Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)

I want to raise awareness among the greater public of the issue of avian flu. There has been a confirmed case in a commercial flock in Northern Ireland. Imagine going to bed last night as someone who rears turkeys commercially and has just one major pay day in the year. You would be living on tenterhooks. It is important that we raise awareness among the public. Someone who has a backyard flock of a few hens needs to be aware of this. If one of them gets sick and dies, they need to be honest and go to the correct authorities to report the incident. Similarly, if someone comes across a dead wild bird, it is not just a case of walking by or kicking it into the hedge and letting nature take its course. It needs to be reported, analysed and tested. It is vitally important that there is awareness among the public so that we keep this infection out of our commercial and backyard flocks at all costs. My heart goes out to those who rear turkeys in particular. They have one payday in the year. We can imagine how they would feel if there was an outbreak of this disease. I would say they are having sleepless nights. If we can help in any way, we should. People should be vigilant. It is all about biosecurity and we all have a role to play in biosecurity. If people see a dead wild bird, I ask them to take the correct action and report it to the relevant authorities.