The bird flu outbreak could spell a Christmas without turkey dinner for Brits this year, farmers have warned.
The worst bird flu outbreak in UK history has already led to three million turkeys being culled as part of efforts to keep the disease under control. Special protection zones have been set up in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex as well as across the entirety of south-west England to protect the remaining livestock .
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that officials were working to “eradicate the disease as quickly as possible”, The Mirror reports. But farmers have warned that there may be a shortage of turkeys to meet Christmas demand if bird flu continues to spread, with the deadly illness also ripping through other bird species so far this year.
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The avian disease has already had a devastating impact in the North East, with thousands of birds dying on the Farne Islands in what was described as an “unprecedented wildlife tragedy”. Casualties included puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes and Arctic terns.
National Farmers' Union poultry board chairman James Mottershead, said that the disease could cause “carnage” over the festive period if turkeys are impacted, according to the Daily Mail . “It could cause real supply chain issues in the run-up to Christmas. I know of some instances where seasonal turkey producers have been affected,” he said.
The Government currently warns that the risk from bird flu is at medium level, though added that the risk to the health of the general public is “very low”. A statement on the gov.uk website says: “The risk of incursion of highly pathogenic (HPAI) avian influenza H5 in wild birds in Great Britain remains at medium (that is, event occurs regularly).”
The statement explains: “The risk to poultry with stringent biosecurity is maintained at low (with low uncertainty). However, the risk to poultry exposure to HPAI H5 in Great Britain with suboptimal biosecurity has been increased to medium (with medium uncertainty), in light of the increased number of infected premises observed during September and the distance of some of these, as well as some wild bird cases, from the coast.”
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