Valuation tables will be used to decide compensation for Irish poultry farmers affected by bird flu cases.
The announcement by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue follows a fifth case of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) detected in the Republic of Ireland.
Minister McConalogue said his department is closely monitoring the situation and proactively working with the sector to ensure that commercial flocks are protected.
The department updated the valuation tables following expert advice and they will be used to quickly determine the compensation paid where a bird flu outbreak results in a cull of poultry.
“Compensation is payable only to the owner of the animals or items affected. Consequential losses are not compensated for,” Minister McConalogue confirmed.
The announcement comes after Northern Ireland Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots confirmed that five commercial holdings in Co. Monaghan and Co. Cavan have been confirmed.
Mr Poots said the disease control zones for two of the cases in Co. Monaghan and Co. Cavan extend into Northern Ireland and corresponding disease control zones have been established.
There have been 48 cases of bird flu detected in the UK since the first confirmed case in England in about six weeks ago.