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Thousands of Chickens to Be Culled After Suspected Avian Flu Outbreak in County Tyrone

Published on: 06 October 2025

Thousands of Chickens to Be Culled After Suspected Avian Flu Outbreak in County Tyrone

Thousands of chickens to be culled after suspected avian flu outbreak

13 hours ago Share Save Louise Cullen BBC News NI agriculture and environment correspondent Share Save

Getty Images It is the first case of suspected bird flu in a commercial premises since February

About 20,000 chickens are to be culled after a suspected case of bird flu was found at a farm in County Tyrone. Disease control measures have been put in place around the site near Omagh and all birds on the farm will be culled. Samples, which were taken on Friday, are being tested at the National Reference Laboratory to confirm the strain. Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir said it was a "stark reminder that we cannot afford to be complacent".

Chief veterinary officer Brian Dooher urged flock owners to adhere to strict biosecurity protocols. "The disease control measures are crucial to limit any potential spread of disease and I appeal to all bird owners – backyard and commercial – to take all necessary steps to protect your flock," he said. "This includes ensuring continuous excellent levels of biosecurity and reporting any suspect cases of avian flu to Daera (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) immediately." Daera veterinary officer Ignatius McKeown said "increasing mortality" at the site led to suspicions about an avian influenza outbreak. "The house contained 7,000 birds and the mortality increased from three one day to 20 the next day, and then after we had taken samples, the deaths had increased to over 300," he told BBC News NI. Mr McKeown said despite the infection being detected in only one house out of three, all birds on the site - estimated to be about 20,000 - will be culled.

PA Media Minister Andrew Muir urged people not to be complacent about the issue

"We're now starting to enter the high-risk period for avian influenza and that is signalled by the movement of migratory birds," he said. He urged poultry farmers to review their bio-security measures to prevent further outbreaks. "Because of the importance of poultry in Northern Ireland, we are always very concerned about outbreaks," Mr McKeown added. "This will have a devastating effect on the owner and on the poultry industry."

Commercial outbreak

[SRC] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75qg92z1wyo

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