With additional reporting from Vivienne Clarke
There are fresh fears over the supply of Irish turkeys this Christmas as the Irish avian sector has been placed on a 'red alert'.
It follows the discovery of a strain of avian flu which has been decimating flocks of birds across Europe, in a dead swan in Co. Cavan - where the majority of Christmas turkeys are produced.
The Department of Agriculture is likely to advise farmers to move all poultry indoors in the coming days.
Brendan Soden - Poultry Vice Chair of the Irish Farmers Association - says they're issuing a 'red alert' to all producers.
Meanwhile, Nigel Sweetman told RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland that over the autumn there had been cases along the south coast from Waterford to Kerry, all of the same strain that has swept across Europe, the UK and the US.
“High vigilance is what's called for, we all operate to a very high level of biosecurity and I'd be calling on all poultry farmers to observe the utmost degree of security.”
Mr Sweetman acknowledged that there was always a danger of wild birds coming in contact with free-range birds. Avian flu was highly contagious. “If it gets into a house it's lights out.”
To date, 47 million birds in Europe and 48 million birds in the US have either died or been slaughtered because of avian influenza.
The IFA wants the situation to be kept under review. “It is a big danger (to free-range birds), if it is something that is needed (indoor order), then we'd welcome it.”
Farmers need to be “extra, extra vigilant”, he said. They need to take all measures necessary to keep wild birds off their sites, “to adhere to the highest levels of biosecurity like the Ag centres already do, the whole case of access can be fatal for the poultry industry.”
