Armstrong condemns department inaction as dumped bird carcass remains on Erne West Road for over six weeks

Ms Armstrong has said the Department’s response is inconsistent with its own advice to the public around preventing bird flu.

Ms Armstrong said: “A concerned farmer in Erne West contacted my office to report that a bird carcass was dumped near their lane in early September. They contacted the local DAERA office on the same day and were told to fill out an online form. They requested that they be contacted but have since heard nothing. I contacted DAERA last week to request that urgent action be taken but despite these actions, the remains still lie in situ.

“DAERA’s failure to take robust action to resolve this issue is quite simply disgraceful and shows a blatant disregard for local farmers who fear the spread of Avian Influenza. Farmers are quite rightly asking how they are supposed to have confidence in a Department that tells them to be aware of the risks, yet completely fails to take necessary actions when risks are identified.

“Furthermore, this farmer had to go through the convoluted process to report this incident online. Despite going through the requested procedure, the carcass remains in place. DAERA are quite simply failing to take responsibility and if action is not taken following a report being made, then what exactly is the purpose of the reporting procedure?

“I am calling on DAERA to urgently intervene to ensure that this carcass is removed immediately. It is not good enough that farmers are lectured on tightening biosecurity measures to prevent bird flu, yet when a farmer goes through the correct and responsible processes to report an issue, DAERA fail to act. If this Department wants to restore what little confidence it already had amongst the farming community, cases like this are the wrong way to go about it.”