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Daily Record
Daily Record
Lifestyle
Nicola Roy

Scots warned of Christmas turkey shortages and price hikes due to Avian flu outbreaks

People in Scotland have been warned that they could be paying a lot more for their Christmas turkey this year than they're used to.

Widespread avian flu has meant that around 224,000 domestic birds have been culled this year in Scotland. This means birds from outside of the UK may have to be imported into the country - which could double the cost.

The outbreak in Scotland has been smaller than that of England, with around eight farm areas confirming the spread. However, Sheila Voas, the Scottish Government's chief veterinary officer, said it could get worse in the coming weeks.

Speaking to the Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee, Sheila Voas said: "We certainly could be behind the curve, and so we're continuingly monitoring what's happening so that if we need to take further measures, we can. It is possible that in the next few weeks, the picture here will deteriorate, in which case we will need to take further action."

The Sun reports that over 1.6million turkeys and two million chickens have been culled down south, after cases of the infectious H5N1 strain began to spread. The outbreak has already caused egg shortages in supermarkets, and there are fears that it'll affect the Christmas shop too.

Over 1.6 million turkeys have been culled in England so far (Getty Images)

Half of British free range birds have already been wiped out or culled by the "worst bird flu outbreak ever seen" which could send prices soaring. Supermarkets are expected to buy in turkeys from abroad in order to keep the shelves full, but these are much more expensive.

British Poultry Council chief executive Richard Griffiths told the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee: "This year is the worst bird flu outbreak that we have seen, ever We don't know how the gaps within retail are going to be filled at this point."

Asked what that might mean for prices this Christmas, he said: "I don't know. That's really a question for retailers."

Bird flu is a highly infectious disease that affects poultry and wild birds. It's usually the worst during the autumn, but this year, it's continued to spread around and is lasting much longer than usual.

The H5N1 strain is lethal for birds, and can be passed on via droppings, saliva, or infected food and water.

In an effort to curb the virus in England, the UK government has ordered all poultry and captive birds to be kept inside. This isn't law yet in Scotland, since the problem south of the border is significantly worse.

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