Bird Flu Wipes out Half of UK's Christmas Free-Range Turkeys
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https://bit.ly/3EXPvXt)
Consumers in the UK have been warned they face a shortage
of free-range turkeys this Christmas as the consequences of avian
flu continue to cause disruption to the country's food supply.
Speaking to a group of MPs that scrutinises the government's policy
on food, the Chief Executive of the British Poultry Council, Richard
Griffiths, said that food security and business continuity must be
built into the government's response to tackling the crisis.
Griffiths told the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select
Committee that "the scale of this outbreak is unlike anything we
have seen before," and that its "intensity poses a risk to food
producers, and our food supply."
During the committee hearing, Griffiths told MPs that the "usual
amount of free-range birds grown for Christmas was around 1.2
to 1.3 million," and that so far around 600,000 of those had been
directly affected.
The government, however, has reassured the public that there is no
shortage of turkey supplies.
A spokesperson from the Department for Environment, Food, and
Rural Affairs said, "Sadly approximately 1.4 million turkeys, some
of which are free range, have been culled, but around 11 million
turkeys are produced in the UK every year, meaning that there will
still be a good supply of Christmas turkeys."
The shortage is only affecting those classed as free-range and there
are no concerns over supplies of other types of poultry.
The subject of safeguarding the country's food supply chain was
discussed during the hearing. Griffiths told MPs that "risk must be
expanded to include commercial viability," and that the concept of
risk has changed since so many farms were involved in the crisis.
Griffiths also said that poultry farmers had been so badly affected
this year, that they are seriously considering the viability of
supplying produce for the Christmas poultry market in future years.
Also facing MPs was turkey farmer Paul Kelly who said that "without
a vaccine or a compensation scheme that is fit for purpose, farmers
are less likely to take the risk of growing poultry." Kelly said now
it's unclear if the industry has the confidence to grow for next
year's season, and that this year alone his small business had
already lost 1.2 million ($1.4 million) from turkeys that had died.
The British Poultry Council said it's essential that the country must
have healthy domestic production for food security, and warned that
if the government doesn't prioritise the impact of the avian flu
outbreak there will be consequences in the food chain.
Production can be impacted by several factors including mandatory
culling, which requires the premises to be left empty for 12 months
before new birds are allowed on site. Biosecurity controls are also
likely to incur operational costs, plus there the poultry population
that needs restocking after birds have died from the disease or been
culled.
On the Nov. 7 the government expanded a mandatory order that all
bird keepers in England were to ensure their birds were kept indoors.
They also told owners to follow stringent biosecurity measures to
protect their flocks that include several checks including where
certain facilities are placed on a farm and which cleaning supplies
can be used.
The order was originally in place in the hot spots of Suffolk,
Norfolk, and some parts of Essex. The decision was made by the
UK's Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, to try and
curb the spread of the infection.
At the time, Middlemiss said, "Scrupulous biosecurity and separating
flocks in all ways, from wild birds remain the best form of defence,"
and that the decision had not been taken lightly.
The UK, like most of the world, is suffering from high inflation, and
in November the country saw food prices accelerate by 12.4 percent,
the highest food inflation rate on record. While there are concerns
that the current avian flu crisis could cause prices to rise further
as Christmas approaches, Kelly told the select committee that he
didn't think this would be the case.
The turkey shortage is the latest development in the ongoing avian
flu pandemic. At the start of November, some food retailers announced
they were rationing sales of eggs because of farmers struggling to
meet the demand of production.
