Poultry consumption in Ireland fell by 8 per cent last year, which is bad news for an industry facing a consumer crisis because of bird flu.
Statistics issued by Taylor Nelson Sofres show there was an increase of 1 per cent in Irish consumption of fresh and frozen meat, and that pigmeat and lamb offset a fall in poultry sales.
"The volume of fresh/frozen poultry purchased by Irish households during the year ending January 1st, 2006, was 8 per cent below year-earlier levels at 34,900 tonnes," the report said.
The total value of those purchases last year was €1.02 billion.
"Both turkey and chicken contributed to the fall, with turkey purchases more than 26 per cent lower at almost 4,800 tonnes, while chicken witnessed a decline of almost 5 per cent to 29,800 tonnes, which marks a continuation of a longer-term trend," the report, in the Bord Bia Market Monitor magazine, said.
"However, when sales of cooked, breaded and processed poultry are taken into account, total poultry sales during the period were just over 3 per cent lower," it said.
"The proportion of Irish households buying poultry during the year was largely maintained at almost 93 per cent, which would indicate little, if any, consumer reaction to avian influenza up to that point."
Almost half of the switched purchases from poultry were taken up by bacon and pork, a quarter by lamb, 13 per cent by sausages and 10 per cent by beef.