THE Department of Agriculture has been told not to interfere with turkey sales at marts by a farm leader who said a ban on turkey sales should be thrown "back into the face of the Minister", writes Sean MacConnell, Agriculture Correspondent.
Mr Michael Doody, a member of the ICMSA national council and chairman of the organisation's tax committee, said marts should defy the Department and proceed with sales.
The Department has banned the sale of turkeys at marts from this Christmas because the practice was never legal, and for food safety reasons.
"There are turkeys wrapped in the packaging of Irish companies being advertised outside stores at 45p per pound and nobody can be sure of their origin or how long they have been in or out of the deep freeze," he said.
"The turkeys offered for sale at marts are fresh and the consumer can be assured of their traceability to the producer."