Bad season of bird flu in UK hits supply of Christmas turkeys
UK poultry producers are battling a “bad season” of bird flu, with cases much worse than at this point last year, putting a squeeze on supplies of Christmas birds including turkeys, chickens and ducks.Two industry insiders said they expected supplies of all poultry to be tight ahead of the festive season, especially for organic and free-range birds, which are seen as the most vulnerable to infection.There are also likely to be fewer heavier birds available as some producers have started processing them earlier to try to avoid the risk of infection.About 5% of the UK Christmas poultry flock, including turkeys, ducks and chickens, representing about 300,000 birds, are thought to have been culled so far this season.The current avian influenza outbreak has seen higher numbers of cases in the UK than last winter, although it is not yet as severe as 2022/23, which was the largest outbreak the country has ever experienced.
Despite this, major retailers are expected to have enough stock because of strong agreements with suppliers and their willingness to pay more for advance orders, even if it means taking a hit on profit margins.Smaller retailers are likely to find it harder to source birds, or may have to put up prices for shoppers to cover their higher costs for securing stock.“Certain producers have been very badly hit,” said Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council.“We are looking at increasing numbers of cases and it is a bad season, much worse than last year.”Gressingham, which supplies ducks to retailers including Waitrose, was among the firms to have had an avian flu outbreak but would not confirm how many birds were lost.
Free-range and organic poultry producer Capestone Organic Poultry, based in west Wales, also had an outbreak at one of its farms, which led to 48,000 turkeys at the site being culled.“We only have free-range and organic products, nothing is housed, so we are particularly vulnerable,” said Rob Cumine, managing director of Capestone, which supplies birds to several of the UK’s major supermarkets.He said an outbreak and the ensuing cull has “quite an emotional impact”, explaining: “You are very invested in the welfare of the birds; you all feel that in terms of the waste.“You question whether you could have done more and there are huge emotions for the staff and the team involved.”Bird keepers in England were ordered earlier this month to keep flocks of more than 50 birds indoors from 6 November.
Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotionThat ruling extended previous measures covering northern, central and some parts of eastern England, amid escalating numbers of outbreaks of bird flu in both captive and wild birds.A housing order came into force in Wales on 13 November.An avian influenza prevention zone is in place across the whole of Great Britain, requiring strict biosecurity measures to try to restrict the spread of the disease.However, new cases of the disease are being confirmed on an almost daily basis across the country, including some at large-scale commercial poultry units.About 50 cases have been declared, the majority in England, since the season began at the start of October.
“Producers are doing their utmost to manage the birds and manage the situation,” said Griffiths.“The next couple of weeks are going to be the crucial ones for birds being slaughtered for Christmas.Once we get to that point, we can all breathe a sigh of relief for another year.”The Animal and Plant Health Agency is tasked with responding to disease outbreaks on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.Its head of outbreak delivery, Sascha van Helvoort, said: “We have successfully delivered disease outbreak response almost continuously over recent years, including in 2023, which was the largest outbreak of avian influenza this country has ever experienced.
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