A turkey for your Christmas dinner this year may well not happen according to experts in the UK today who are warning that the spread of bird flu may result in a shortage of the festive feast this Christmas.
The suggestion comes in the wake of the confirmation of bird flu at a farm in East Yorkshire in England, but Minister for Agriculture in Ireland, Simon Coveney has reassured people that Ireland should be well able to cope if there was an outbreak.
“My department has a full range of contingency plans in place and, should an outbreak occur, measures will be initiated immediately to prevent the spread of the disease,” he said.
Meanwhile, Irish farmers are keeping a close eye on the situation across the pond.
“It would be devastating if it did happen before Christmas, and unfortunately there isn’t much we can do to stop it,” farmer Gerard Lalor told the Irish Mirror. “We’re just hoping for the best it doesn’t come over.”
Experts in England are warning that the disease could spread. “Bio-security is always very high at turkey farms, but this story will be of big concern to the industry – especially at this time of the year,” said Dr Rob Noad. “It (the disease) probably arrived in the UK through migratory birds so it’s possible we could get other outbreaks.”
The revelations at the duck farm in Yorkshire came on the same day that a strain of the virus was uncovered on a farm in the Netherlands. The risk to humans is virtually non-existent.
Some Irish retailers have spoken out saying that their supply will not be affected for Christmas 2014.
