Britain's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has said that the cull of almost 160,000 birds at the Suffolk farm where an outbreak of bird flu was discovered has now been completed.
Fred Landeg, the department's Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer, confirmed the culling operation at the stricken farm in Holton was finished at around 8.30pm this evening.
The Taoiseach and the Food Safety Authority have meanwhile sought to reassure consumers that poultry products are safe to eat, despite the discovery of bird flu in England.
The Government today banned the transport of birds from Britain for gatherings and shows in this country.
The ban will not include poultry movements from Northern Ireland.
Bertie Ahern told journalists that precautions would still have to be taken, even if they would not be as stringent as those in force during the Foot and Mouth outbreak.
The decision to impose the transportation ban was taken following a meeting this morning of top civil servants in the Department of Agriculture & Food.
The Minister for Health, Mary Harney, has said the latest outbreak of bird flu in Britain means that Ireland now faces an increased risk of the disease arriving.
However Ms Harney said that there was no evidence to suggest that bird flu could be transmitted from humans to humans and that it is the Irish poultry population which faces a greater danger.
Risk to Ireland 'minimal': Coughlan
The minister said the Government has the resources to cope with any potential problem and Minister for Agriculture & Food Mary Coughlan will update the Cabinet at its weekly meeting tomorrow.
Ms Coughlan earlier said the risk posed to Ireland was minimal.
However, the Labour party has claimed Ireland needs to be on a state of 'red alert' for the arrival of avian flu.
Dr Mary Upton, Labour Spokesperson on Agriculture, said it was a matter of 'when rather than if' the virus reached Irish shores following the outbreak in England.
Poultry farmers say the range of controls already in place is adequate in certain circumstances.
The current measures include the fencing off of poultry on farms, the dipping of footwear and the wearing of protective clothing in poultry houses.
The European Union Health Commissioner, Markos Kyprianou, has said the EU has strong legislation to cope with further outbreaks of bird flu.
The Dutch government has responded to the outbreak in Britain by ordering farmers to keep all commercial poultry indoors.
