‘Business as usual’ for Cork turkey trade

Things are looking good on the turkey front here in Cork with only a minimal price hike caused by the ongoing national bird flu crisis.

With multiple reports of outbreaks in poultry farms up the country, the most recent being in Co. Cavan, some folks were getting a little worried on Leeside as Christmas loomed.

One of those was Tim Mulcahy of the Chicken Inn poultry shop in the English Market who, like many in his trade, could only watch on and hope for the best as suppliers scrambled to keep their flocks safe.

Now, as Christmas turkey orders ramp up, Tim can breathe a sigh of relief and focus on providing the people of Cork with what they need.

“Things are looking a lot better to be honest,” he said. “They (turkey orders) are coming in fine and steady.

“It's just business as usual now because locally there's been nothing reported.

“People just want to get it done and they want to know that it's away and they don't have to think about it until 23 or 24 December when they come to collect it.”

Regarding turkey prices, Tim said there was a small jump but not as much as people feared. He said: “There has been a slight increase, but I don't think it was as much as people were anticipating.

“You're going to have a slight jump every year because it's their (suppliers) only opportunity really to get an extra bit.”

Since last month, a compulsory housing order for poultry and captive birds has been in place across Ireland in an effort stem the spread of bird flu. So far, five outbreaks have been recorded in poultry farms in Ireland.

Commenting on the most recent reported outbreak in Carlow, Tim sympathised with the farmer, describing the loss of income as “heartbreaking”.

Tim said: “I’d say he was three days away from selling his flock out to be processed and they lost the whole lot of them.

“He’s with them now since June or July. It’s a 24/7 gig. It’s not an easy shift to be putting down.

“Our fella (supplier) seems to be okay. I was talking to him there last week and he’s just anxious now to get them away and ready for the Christmas sale.”

In response to the ongoing bird flu outbreak, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has assured the public that there is “no evidence of risk associated with eating poultry meat”.

The FSAI is actively monitoring the situation to ensure the integrity of controls in the food chain.