UK Christmas turkey scarcity fears as ‘tremendous pressure’ fowl flu sweeps farms
The UK is facing a Christmas turkey shortage as a ‘super strain’ of bird flu sweeps through farms, with retailers warning of empty shelves in butchers and supermarkets
A devastating “super strain” of bird flu is rampaging across British farms and threatens to rob families of their Christmas turkey this year.
Shop bosses are panicking that the explosion in avian flu cases could obliterate stocks, sparking concerns of bare shelves at butchers and supermarkets up and down the country.
The alarm bells are ringing after more than 30 outbreaks of the deadly virus have struck UK farms since October began.
When bird flu hits a domestic flock, standard protocol in numerous nations – including Britain and America – demands the entire flock be destroyed to halt the spread of this highly contagious disease.
Whilst a turkey shortage hasn’t been officially announced, retailers warn the industry is confronting an “unusually difficult” Christmas period, reports the Mirror.
Rachel Dobson, managing director of Lynx Purchasing, revealed: “Avian flu means there are shortages of supply from both Europe and South America, which supply much of the seasonal demand for turkeys in the UK market.
“Some suppliers have been reluctant to commit to turkey pricing this year, or even to guarantee supplies at all.
“At the very least, we’re advising hospitality operators to expect turkey prices to be significantly higher this year.
“Operators may end up receiving fewer turkeys than they ordered, being sent smaller birds, or even being told that no supplies are available.”
Meanwhile, specialists have described the virus as exceptionally “fit” – indicating it’s extremely contagious and adapted to infect birds – whilst cautioning farmers that a challenging festive period could be on the horizon.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Prof Ian Brown, head of avian virology at the Pirbright Institute, warned: “Essentially, we’ve got a virus that’s incredibly what we call ‘fit’.
“It’s highly infectious, it’s very well adapted to birds, which makes it almost a super strain.”
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