UK will have enough turkeys for Christmas despite bird flu, ministers insist

Concerns about a shortage have grown due to bird flu measures

Traditional old breed Bronze and White turkeys are reared on 'Eastfield Turkeys' farm in the village of Oxspring, near Sheffield. AFP

As bird flu takes its toll on captive poultry and wild birds, a minister has said the Britain will have enough turkeys for Christmas.

The number of turkeys on supermarket shelves this winter will not dwindle due to avian influenza, said environment minister Mark Spencer on Tuesday, adding that ministers are confident in the UK’s “robust” supply chains and extra biosecurity measures introduced in recent weeks.

Birdkeepers in England will be legally required to house their poultry indoors in a bid to tackle the spread of bird flu from November 7.

The move is an extension of measures already in force in Suffolk, Norfolk and parts of Essex from early October.

“We are told that this year the outbreak has spread at a much faster pace than previously, with the chief vet telling parliamentarians this morning that in terms of the number of cases we are six weeks ahead of where we were at this time last year,” shadow environment minister Daniel Zeichner told MPs.

“What impact is this going to have on our food supplies? We know that the disease affects turkeys and geese much more severely. The minister says there is no immediate threat but it is reported we already have a 20 per cent supply issue on free range turkeys.

“So, can he tell us — is he confident we will have enough turkeys for Christmas?”

Christmas celebrations across the world — in pictures

A scuba-driving 'Santa Claus' clutches a Christmas cake at an aquarium in Tokyo. EPA

Pope Francis waves to the gathered faithful following his Christmas blessing in St Peter's Square at the Vatican. AFP

Britain's Queen Elizabeth records her annual Christmas broadcast in Windsor Castle, next to a photograph of her with her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. Reuters

An emergency room nurse takes a break while working on Christmas day at a hospital in Marseille, southern France, amid a surge in Omicron cases. AP Photo

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden hold a virtual Christmas meeting with servicemen and women around the world, at the White House. AP Photo

A couple pose for a photo in front of a giant Christmas tree at the West Kowloon cultural district in Hong Kong. AFP

Worshippers pray at Sacred Heart Shrine Church to celebrate Christmas in Chennai, India. AFP

People attend a Christmas service at Saint Andrew's Church in Karachi. AFP

A woman holds her child as she lights a candle during a Christmas Eve service at Dawson Springs First Baptist church in, Kentucky, US. Getty

Members of Mayfield First Presbyterian Church and Mayfield First Christian Church gather in an empty lot between their destroyed churches for a joint Christmas Eve service in Mayfield, Kentucky. A tornado devastated the community about two weeks ago. AP

Santa Claus and Mrs Claus hand out gifts at a Christmas lunch in Sydney, Australia. EPA

People eat a Christmas dinner of donated food at a shelter in Tapachula, Mexico. Reuters

A Christmas Mass is held in a destroyed church in Alegria, in the Philippines, more than a week after Super Typhoon Rai devastated the area. AFP

Christians attend the Christmas Eve vigil Mass at the Legio Maria African Mission in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters

Most Rev Samuel J Aquila, archbishop of the archdiocese of Denver, heads down the aisle to say Christmas Eve Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Denver, Colorado. AP

Christians during the pastoral Mass celebrated by Archbishop Wojciech Polak, in Gniezno, Poland. EPA

The Christmas tree at Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh is illuminated at dawn on Christmas Eve. AP

Steely Vanlue, dressed as Mrs. Claus, and Troy Black, dressed as Santa Claus, pass by a destroyed home in Dawson Srpings, Kentucky, on Christmas Eve after tornadoes ripped through several US states. Reuters

Children perform at the Mother Teresa Cathedral during the midnight Mass in Pristina, Kosovo. AFP

Bell ringers inside the bell tower of St Vitus Cathedral at Prague Castle during midnight Mass. EPA

People walk through an illuminated street in Tokyo on Christmas Eve. AP

Nursing home residents and staff members dance together during the residents' Christmas party at Crown Heights Centre for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Brooklyn, New York. AFP

A Christmas dinner of donated food is prepared for migrants at a shelter in Tapachula, Mexico. Reuters

Worshipers attend the Christmas Eve midnight Mass at The Basilica of Our Lady of Lanka in Ragama suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka. EPA

“When it comes to food supplies we are confident that our food supply networks are enough to make sure that we have turkeys for Christmas,” Mr Spencer replied.

“We have the most robust supply chains available to us and there should not be a problem as long as we continue to keep the strictest biosecurity moving forward.”

The minister had earlier told MPs: “We recognise the significant financial pressure an outbreak of avian influenza can have on producers. Current rules are designed to encourage good biosecurity standards. This remains a top priority.

“On Wednesday October 26, to help producers deal with the impacts of the UK’s worst ever avian influenza outbreak, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) confirmed changes to the avian influenza compensation scheme, which will be implemented in addition to a relaxation of rules for sale on previously frozen seasonal poultry products.”

Christmas Eve in Bethlehem — in pictures

Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, right, greets a Palestinian man in the biblical city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. AFP

People visit the Church of the Nativity, revered as the site of Jesus Christ's birth, during Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem. AFP

People gather outside the Church of the Nativity. AFP

Christian pilgrims visit the Church of the Nativity. AFP

Pierbattista Pizzaballa, centre, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, waits before crossing into Bethlehem to attend Christmas celebrations in Jerusalem. Reuters

People gather outside the Church of the Nativity. AFP

Pierbattista Pizzaballa greets people as he arrives to attend Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem. Reuters

The convoy of Pierbattista Pizzaballa is escorted by mounted Israeli police officers before crossing into Bethlehem. Reuters

Palestinian scouts parade outside the Church of the Nativity, with security forces standing guard. AFP

Palestinian scout pipe band members parade through Manger Square at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, on Christmas Eve. AP Photo

Palestinian scout band pipers perform in Manger Square. Bethlehem is facing its second Christmas hit by the coronavirus, with smaller crowds expected. AP Photo

Palestinian scouts parade outside the Church of the Nativity. AFP

Visitors to the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus, on Christmas Eve. AP Photo

Palestinian security personnel gather in front of the Church of the Nativity. AFP

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank. Reuters

Palestinians have increased security as worshippers come to Bethlehem for Christmas Eve. However, coronavirus restrictions have reduced numbers making the pilgrimage. Reuters

The Church of the Nativity is built on the site traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Jesus. Reuters

The original church was built between 330 and 333, making the site the oldest continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity. Reuters

A street vendor selling festive balloons at Manger Square, next to the Church of the Nativity. The church is administered jointly by the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, and Syriac Orthodox churches. EPA

A Christmas tree decorates Manger Square, next to the Church of the Nativity. EPA

Mr Spencer said farmers who breed turkeys, geese and ducks for their meat “will have the option to slaughter their flocks early and freeze products which can then be defrosted and sold to consumers between November 28 and the December 31 2022”.

The minister said it is “essential” the industry plays its part in helping to prevent further outbreaks.

He told MPs there had been “too much uncertainty in the past about the entitlement to compensation in the event of a confirmed case of avian influenza outbreak”, adding: “We are therefore altering the operation of the existing compensation scheme for avian influenza to give earlier certainty about the entitlement to compensation.

“This will be linked to decisions taken at the start of the planned culling rather than at the end.”

Christmas preparations across the Arab world — video

But not all Conservative MPs are convinced, with some worried about the future of their constituents’ farms.

“The compensation arrangements that he has outlined will do very little to help small producers like Kelly Turkeys in my constituency, who lost 9,800 birds out of a flock of 10,000 in the space of a weekend before the vet even arrived,” said former minister Sir John Whittingdale.

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne said it has been difficult to provide adequate compensation to “poultry farmers whose livelihoods are being devastated by the impact of this disease”, if their flocks die of bird flu rather than being culled.

Conservative former vaccines minister Maggie Throup asked what advice ministers would give to members of the public if they find a dead bird, saying good information is “key to minimising the spread of the virus”.

“My advice to members of the public is not to interfere with those dead birds, not to pick them up and not to move them, but to report them to their local authority if they see them dying on the roadside,” said Mr Spencer.