Properly cooked poultry safe, says Coughlan
As the lethal bird flu virus spread to nearly half of the EU’s 25 member states, the minister again highlighted the fact that there is no H5N1 in Ireland.
However, she said she is conscious of, and concerned by, the reported decline in poultry sales.
The Irish poultry sector is worth in the region of €150 million to the economy annually and employing in the region of 6,000 people.
“I appreciate that any prolonged downturn in sales and consumption has the potential to cause significant damage to this industry,” she said.
Ms Coughlan repeated that there is nothing to fear from consuming properly cooked poultry meat.
“That advice is not just mine. It’s offered by a range of organisations including the World Health Organisation, the European Food Safety Association, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and Safefood.”
Ms Coughlan said she and her officials have been and continue to be fully engaged in developing a comprehensive range of contingency measures aimed principally at minimising the risk of the disease being introduced into Ireland.
“The recent spread of the virus throughout Europe has increased the likelihood of Ireland being affected but, despite that increased likelihood, there is no inevitability that we will get the virus,” she said.
Ms Coughlan said preparedness has been stepped up and she had appointed an Avian Influenza Expert Advisory Group.
Under the chairmanship of Professor Michael Monaghan of UCD, it is to advise her on the adequacy of control measures and to recommend any additional controls that should be put in place.
Ms Coughlan said her department is actively engaged with various elements of the industry to consider how best all can work together to secure the future of the Irish poultry industry at this challenging time.
She thanked the hundreds of people who have been reporting deaths of wild birds to her department’s helpline.
Ms Coughlan said these people were a vital component of the frontline defence against the threat of avian flu.
