Birdflu is a constant worry

While a breakout of bird flu could end up costing him his livelihood, there is very little Virginia-based free-range poultry farmer Thomas Fitzsimons can do to prevent it.

“Bird flu is a constant worry,” he says. “Every morning you’d wake up and think about it. You’d worry is it coming this way? The hens are let out every morning and come back in every evening, so we’re exposed.

“You can take biosecurity measures such as using dips, and automatic gates on the way in, and disinfecting all vehicles on the way in and out. But it’s very difficult to stop the path of nature, especially birds flying overhead, or if the disease is airborne. A lot of it is luck, you’re never 100% protected from it.”

Bird flu had a big impact on the Irish poultry sector this year. There were two outbreaks on poultry farms in Monaghan, with several cases confirmed in wild birds, including a dead swan found in Cavan. It resulted in farmers having to lock their flocks indoors.

There are massive costs associated with an outbreak as Thomas explains.

“It would wipe you out overnight. There were a few cases in Monaghan last year, that would put the fear of God into you.

“We bought our birds for €6 a bird. We have 18,000 overall. You’d have to factor in all the meal those chickens ate, the shed would have to be cleared out and washed. It would be an overall bill of €150,000.”

The laying industry came under massive financial pressure recently, with rising costs and dropping farm gate prices.

“Our meal bill had gone up by €160 a tonne since 2020, while the cost of birds had gone from €4.50 to €6, but the prices in supermarkets were dropping. We lost out on 20c for every dozen eggs we produced. It would have cost me over €100,000 a year. In poultry, prices are up you’re doing well, but if they’re down you’re bleeding money. There are steps you can take to alleviate the situation. You can extend your overdraft, stretch out your loan, or get extra credit from the millers. But these price cuts have a domino effect on the whole sector.”

Eventually, farmers were forced to protest in order to highlight their concerns. Thomas, who served as the IFA’s county secretary explained it was a success.

The IFA felt that the discount stores’ prices were putting downward pressure on the other supermarkets so they protested for six days and nights.

“We got a 15c price increase, which was badly needed. That protest worked well because a lot of farmers are relatively happy now, but if the prices were pulled it could tip the balance in the other direction.”

Thomas previously double jobbed as a dairy farmer, but says poultry offers a better way of living.

“I was dairy farming up until 2007 with 50 cows. I decided to get out and concentrate more on the poultry side of the business. It’s not something I regret. I have a much better lifestyle with it and there’s more stability.

“I get up every morning and make sure the birds have meal and water and that they’re content. I check the temperatures, and overall optics to make sure they’re all happy -that takes two hours. Along with Colm Geraghty, a man from Maghera who helps me, I collect the eggs with a Prizsom Egg packer, a machine that puts the eggs onto the tray. We make sure that none are cracked or dirty. It can sort 18,000 eggs in an hour.

“The hens come here at 16 weeks of age, they start laying at 20 weeks, and leave at 80 weeks, they go to a factory in Monaghan for slaughter and processing for the export market, ending up in chicken burgers and things like that. They don’t have enough flesh to be sold to a supermarket.”

While he hasn’t turned his back entirely on the livestock sector, growing costs and shrinking returns mean it’s only a matter of time.

“I used to buy heifers, serve them with A.I., and sell them off as in-calf heifers. Then when the BDGP scheme came out I started sucklers. It’s more of a hobby than anything else. It gives cash in the month of April, but it’s harmless now. When you take into account how much fertiliser and meal have gone up there’s not a lot in it. Eventually, I will get out of it.”

Thomas would love to see the farm being kept in his family but understands if his children take different paths.

“My wife Marie is a career guidance teacher in Dublin. We have two kids Ben and Jennifer who are 12 and 10. They help out in the evenings and on weekends and are very enthusiastic. I’d love to see them keep on the farm, but there are other jobs out there for them that offer better career opportunities - blue chip companies, banks.

“It would be nice to see them come back to the farm but I wouldn’t begrudge them if they decided to do something else.”