Cork farmer warns of Christmas turkey shortage if more cases of bird flu occur

Vivienne Clarke

Turkey farmer Robert Fitzsimons has warned that if more cases of bird flu occur in the coming days and weeks, then there could be a shortage of turkeys for Christmas.

Mr Fitzsimons, who has a turkey farm near Midleton in East Cork and has a flock of 3,000 turkeys, told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that he had been keeping his flock indoors for some time since he was informed by a local vet that there could be an outbreak in nearby Fota wildlife park.

His farm had increased bio security measures such as changing clothing, disinfecting footwear and taking care when feeding the birds.

“We are doing our best.”

"The welfare of the birds comes first, he said. Although they were indoors, they had plenty of room.

The industry was highly regulated and the welfare of their flocks was of great concern for the hundreds of families involved in the sector, he added.

“It's in the wild. There's nothing going to stop it. You know, there's dead birds in the vicinity of where we live. I'm in the flight path of the migratory birds.”

Mr Fitzsimons admitted he was worried about the future of the business and if his flock were to contract bird flu it would be devastating for his family as their business had been set up by his great grandmother.

“If this gets worse, it could be very, very serious.”

Sarah Hanley, poultry executive at the Irish Farmers Association has described news of a second bird flu outbreak at a commercial turkey farm as “very, very worrying.”

Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Ms Hanley said the fact that these were the first cases since 2022 was 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 and 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.”

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 biosecurity 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 that turkeys this year will be smaller and she encouraged the public to support local turkey farmers.