All poultry and captive birds in England must be kept indoors from 7 November under new restrictions to combat avian flu, the government has announced. The housing order follows warnings from turkey farmers of a potential shortage this Christmas due to the country's largest ever bird flu outbreak.
About 5.5 million birds have died or been culled since October 2021, with over 210 cases confirmed since then, including 80 in England this month alone. Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: 'We are now facing this year, the largest ever outbreak of bird flu and are seeing rapid escalation in the number of cases on commercial farms and in backyard birds across England.'
Farmer Tom Copas, who has 60,000 free-range turkeys in Berkshire, warned of a shortage: 'It's terrifying right now. Our entire business depends on the Christmas market. If we were to get bird flu we would lose everything.' He added that supermarkets could be at least 20% short of Christmas turkeys. Richard Griffiths of the British Poultry Council said free-range turkey prices are likely to rise, with 30-35% of free-range production affected.
Under the national housing order, free-range poultry producers can still label eggs and meat as free-range for up to 16 weeks. Essex turkey supplier Paul Kelly urged consumers to support free-range farmers: 'Farmers can't be put out of business because of a few months when they have had to bring them inside.' He described this as 'the worst year I have ever known' and compared it to foot and mouth disease for the poultry industry.
The mandatory order follows regional measures in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex, and an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone introduced on 17 October. No housing order has been introduced in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, where the situation is being monitored. The last UK-wide housing order was lifted in May after being in place since last November.
New measures allow farmers to kill and freeze turkeys, geese and ducks and sell them as fresh closer to Christmas, and compensation rules have been changed so farmers receive money at the start of any cull.
