Turkey shortages possible this Christmas after outbreak of bird flu 'super strain'

An acute strain of the virus has sparked fears that shops might be short on the Christmas-dinner staple this winter, with bosses at some leading UK supermarkets understood to be concerned about availability.

One supermarket insider said they had already “lost a few farms” to outbreaks of avian flu, warning of issues with turkey supplies throughout the festive season.

The flu is expected to impact Christmas supplies of turkeys, chicken and ducks. Gressingham, a supplier of ducks to retailers including Waitrose, was among those hit by the outbreak.

It has not been confirmed how many birds were lost.

Alongside concerns over numbers, shoppers are also being warned to expect smaller birds, with farmers forced to slaughter earlier to reduce the risk of disease.

The outbreak also risks a spike in prices due to increased demand.

Read more: Village knitters gutted as Royal Mail changes bring end to creative postbox toppers

Read more: Pedestrianising Oxford Street will be 'dangerous, unworkable and catastrophic' say locals

The shortages are also predicted to hit the hospitality industry hard, with pubs and restaurants relying on turkeys at risk of disappointment.

Rachel Dobson, managing director of Lynx Purchasing - a supplier of food to restaurants, pubs and hotels - warned that the industry was facing an “unusually difficult” Christmas.

Ms Dobson said the shortages of supply from Europe and South America might cause a problem for UK buyers, with some suppliers "reluctant to commit to turkey pricing" in the approach to Christmas, "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.”

Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, said that some producers "have been very badly hit".

“We are looking at increasing numbers of cases and it is a bad season, much worse than last year.”

The UK produces around eight million turkeys each year, mainly for consumption during the festive season.

So far, around 30 outbreaks of the virus have been declared across UK farms since the start of October.

If bird flu is confirmed in a domestic flock, it is standard policy in the UK to require that the entire flock be culled to contain the spread of the virus due to its highly contagious nature.

Around 5 per cent of the UK Christmas poultry flock, representing about 300,000 birds, is thought to have been culled so far this year.

The slaughtering for this Christmas has been underway for several weeks, although birds that will be sold fresh are yet to be processed.

Although avian flu has been prevalent for several years, poultry farmers have been warned they are facing one of the worst winters in recent years, with threats that this year could mirror the 2022-2023 epidemic - which was the largest outbreak the country has ever experienced.