Turkey prices to soar amidst bird flu crisis?
“They're the guys who wake up in the morning and they don't know whether they're going to have a house full of birds or a house full of bodies.”
Those were the words of Tim Mulcahy of the Chicken Inn poultry shop in Cork city whose supplier is under enormous pressure to keep their turkeys safe from the recent outbreak of bird flu in the lead up to Christmas.
Mr Mulcahy, who runs his family-owned business in the English Market, assured the public there will most likely be enough turkeys for people this Christmas, but that the prices are extremely hard to predict as the virus continues to spread.
“The price is so volatile now at the moment you just don't know day by day what's going to happen,” he said.
“The turkey is priced per kilo, so if people have a look at what they had last year and if they remember if they had too much, maybe they could cut back a bit on the size.
“Maybe get a bit of pork or a bit of beef and just use the turkey for Christmas Day, and for Christmas night for the turkey and ham and cranberry sandwich,” added Mr Mulcahy.
Since Monday, a compulsory housing order for poultry and captive birds has been in place across Ireland in an effort stem the spread of bird flu.
Mr Mulcahy continued: “I think it was a good decision to get them back into the houses even though it’s not what these small producers want to do; I think it’s a better option than running the risk of losing the entire flock.”
“With five weeks to go now, it would be horrendous to have to sacrifice a whole flock,” he added.
Mr Mulcahy advised anyone in Cork looking to secure a turkey for Christmas to stick with their local butcher as they will have a close relationship with suppliers and will be able to keep customers updated on price and availability. Looking ahead to the new year, Mr Mulcahy said his biggest fear is that the virus will get into the chicken population as seen in a number of recent outbreaks in the UK. He said: “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem because the reaction has been fairly on the ball so far.
“As a retailer, if I can get my man over the line for Christmas and get his turkeys sold, and if he can keep his turkeys safe, I think there will be a huge relief all around.”
Meanwhile, Fota Wildlife Park’s doors remain closed as efforts continue to protect captive birds from infection.
According to the latest report from the park, 73 birds from the park’s collection have been humanely euthanised in an effort to stop the virus spreading. Additionally, more than 80 birds have been separated from the wild population.