In two days time, we will all be sitting down to enjoy our turkey, ham and all the trimmings, but it is important to remember that preparations for the food on your plate have been ongoing for months.
For turkey farmer Gerry McMyler based in Maynooth, Co. Kildare, his preparations for the busiest time of the year began some time in August, with the arrival of around 3,000 turkeys from the hatchery.
McMyler carried on the tradition of turkey farming from his grandmother, and has been rearing the birds for 40 years now.
He takes on a couple of thousand each year, and looks after them with the help of his dog, Ted, who is trained to keep a watchful eye over the birds.
From when the turkeys arrive on the farm, McMyler said the main jobs are to keep them bedded, keep food plentiful and drinkers lifted as they grow.
Another key part of looking after the birds is to “keep them from getting cold”, according McMyler. Turkeys have a number of air sacs, which can become infected, causing acute disease of the upper respiratory tract, and can easily lead to death.
McMyler rears the birds with the help of Ted until the first two weeks in December, when they are then sent to the factory.
We caught up with McMyler just before the turkeys were sent away to Hogans Farm in Kells, Co. Meath, where the producers and suppliers have a range of freshly prepared turkey products on site along with a large selection of frozen foods and local artisan goods.
From when the turkeys are killed, they are then weighed, bagged, gas flushed, boxed, and labelled. From there, the turkeys are taken to the coldstore, while butchers make their orders.
McMyler said this part is “not about having the right numbers”, but “the right numbers in the right weight category”.
The orders are then batched off from December 17, with delivery to butchers around December 19 in time for Christmas Day. McMyler also receives his own share of turkeys for distribution to neighbours.
While traditionally a lot of people would purchase a whole bird for Christmas day, leading to a good week of eating leftovers, turkey sandwiches and turkey soups, it may not be as common anymore.
The sale of the turkey crowns has definitely risen in recent years, for more convenience on the day.
With the festive period a time to reap rewards for many turkey farmers, McMyler said that this change in consumer habits has led to “pressure” in sales.
“We’re competing with not alone imports but with turkey crowns, turkey breasts coming from a factory plant. Every turkey I have has two legs, two wings. We can’t sell crowns, you need a butcher shop, you need a factory,” McMyler said.
Throughout his lifetime, McMyler has seen the trade change, from when he was a child helping out with day old birds and later plucking the birds on their own family farm, to now buying the birds in at five-weeks-old.
McMyler said that 30 years ago, “there was a lot more money in it then there is now”, and that costs have gone “enormous” at the minute.
“We’re losing sales year in, year out, to butchers retiring, butchers down in country areas are not gaining customers, they’re losing customers,” he said.
However, money is not the main reason why McMyler does the job anymore, but rather that it is in his blood. His grandmother started rearing turkeys back in the 1950s and he has grew a love for it since.
“I enjoy doing it and I’ll stay doing it as long as I don’t make a major loss. If you’re left with 200 or 300 turkeys on Christmas eve, you’ve made no money, because your profit is in the last pallet that goes out, not the first.
“It is getting costly, but I have the know how and the love to do it and I’ll try and stay doing it as long as Ted stays with me,” McMyler said.
As you sit down to the best meal of the year in two days time, don’t forget about the work that went into creating the main ingredient of the Christmas roast.