The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) have asked anyone who owns poultry to register their ownership with the Department.
A department spokesperson also urged poultry farmers to sign up to DAFM text alerts to get the latest news on how you can protect your flock.
In a statement, the spokesperson said it is mandatory for anyone with poultry, even one or two hens, to register with the DAFM. They highlighted the importance of being able to contact an owner if a disease outbreak is affecting their area.
Recently, there have been a number of outbreaks in the Monaghan area of A number of outbreaks of low pathogenic avian influenza of the H6N1 subtype. The spokesperson stated that although this disease is not covered under EU law and will not require restrictions, it can have a huge impact on the affected poultry flocks.
A text alert system has been put in place to reduce the risk of disease spreading by sending biosecurity advice to registered flock owners in the area.
What species of poultry or birds should be registered
Poultry includes all birds that are reared or kept for the production of eggs, meat or other products and including breeding poultry. It also includes birds that are kept in order to restock game bird supplies. Examples of poultry that must be registered by law include:
- Chickens;
- Turkeys;
- Quail;
- Grouse;
- Hens;
- Geese;
- Guinea Fowl;
- Ostriches;
- Ducks;
- Pheasants;
- Partridges;
- Emus.
How to register
The Department say that registration is quick and simple. There are 3 ways to register your poultry premises:
- Register online from 1pm Tuesday, 14 February, by completing an electronic form and submitting it directly to the Department.
- Post a completed Poultry Registration Application Form (PR1 form) to your local Regional Veterinary Office.
- Telephone your local regional veterinary office and they will post a PR1 form out to you which you can fill in and return to them.
Information needed for registration
- Name;
- Address (preferably with your eircode);
- Phone number;
- Email address;
- PPS number (persons) or CRO number (for limited companies only);
- Any other herd or flock numbers you may have already;
- Details on species and numbers of birds including the number of houses that they are kept in.
The Department spokesperson stated: “It is also important that poultry owners keep their registration details up to date, including informing the Department if they no longer have poultry. Registration details can be updated using any of the methods listed above.”
Image source: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Facebook
