Bird flu outbreak threatens to see Hampshire households short of a turkey this Christmas

The outbreak in bird flu has come at a time when people will be on the hunt for the perfect joint of meat in anticipation for the festive season, and threatens to leave some unlucky Christmas shoppers one turkey short of a Christmas plate full.

Westlands Farm Shop in Meon Valley has noticed the pressure that has been caused by the outbreak, and have since sold a large portion of their bird stock – being snapped up by Christmas shoppers who are concerned about missing out this year.

Harry King, general manager at Westlands Farm Shop, said they source turkeys from a nearby farm on Portsdown Hill and he is hopeful that they will be able to supply turkey orders to their customers this year, but are warning people of the current situation sweeping across the country.

According to the official government website, there have currently been 122 confirmed cases of Avian bird flu influenza since October 1, 2022 to November 26, and it has now been confirmed in commercial sites including Bromsgrove and Suffolk.

The disease, which is highly contagious within live stock and poultry, can be found in animals such as ducks, chickens and turkeys and there is no readily available treatment for the flu, resulting in a high mortality rate amongst birds, as well as farmers having to cull live stock.

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Harry said: ‘The nationwide outbreak is certainly putting pressure on turkey supplies and the demand is rising. We’ve seen brisk trade from people placing their Christmas meat orders in good time ahead of Christmas and have already sold over half of our festive birds.

‘As December approaches we will certainly see a flurry of activity as people start to finalise their Christmas day plans among their families. Because of the uncertainty on supply this year, it is more important than ever to place orders as early as you can.’

The farm shop will have a deadline on when meat can be ordered to prevent people from being disappointed, but there is no guarantee that shops across the city will have as much stock as they usually do.