Avian influenza compensation ‘may depend on levels of biosecurity’

Mr Poots was responding to fellow MLA Mark Durkan in the assembly this morning.

Mr Durkan asked the DAERA Minister if financial support would be made available to commercial businesses.

“Because this is a highly pathogenic strain and this makes it a notifiable disease and, when it comes to notifiable diseases the responsibility for both the culling and, indeed, compensation for the actual livestock, is available,” Mr Poots explained.

“There isn’t compensation for the loss of business for the period of time that you won’t have your house filled with birds.

“Therefore, it is incumbent upon the flock owners to ensure that they take all of those biosecurity measures because, if they get this disease, it will cause a financial loss to them.

“We will pick up the pieces in terms of culling and compensation for the birds, but it will still be a financial consideration for each person.”

He continued: “One of the things that we may possibly be looking at is the levels of biosecurity because if people have poor levels of biosecurity, then one has to question whether it is good use of public money.

“But, where people have high levels of biosecurity and still get this, then certainly we want to fully compensate those individuals,” Mr Poots concluded.