A Co. Tyrone-based councillor and farmer, has observed “concern and worry” among the Northern Irish poultry sector, amid rising cases of bird flu in the area.
Over 122,000 captive birds have been culled in Northern Ireland in the last fortnight, as a result of avian influenza outbreaks in commercial poultry farm settings there.
DUP representative for Clogher Valley, Mark Robinson, told Agriland that the recent spate of detections in mid Ulster, which is a “very densely populated poultry area”, has been identified as a high cause of concern for farmers who are heavily invested in the industry.
“I would say, from speaking to farmers, it’s a really big concern for them. A lot of people locally have made major investments in the sector, they have changed from broiler to laying hens, etc. – I’m talking about millions of pounds, so it’s a really big concern for them,” Robinson said.
21% of Northern Irish farming is poultry-based, with the sector closely following dairy as the second-most profitable sector within the industry, valued at £603 million in 2023, according to a Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA) statistical review in 2023.
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Agriculture 2023
Robinson believes that biosecurity measures will only go so far to mitigate the risk of infection, saying that in many cases, outbreaks are a matter of luck.
“If you read the literature, they’re saying it’s down to your biosecurity. But at the end of day, if a bird flies over your house and happens to drop on it, that’s out of your control. It could happen to anybody really at the end of the day,” Robinson said.
“As I understand it, that first farmer would have been a textbook farmer, regarding biosecurity and stuff. It wasn’t the case that he was just throwing caution to the wind, everything would have been done by the books.
“I’ve even heard feedback from the vets that were on-site, who said it was an ‘expert farm’, but it still got through the doors,” he explained.
In the last fortnight, bird flu have been detected on poultry farms in Cookstown, Pomeroy, and Dungannon, which are all located close to Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, a habitat for numerous wild birds.
“The only thing about those last number of incidents, and this is just me thinking, they’re fairly close to Lough Neagh, they’re only within a mile or two off the lough, which would almost make you think there’s a link, that there’s some sort of connection there,” Robinson said.
“Part of me thinks that maybe the department was a bit slow to act initially, but at the end of the day, hindsight is wonderful,” he mused.
Egg and poultry market
When asked about the potential market implications of the growing number of bird flu incidents in NI, Robinson reckoned that that the supply of eggs will be impacted, as a result of the mass culling of birds in the area.
“I suspect it will have an impact on the market. This is the most severe it has been in a long period of time and I think it’s bound to have an impact, especially in the egg sector,” he said.
“I mean that’s 120,000 laying hens gone. Farmers have been telling me it is already starting to drive prices up a bit,” he explained.
However, the British Egg Industry Council has differed on this, indicating no such speculation on supply or price of eggs.
A representative for the council said:
“The recent outbreaks are very disappointing, and while there may be some short-term disruption to supply, overall, we don’t expect any major problems or shortages for shoppers on retail shelves as the national flock is still far greater than it has been for several years.”
Robinson said that currently, financial aid is only available for the number of live birds that must be culled as a result of avian influenza detection of farms.
In his opinion, compensation should also cover production losses encountered as a result of any outbreak, in order for it to be equitable.
The Ulster Farming Union (UFU) shared Robinson’s concerns for the industry, and are reportedly monitoring the situation “very closely”. It said it could also take months for compensation to materialise.
UFU deputy president, Glenn Cuddy, said: “The UFU is monitoring the avian influenza situation very closely. It’s a devastating blow for the farmers affected by the recent outbreaks.
“Whilst they will get some compensation for the loss of birds, it could be six to eight months before they get back up and going again.
“We need every birdkeeper in NI to strengthen their biosecurity as much as they can and to ensure a high standard of animal welfare during the housing period. This is critical to help prevent any further outbreaks of AI.
“Currently, a small percentage of poultry farms have been affected, and across NI, the production of eggs and poultry meat is continuing as normal and is high,” Cuddy said.
