November 30 news from the Financial Associated Press (Editor Bian Chun)In addition to Thanksgiving, eating turkey at Christmas is also a tradition in Western countries. However, Brits may have a hard time trying to get a Christmas turkey feast this year.
Right now, Britain is experiencing the worst bird flu outbreak in history. About half of the free-range turkeys or geese prepared for Christmas have died or been culled.
Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, said in evidence to the Parliamentary Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,UK farmers typically move between 1.2 million and 1.3 million poultry back for Christmas, with around 600,000 currently culled or dying from the bird flu virus。
Griffith also said that of the 8.5 million to 9 million turkeys raised for Christmas, more than 1 million have been culled or died of disease.
Bird flu, which has been ravaging Britain for more than a year but has accelerated in recent weeks, is deadly to poultry such as turkeys and geese. Right now, the United States, Japan, South Korea and many other countries are experiencing severe bird flu outbreaks.
Supermarkets may face severe turkey shortage
Griffiths isn’t sure what effect this will have on turkey prices, but he expects supply issues. “It’s a real problem for retailers. We don’t know how the retail gap is going to be filled.”
So far, although major UK supermarkets have remained relatively calm about meeting Christmas turkey demand. But one poultry farmer said,There will be a very, very shortage of free-range turkeys on the shelves this year, and the supermarkets will be most affected。
Griffiths, CEO of the British Poultry Association, said that since the beginning of October, there have been nearly 140 cases of bird flu in the UK and 1.6 million birds have been culled. He pointed out that this means huge costs for the poultry industry and food production.
He also pointed out that in previous bird flu outbreaks, the number of cases has often only reached double digits.
In an effort to combat bird flu, the UK government recently ordered that all poultry in England must be kept indoors.
The bird flu outbreak has also led to a shortage of eggs. The British Free-Range Egg Producers Association said this month that shortages and rationing of eggs caused by bird flu were expected to continue beyond Christmas. Both Tesco and Asda, the UK’s largest supermarkets, have rationed eggs.