Britain's farm ministry has confirmed that the bird flu outbreak on a turkey farm in Suffolk was the virulent H5N1 strain.
Officials began slaughtering thousands of turkeys at the farm today, and protection and surveillance zones have been set up around the premises.
The H5N1 strain has killed more than 200 people worldwide since 2003, and millions of birds have either died from it or been killed to prevent its spread.
The European Commission today ordered restrictions on poultry movement and the setting up a series of high-risk zones.
British authorities have already set up a protection zone with a radius of three kilometres and a surveillance zone of 10 kilometres around the affected site in eastern England.
"In the restricted zone, all domestic birds must be kept indoors, and all gatherings of poultry and other captive birds are prohibited in England," the Commission said in a statement. "Poultry cannot be moved (except directly to the slaughterhouse) and meat cannot be dispatched from the zone unless very stringent conditions are met."
The Department of Agriculture's National Disease Control Centre management team held an emergency meeting in Dublin yesterday following confirmation of the outbreak.
Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan said the team had reviewed the department's contingency arrangements and reassessed the risk of the introduction of the disease into Ireland. Ms Coughlan said she was satisfied with the measures but would take further steps if necessary.
Fine Gael Agriculture and Food spokesman Michael Creed TD called for the establishment of a national biosecurity committee.
The Irish Farmers Association moved today to reassure consumers that Irish poultry farmers operate the highest levels of bio-security measures.
IFA national poultry committee chairman Ned Morrissey said producers here have implemented extra measures such as the installation of water chlorination systems to ensure the health status of their flocks is protected. "Consumers can be re-assured that there is no risk when buying Irish poultry because it is fully traceable and quality assured," he said.