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Bird flu detected in wild goose

Getty Images A goose head. It is brown and has a bright orange beak.Getty Images
It is the first wild bird to test positive in Northern Ireland since September 2023 - stock image

Bird flu has been confirmed in a wild goose found near Dungannon in County Tyrone.

It is the first wild bird to test positive in Northern Ireland since September 2023.

The bird was found near Black Lough and the disease was confirmed on Thursday.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said "excellent biosecurity" was the best defence for reducing the risk of transmission to poultry or other captive birds.

A sign saying "spotted a dead wild bird". Use the Daera dead wild bird online reporting tool.
Signs at Black Lough in Dungannon

A biosecurity checklist is available on the Daera website.

The disease poses a huge risk to the local poultry sector which is worth around £0.5bn a year to the Northern Ireland economy.

There has not been an outbreak in a commercial setting in Northern Ireland since December 2021.

A body of water with some ducks and other wildfowl on it
Black Lough in Dungannon

Although restrictions were eased in April 2023, strict biosecurity protocols have remained in place.

In December 2024, the highly contagious virus was detected in a dead wild buzzard found in County Galway.

It was the first confirmed discovery on the island of Ireland since September 2023.