The Department of Agriculture has announced a compulsory housing order for poultry and captive birds amid the heightened risk from avian influenza, or bird flu.
The housing order will come into effect from Monday 10 November, while a similar measure is due to be introduced for the UK tomorrow, which will include Northern Ireland.
It follows the introduction of new biosecurity regulations for poultry farms at the start of this month, in response to the increased risk posed to flocks from bird flu circulating among the wild-bird population.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said the action is being taken "to reduce the threat to our industry and to our poultry farmers' livelihoods".
He added that "reducing the opportunity for contact with potentially infected wild birds, is crucial as this is one of themain ways in which the virus can spread".
The housing order comes after the introduction of restriction zones around a commercial turkey farm in Co Carlow yesterday, after an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu there.
The Irish Farmers' Association the discovery at the commercial turkey farm is "very worrying".
It is understood that the farm has a flock of around 500 turkeys.
A 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone are in place around the site in Carlow.
It is the first outbreak of bird flu in a commercial poultry flock in Ireland since 2023, although the virus has been detected in more than 40 wild birds across the country this year.
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Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, National Chair of the IFA's Poultry Committee Nigel Sweetnam said the pattern of bird flu is changing and presents in a new form every year.
"It's a mutating disease and every year presents in a new form and new challenges. It arrived probably a month earlier than normal, and in different geographical locations, with two outbreaks in Cork, where we haven't seen it very much before.
"So it's all together, very, very worrying, and particularly for the farmer involved. It's his livelihood," Mr Sweetnam said.
He said the turkeys in Co Carlow had become infected by wild birds and the flock will now have to be euthanised.
Mr Sweetnam advised farmers to consult with their vets if they have concerns about their flock.
He said people who find dead birds on the ground should report it to a vet, because it is vitally important that "we keep track of where the disease is".
Mr Sweetnam called for a housing order to be implemented, which would compel free-range farmers to keep birds indoors and restrict movement onto their sites, keeping unnecessary visits out of farms.
"Over the last five years, because bird flu is becoming such an issue, we have enhanced housing for birds. We've reduced stocking rates. We have the facilities now to keep birds indoors. It's basically avoiding trouble," he added.
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Outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu have also been identified in poultry flocks in several European countries, as well as the United Kingdom, this year.
It comes after Fota Wildlife Park announced it will remain closed until at least the end of the month due to an "ongoing assessment of the national avian flu situation".
The UK is due to bring in a housing order for captive poultry flocks on Thursday that will include Northern Ireland, with the Irish Government expected to introduce a similar measure.
Although avian influenza can be very contagious between birds, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) advise that the risk to public health from the strain circulating is very low.
Members of the public are advised not to handle sick or dead wild birds and to report any episodes of sick or dead wild birds to their regional veterinary office or, if outside business hours, to contact the National Disease Emergency Hotline on 01 492 8026 or use the Department of Agriculture's 'Avian Check' app.
