Cork farmer warns of Christmas turkey shortage if more cases of bird flu occur
Robert Fitzsimmons with his free-range turkeys at the East Ferry Farm in East Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan
A Cork turkey farmer has warned that if more cases of bird flu occur, there could be a shortage of turkeys for Christmas.
It comes as a compulsory housing order for all poultry and captive birds will come into effect on Monday, November 10, in an effort to protect Irish flocks and poultry from avian influenza.
The order follows recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in Fota Wildlife Park in Cork and a further reported outbreak in a turkey flock in Co Carlow.
Robert Fitzsimmons, who has a turkey farm near Midleton with a flock of 3,000 birds, says this disease is in the wild and "there's nothing going to stop it".
Mr Fitzsimons admitted he was worried about the future of the business, saying that if his flock were to contract bird flu, it would be devastating for his family business, which had been set up by his great-grandmother.
“If this gets worse, it could be very, very serious.”
Mr Fitzsimmons said he had been keeping his flock indoors since he was informed by a local vet that there could be an outbreak at Fota.
His farm has increased bio-security measures such as changing clothing, disinfecting footwear and taking care when feeding the birds.
"We are doing our best," he told RTÉ's . He said the welfare of the birds comes first, adding that even though they were indoors, the birds had plenty of room.
The industry was highly regulated, he said, and the welfare of their flocks was of great concern for the hundreds of families involved in the sector.
Meanwhile, Irish Farmers Association poultry executive Sarah Hanley has described news of a second bird flu outbreak at a commercial turkey farm as "very, very worrying".
While the housing order imposed by the Department of Agriculture is not due to come into place until Monday, Ms Hanley urged poultry farmers to lock their flocks up immediately for their protection.
“They should make every effort to do so. It does reduce the risk of the spread.
"But your bio-security at farm level that works for your farm — it's something that cannot be said enough — that it's the number one defence. So very small things like ensuring that your footwear is clean, you're not walking across the yard into a poultry house, and I know that can be particularly difficult for backyard flocks.”
Ms Hanley acknowledged that some turkey farmers may process their flock early for Christmas, which will mean turkeys this year will be smaller.
Ms Hanley said the fact that these were the first cases since 2022 was a testament to the biosecurity standards that are upheld across the country.
“Poultry producers and the industry have put a massive effort into that, but unfortunately, now this year luck hasn't been on our side to date," she said.
Speaking on , she encouraged the public to support local turkey farmers.
"I think it's important to say that behind every poultry farm there is a family. When bird flu hits a farm like that, it's absolutely devastating so you can imagine the worry for those farmers waking up this morning and going out to check on their flocks.”
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