An outbreak of salmonella in eight chicken flocks in Ireland is being investigated.
Restrictions have been placed on the birds, which are in a number of different locations, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said.
Officials are working with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and National Reference Laboratory for Salmonella to determine the outbreak’s cause and mitigate risks.
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The DAFM said in a statement: “A national salmonella control programme in poultry operates on an ongoing basis, including regular sampling by DAFM and farmers at multiple points during the life stages of poultry flocks.
“This programme has been operating successfully over many years, with a very low prevalence of any salmonella species in Irish broiler flocks.”
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) said the outbreak occurred in broiler flocks, or young chickens, and confirmed there have been no human cases of illness linked to this investigation.
“The FSAI has been notified by the Department of Agriculture that affected flocks will be culled and will not enter the food chain,” it said.
The Irish Farmers’ Association poultry chairman Nigel Sweetnam said the confirmed salmonella cases are “devastating” for the flocks’ owners, but stressed that there is no risk to humans.
“I would ask everybody to review their biosecurity measures and to be extra vigilant,” he said.
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