Bird Flu

Bird Flu

Bird flu has struck a UK turkey farm at the most inopportune moment, namely the run up to Christmas.

Vets have ordered 5,000 turkeys to be slaughtered at a free-range farm in Diss, Norfolk.

Needless to say this could not have come at a worst time for the British food and farming industry, in the wake of foot and mouth and an earlier flu scare at Bernard Matthews turkey plant in February.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that early tests showed the turkeys had the H5 strain of bird flu, but it is not yet known if it is a highly pathogenic form.

The deputy chief veterinary officer, Fred Landeg, said the cause of the infection was unknown.

"Everybody needs to be concerned. This is avian influenza.

We are asking every poultry keeper to be vigilant, to house their birds where they are required to do so in any restricted area and carry out good bio-security measures and report any signs of disease."

We will be looking at the movements on to the premises and off the premises of birds; and movements of people, vehicles and things, to see whether there is another origin somewhere in the country or whether the disease could have spread."

Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union, tried to put a brave face on it.

Quote:

"We fully support the measures Defra have put in place in the protection and surveillance zones and we will be working with them to make sure producers within the zones understand the implications of the restrictions.

But it is important to remember that avian influenza is a disease of birds. There is no reason for public concern and the Food Standards Agency says there are no risks from eating poultry meat and eggs provided they are cooked properly as, of course, all food should be."

He is of course quite right.

Unfortunately, the already unnerved British consumer may well not see it that way, sales of turkey's in the run up to Christmas are likely to be adversely affected if this is not resolved very quickly.

Bird Flu

Bird Flu

Britain's consumers appear to be, very sensibly, calm in the wake of the current bird flu outbreak in the UK.

Poultry sales in Britain are holding up, despite the outbreak at a farm owned by Bernard Matthews, Europe's biggest turkey producer.

Britain's leading supermarket chains, Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and Morrison's all reported sales were bearing up well.

However, foreign consumers are not so relaxed. South Korea and Hong Kong have banned British poultry.

South Korea imported about £1.5m in poultry products from Britain last year.

Hong Kong imported 11,400 tonnes of British poultry and poultry products in the first 10 months of last year.

Ireland, Russia, Japan, South Africa and Indonesia have also banned imports of poultry or related products from the UK.

In the wake of the foot and mouth epidemic and mad cow disease of a few years ago, the countryside and farming in Britain has more than had its fair share of problems.