Farmers have warned of a potential turkey shortage after the worst UK bird flu outbreak continues to spread. Special protection zones have been set up in parts of Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk, and the entire southwest of England following rising cases of the avian disease.
The Mirror reports three million turkeys have been culled in hopes to keep the infection under control. Currently, the government has stated the risk of bird flu is medium.
A statement on gov.uk reads: “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 risk to poultry with stringent biosecurity is maintained at low (with low uncertainty).
Read More: Bird flu prevention zones declared across Essex as cases rise in the county
“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. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said that avian influenza is primarily a disease of birds and the risk to the general public’s health is very low.”
James Mottershead, chairman of the National Farmers' Union poultry board, said the infection could cause "carnage" during the Christmas season the Daily Mail reports. “If bird flu gets into turkeys that could cause holy carnage; that could cause real supply chain issues in the run-up to Christmas,” he said.
“I know of some instances where seasonal turkey producers have been affected.” He also said that farms that are classified as contaminated during an outbreak may have to stop raising birds for up to a year.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said officials were working to “eradicate the disease as quickly as possible”. Around one billion birds are farmed in the UK each year and other species, such as ducks, are also at risk.
James Coleman, who has had to cull 20,000 ducks at his Devon farm, told Sky News: “At the moment everybody in the industry is just on tenterhooks constantly.” He said that Defra needs to conduct a “massive review” of its handling of the outbreak and offer financial aid to farms forced to shut down.
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