The Department of Agriculture is to conduct an exercise today to test plans for a possible outbreak of bird flu.
Six thousand chickens will be slaughtered at farm in Kilmeedy, Co Limerick, despite objections from the Fire Officers' Association, which has advised its members not to participate.
The association said protocol for the exercise as drawn up by the department does not comply with standard operation procedures for a hazardous material incident. It says it has not been consulted on the protocol and its members' lives would be at risk.
Under current arrangements, firefighters would not be involved in administering the lethal CO 2gas to kill the birds but would enter the poultry houses after the slaughter, wearing chemical-proof suits and breathing apparatus, to measure remaining levels of the gas and check that all poultry are dead.
The Department of Agriculture confirmed to The Irish Timesthat a private company had been taken on to conduct the exercise.