Kerry farmers urged to keep and feed poultry indoors following compulsory bird flu order

Kerry farmers are being reminded to keep their poultry indoors from Monday.

It’s after Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon announced the compulsory order, given the increased risk of bird flu recently.

The chair of IFA National Poultry Committee says the situation’s very serious, however, it's fortunate that Ireland's poutry population is dispersed among small farms.

Nigel Sweetnam says in the UK a farm with 1.2 million birds, supplying 6 millions eggs a day, has been wiped out from the avian flu.

He’s advising that bird flu is prevalent in wild birds, especially in pheasant and game birds.

Mr Sweetnam is reminding farmers to keep their poultry locked up and to feed them indoors.