THE circumstances surrounding the death of 300 hatching chicks In the baggage hold of a Bus Eireann vehicle yesterday is being investigated by inspectors from the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The chicks died from dehydration while in transit from Carlow to Cavan.
The executive director of the DSPCA, Ms Therese Cunningham, said Bus Eireann vehicles were not designed to deliver fowl and she called on CIE to stop transporting crates of hatchlings.
"Bus Eireann should not be transporting any live animals or birds in unventilated luggage compartments, especially during spells of hot weather." She urged the Department of Agriculture to investigate.
Ms Maire Doonan a passenger on the bus, saw the dead chicks while removing her luggage from the baggage compartment of the bus in Cavan town.
"The chicks were in three plastic boxes taped together. Some had escaped through holes in the boxes and were running loose in the luggage compartment, but most were dead," she said.
Ms Mary Anne Bartlett, spokeswoman for Compassion in World Farming, expressed serious concern about the transport of live farm animals and poultry within the State. "Day old hatchlings are too young to be transported and consignments should not be treated like parcels," she said.
Mr Martin Carr, parcels development officer with Bus Eireann, explained that all consignments of chicks were parcelled in boxes specified by the Department of Agriculture.
He said that Bus Eireann delivered all chick consignments as parcels and not as livestock. Boxes of hatchling birds were officially classified as post and not livestock, therefore they were not inspected to ensure that drinking water and food was available. Mr Carr said he was investigating the incident.