Christmas poultry felled by UK’s worst ever chicken flu outbreak

The UK has misplaced 40 per cent of its free-range turkey flock to chicken flu and the ensuing culls, leaving some high-end butchers with out provides and including to pressures in the marketplace over the important thing Christmas interval.

Poultry farmers are battling the nation’s worst ever avian influenza outbreak, which has proved deadly to birds historically eaten within the festive season, particularly free-range flocks. English poultry homeowners have been required to maintain flocks indoors since Monday to fight additional unfold.

“This pressure is especially virulent round turkeys, geese and geese reasonably than chickens,” stated Richard Griffiths, chief govt of the British Poultry Council, a commerce group. “It’s hanging the Christmas birds and it’s rising exponentially.”

The present outbreak — which started in October 2021 however has proved extra extreme this yr to date than final winter — has already claimed two-fifths of the 1.2mn to 1.4mn free-range turkeys raised yearly, stated Griffiths.

Gressingham, one of many largest producers, stated its total goose flock throughout three farms had been worn out.

“Our duck and turkey farms have additionally been affected, which is leading to lowered provide to all our prospects,” stated Gressingham, the UK’s largest duck producer.

Steve Childerhouse of Nice Grove Poultry in Norfolk stated chicken flu final month destroyed his total flock. About 5,000 birds died within the two days between his discovery of the an infection and the arrival of culling groups. The remaining 8,500 turkeys and geese had been destroyed.

“5 – 6 weeks in the past the whole lot was wanting so good, the birds had been wanting good, after which . . . avian flu got here and blew all of it to smithereens,” he stated, including that the an infection meant he would most likely search work in a culling staff as his farm couldn’t be used for 12 months.

Among the 90 butchers and farm outlets he usually provides will merely not provide Christmas birds this yr, Childerhouse stated.

Some 2.3mn birds — together with chickens, geese, geese and turkeys — have been culled within the present chicken flu season, based on official knowledge, in opposition to 3.2mn in the entire 2021-22 season.

Whereas that’s solely a small proportion of the 20mn birds produced weekly within the UK, it has been weighted in direction of Christmas poultry.

Griffiths stated a number of medium-sized turkey farmers had determined to exit the business completely. Paul Kelly, an Essex-based turkey farmer who’s a significant provider of younger birds to different farms, stated prospects had been declining to commit for subsequent yr, leaving him not sure what number of eggs he ought to domesticate. “They’re saying: ‘We are able to’t take the danger,’” he stated.

Ministers are permitting turkey producers to freeze then thaw birds, promoting them as recent — a measure enabling them to slaughter birds sooner in an effort to outrun the virus. The UK produces about 11mn turkeys a yr, two-thirds of that are for the Christmas interval.

The federal government compensates farmers pressured to cull birds, though the business desires funds to be calculated from the beginning of an outbreak and to incorporate money for sick birds in addition to wholesome ones which are culled.

James Mottershead, chair of the Nationwide Farmers’ Union poultry board, stated higher compensation would assist insurers re-enter the market, giving farmers the boldness to plan for 2023 and keep away from shortages.

The Division for Atmosphere, Meals and Rural Affairs stated: “Working intently with the farming and poultry sectors, we’ve introduced a bundle of assist together with faster compensation funds, stress-free advertising guidelines for poultry produce to assist with enterprise planning, in addition to stepping up biosecurity measures.”