MOSCOW, October 2 – Novosti. UK residents could face a Christmas turkey shortage due to the worst bird flu outbreak in the country’s history, Sky News reports , citing the National Farmers Union (NFU).
So far, more than three million birds have been slaughtered due to the spread of the virus, and the flu has been detected in 155 districts across the UK, according to the channel.
“It’s a risk. If, for example, avian flu touches turkeys, it could cause mass destruction, which could lead to real problems with supply chains in the run-up to Christmas,” James Mottershead, chairman of the NFU Poultry Council, told the TV channel.
Turkey is one of the most popular dishes on the British Christmas table.
Concerns about a Christmas turkey shortage in the UK have been rising for years. In 2021, the chairman of the British Poultry Union, Graham Deer, spoke about the risks of a shortage of the main product for the Christmas table due to a shortage of workers in the industry. Later, representatives of the trade industry assured Novosti that the British would not face this problem.
Avian influenza is an infectious disease caused by strains of the influenza A virus, which is common throughout the world. Many species of wild birds survive infection with the virus without obvious signs of harm to their health, but some, including domestic birds, develop a disease that can be transmitted to humans.
