A worrying week for poultry farmers

February 1997

Chicken farmers and egg producers in Wexford are on full alert for signs of ‘Newcastle disease’ in their flocks.

It’s been a week of worry for Wexford’s poultry people as the disease ravages flocks in Northern Ireland, where almost a million birds have already died or been slaughtered.

Unlike its victims, Newcastle disease is airborne, making it highly contagious.

The disease could hit the south-east, according to the experts, but is more likely to strike in border areas.

One Wexford egg producer said he was ‘fairly concerned’, while another was ‘very very worried’.

John Murphy, a Bunclody egg producer, said it was ‘a worrying time’ for the poultry industry.

He is lucky to be based in Wexford, where the concentration of poultry farms is low, he said.

He would be a lot more concerned if the outbreak wasn’t confined to Northern Ireland, he added.

Barney Murphy, a Castlebridge egg producer, said he was ‘very very worried’ but added that he was happier than producers in border areas.

He has been monitoring lorries coming into his farm and keeping wild fowl, who can carry the disease, from his flock of 18,000 birds to reduce the risk.

It is possible that Wexford’s poultry farmers will soon be involved in a nationwide vacctina-tion programme, but for the moment, they must wait and watch.