Guillemots and Gannets on beaches in Dublin and Wicklow in recent days.

Birdwatch Ireland are calling on the Irish Government  urgently to implement a series of actions, including an increase in testing and the quicker removal of carcasses after they have been reported.

They have stressed the need for more collaborative action and joined-up thinking between all relevant stakeholders in response to this crisis.