A number of chicken farms in County Cavan are among the eight in the Republic of Ireland that has tested positive for salmonella. This necessitated the culling of almost 7,000 birds in order to prevent potentially contaminated chicken products from entering the food chain. The impacted locations have been restricted. The Irish Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine is looking into the matter.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union in Northern Ireland has advised flock managers to be attentive and adhere to stringent biosecurity regulations. The Republic of Ireland has a salmonella testing program in place, with flocks checked at various periods throughout their life.

The FSAI has established that salmonella infections in broiler flocks were linked to a raw-chicken food recall made last week, which withdrew some poultry products from store shelves.

Salmonella infections normally cause symptoms between 12 and 36 hours after infection, however, this can last up to three days. Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach pains, vomiting, and fever.