asked the Minister for Agriculture and Food, in view of the urgent need to eliminate salmonella from our poultry flocks and in light of the enormous cost for those who agree to slaughter flocks suspected of infection as instanced in a case (details supplied) in County Cork where 8,000 birds were slaughtered on Friday 2 December 1988, he will institute a system of compensation for those affected.
Written Answers. - Salmonella Elimination.
89.
I have no plans to institute a system of compensation for poultry flocks affected by the recent outbreaks of salmonella enterititis.
The poultry industry has voluntarily agreed that a slaughter policy at breeding farm level is the most effective way of securing the earliest clearance of salmonella enterititis from affected poultry flocks. I strongly support this view and I have committed my Departments extensive resources to identifying the full extent of the problem and to facilitating the removal of the flocks involved. The monitoring programme undertaken by my Department is proceeding satisfactorily. Most hatcheries and their breeding farm suppliers as well as egg packing stations have now been sampled and the results of analyses available to date are encouraging. Slaughtering of affected flocks by the industry is proceeding as planned.
The new code of practice which I have agreed with the poultry and egg industry should give the necessary assurances to consumers and should ensure that recurrence of this type of problem can be avoided.