Bird markets and shows have been banned and pigeon racing is under review following a major strengthening of the defences to protect Ireland from potentially fatal avian flu.
As part of the new package, Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan has enacted regulations which will mean that every fowl in the country will have to be identified and registered from November 7th.
A Department of Agriculture spokesman said last night that the registration would involve all poultry, including small flocks of birds kept at private homes, and game birds such as pheasants.
"The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that we know where every bird in the country is should there be an outbreak of this disease."
Ms Coughlan's move comes as a fourth outbreak of bird flu in a week was reported in Russia last night.
Four villages around the city of Omsk have been quarantined by police and birds destroyed after the disease was found this week.
It follows outbreaks last week in the city of Tula, 200km south of Moscow, where more than 2,000 birds suddenly died, and at Tambov 400km southeast.
On Saturday the disease was found further east among geese and chickens near Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains.
The new regulations in Ireland impose an immediate ban on the collection of poultry and captive birds for poultry markets, shows, exhibitions and cultural events other than under licence.
It also makes record-keeping mandatory and the reporting of unusual patterns of bird deaths at commercial premises.
"The ban on the collection of poultry and captive birds for markets, shows, exhibitions and cultural events will be reviewed before December 1st," a statement from the department said.
The statement quoted the Minister as saying that the measures she had introduced were "entirely consistent" with our approach to date.
"It represents a further measured and proportionate response to the risk of the introduction of the disease."
The measures were being put in place as evidence of the Minister's commitment to give full and speedy effect to EU measures in so far as they were appropriate to Irish circumstances.
The Minister added that her department was continuing to consider the introduction of other measures, including additional biosecurity measures in potentially high-risk areas as provided for in the recent commission decision.
Meanwhile, the Irish free-range poultry industry could be under threat following calls from British MEPs to consider EU restrictions on free-range farming.