Poultry Sector

Thursday, 2 July 2026

Ceisteanna (378)

Roderic O'Gorman

Ceist:

378. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide the names of the ten largest egg production operations here; the number of birds that went through the system in each of the top five, in 2025; the number of mortalities in each of the top five producers in 2025; the reasons for these mortalities; the average age of the birds when they expired; the frequency of visits by Government-approved vets to all egg producer operations; whether visits by vets are by arrangement or if they are unannounced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50437/26]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

As a result of the EU General Data Protection Regulations, the Data Protection Act and commercial sensitivity I cannot provide the identities of the 10 largest egg production operations or the number of birds that went through the system in each of the top five producers.

My Department does not collect data on the number of mortalities and the reasons for mortalities for hen producers. The average age of end-of-lay birds on poultry holdings is 80 weeks of age.

A number of laying hen flocks are selected for inspection each year to check compliance with the EU and domestic legislation on laying hen welfare. The flocks are generally selected based on risk and the inspections are carried out by my Department. Inspection of laying hen flocks can also take place as a result of a welfare incident or a report that requires on-farm follow up. In addition to animal welfare inspections, layer flocks are also inspected periodically for other purposes for example for trade and animal health surveillance reasons. Inspections may be announced or unannounced.

There were 287 egg producer operations inspected in 2025 by my Department for compliance with animal welfare and food hygiene legislative requirements.