'Turkeys prefer to be outside looking in, but animal welfare comes first'

Bird flu outbreaks in Carlow and Meath — the first recorded in poultry in the Republic since November 2022 — have turkey producers fearfully counting down the days to the holiday season

Europe has been hit by a surge in bird flu outbreaks. Bird flu often spreads through migrating birds, and it peaks in winter. Picture: Mark Stedman/RollingNews.ie

It doesn't take tinsel, a fall of snow, or a John Lewis TV ad to get people thinking about Christmas.

Once Halloween passes, the year begins to slalom towards parties, presents, and turkey with all the trimmings.

It’s the busiest time of year for Ireland’s commercial turkey producers. This year, they are anxiously — and fearfully — counting down the days.

On Tuesday, an outbreak of a “highly pathogenic” strain of bird flu was reported at a commercial turkey flock in Co Carlow. A day later, a case was confirmed at a commercial turkey farm in Kells, Co Meath.

Meanwhile, across the border in Northern Ireland, suspected cases resulted in culling at poultry premises in Pomeroy, Co Tyrone, and in Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh.

Europe has been hit by a surge in bird flu outbreaks. Bird flu often spreads through migrating birds, and it peaks in winter.

However, this season, there have already been over 850 cases in Europe, more than double than at this time last year. Poultry producers in Germany, France, Britain, and Spain are all facing increased biosecurity measures.

The news of the outbreaks in Carlow and Meath — the first recorded in poultry in the Republic since November 2022 — has rocked an industry which produces 1.5m turkeys for consumption annually.

For Robert and Yvonne Fitzsimmons, of East Ferry Farm in Midleton in East Cork, the outbreak of bird flu has left them facing a stressful month, and their family business is in jeopardy.

“We’ve got 1,800 free range turkeys here, and we’ve got five weeks to go,” Mr Fitzsimmons said.

They are all indoors now. We’re just waiting for that first week in December

“Turkeys prefer to be on the outside looking in than on the inside looking out. But animal welfare comes first, and they have space and plenty of straw.

“The turkeys are well looked after. They don’t realise what’s going on or the risk.

“It’s more stressful on the people. The stress is absolutely massive right now.”

Mr Fitzsimmons has been rearing these turkeys — a mix of bronze and white breeds — since the August bank holiday weekend.

Robert Fitzsimmons at his East Farry Farm, Midleton, Co Cork. Strict biosecurity measures are now in place after an outbreak of bird flu in Ireland. Picture: Dan Linehan

When mature, his turkeys will each weigh between 5kg and 12kg. They will sell to retailers for roughly €60 to €80 on average.

“I’ve agreed a price with my customers, and I won’t be raising it,” said Mr Fitzsimmons, who also ruled out the possibility of slaughtering the turkeys at an earlier date.

“They wouldn’t make the weight, and we have a programme we run with the turkeys. We’ll stick to it.”

It’s an all-or-nothing period at East Ferry Farm. However, the price of turkey for consumers could end up rising if there are further culls to Ireland’s fresh turkey flock as a result of the outbreak.

Some 8,000 birds alone were culled as part of the Meath outbreak. There are around 800 commercial farms in Ireland involved in poultry production, with about 100 of these involved in turkey production.

The wider poultry sector (meat and eggs) remains a critical part of the rural economy in many parts of the country, delivering around €700m in output and supporting over 5,000 jobs.

Indeed, Ireland’s per capita consumption of poultry meat grew by 2kg (5%) to 49kg in 2024, while per capita consumption of all other meats fell, according to the CSO.

At Christmas, the taste for turkey goes into overdrive. Retailers are awaiting the arrival of mature birds for the festive rush. Butchers are already busily taking their orders.

'Nerve-wracking weeks ahead'

Tim Mulcahy, who runs the Chicken Inn stall in Cork’s English Market, said he sells more than 2,000 fresh turkeys each year in the days running up to Christmas.

He said that demand has not dipped for the product, despite the rise in bird flu incidents in recent years.

“We sell fresh turkeys here so, from December 20 onwards, we hope to be very busy,” he said.

“Until then, we just have to hope it will be ok.”

“We buy all our turkeys from a local producer, and it is a very tough situation for them. They will have a nerve-wracking few weeks.

“Their entire year depends on this period. If they get an outbreak, then they are wiped out.

“Producers, having reared thousands of birds, must now try and keep them locked down, which is not an easy thing to do — particularly for smaller producers.

“They are very vulnerable. They began rearing these birds from chicks, and that could all be wiped so overnight.

“Some may take the chance and cull their turkeys early. They may weigh slightly less, but at least they won’t be impacted by bird flu.

The poultry producers and sellers now operate with the expectation of bird flu being an annual threat

“We can at least draw on experience,” Mr Mulcahy said.

Mr Mulcahy said the repeated bird flu outbreaks have not diminished consumer demand.

“People trust their regular suppliers. We have seen changing trends for turkey over the years, but there is still demand there. They trust who they buy from, who supplies them, and that they are getting an excellent product,” he said.

The product is excellent and safe to eat, said infection prevention and control specialist Sinéad Creedon. She is also a lecturer at UCC’s School of Public Health.

“People may be concerned about eating eggs, turkey, and other poultry — you need not be worried,” said Ms Creedon.

“As long as they are cooked thoroughly, there is no risk to humans.

“Normal cooking temperatures of 75C and above inactivates the virus completely, carrying no risk of infection.

“However, things should never get to that stage due to stringent measures such as culling and restriction zones for animals and products.”

The threat of bird flu has hung over Irish agriculture for the past five years, and turkeys are one of the biggest risks.

US research from the University of Minnesota has suggested that turkeys are more susceptible than other poultry, such as chickens to bird flu, requiring a lower dose for infection. Even without culls, the mortality rate for infected birds is also exceptionally high.

Last Thursday night, the clinical director of commercial poultry veterinary practice St David’s Poultry Team, Aonghus Lane, told an Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) biosecurity webinar that the R number for this strain of bird flu, which refers to a rating of how well a disease can spread, was 14 to 16.

This meant that, for every bird infected, 14 to 16 birds on average could be infected as a result.

Mr Lane stressed the need for strict biosecurity to be exercised.

On Monday, a Department of Agriculture mandatory housing order for all poultry and captive birds will come into effect.

Poultry farmers and bird owners are encouraged to house their birds even earlier. Department of Agriculture senior veterinary inspector Alan Johnson told the IFA webinar that weather conditions were ideal for the disease to persist. Both Mr Johnson and Mr Lane stressed the importance of biosecurity as the number one preventative for the disease. Mr Johnson said the department was not considering the use of vaccines yet.

Already, some producers have had to face culling their flocks.

It was revealed in the meeting on Thursday night that a British-based company is humanely euthanising the birds on the Meath farm. The Department of Agriculture has recently issued tenders, and it has secured contracts with outside companies to facilitate large-scale culling if necessary.

The department said the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 provides that compensation to owners of animals may be payable “if a cull is directed by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, in the event of an outbreak in that herd or flock of certain diseases, including highly pathogenic avian influenza”.

In Midleton, Robert Fitzsimmons is hoping for a happy ending for his family’s business to this particular Christmas tale.

He has been on high alert for weeks. When Fota Wildlife Park announced a bird flu outbreak in its greylag goose population last month, Mr Fitzsimmons took the decision to bring his turkeys inside.

“The less risk the better,” he said.

The flock is being protected as much as possible, with as little external contact as possible.

“The biggest threat for us is wild birds or some flock owner who isn’t bringing their flock inside. But it’s in the wild. We can’t stop nature.”

Is bird flu a danger to humans? 

Bird flu is a type of influenza which typically affects poultry and wild birds, but rarely humans.

“When you hear reports and stories about high levels of death or illness in birds, that is usually a sign that there is a highly pathogenic avian influenza present, meaning it is more infectious than other strains,” said Sinéad Creedon, an infection prevention and control specialist and a lecturer at UCC’s School of Public Health.

The H5N1 strain is definitely considered the most serious strain in birds and humans. In 2003, there were almost 1,000 human cases of the strain reported worldwide — and half of those died.

“Understandably, this can generate some fear amongst us in the general population. It is quite unusual for humans to acquire bird flu, but the 2003 epidemic proved that it can happen, albeit rare,” said Ms Creedon.

“Currently, there is no scientific evidence to prove that it can be transmitted between people. However, there is always a concern that the virus might mutate in the future thus allowing transmission between people.” 

The advice is not to touch or handle any sick or dead wild birds, because of the risk of bird flu, and this is even more important during the winter months. Sick or dead wild birds should be reported to the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine via the Avian Check app.

If you have come into contact with infected birds during an outbreak on a farm, or if you handled sick or dead wild birds that were reported to be infected with bird flu, as long as the outbreak was reported in the first place, you will be monitored for around 10 days as a precaution.

In terms of protecting yourself, it is important to consider the seasonal influenza vaccine if you are a person that has regular close contact with pigs, poultry, or waterfowl.

This can be done by your GP or pharmacy.

CORK BUSINESS

A collection of the latest business articles and business analysis from Cork.