BRITS could miss out on tucking into a Christmas Day turkey this year as a bird flu “super strain” rips through farms.
Retailers fear the strain of avian flu could lead to empty shelves in butchers and supermarkets across the country.
UK farms have been hit by more than 30 since the start of October.
Even if one bird is infected If one bird is confirmed as being infected, the whole flock must be culled.
However, a shortage of turkeys has not been formally declared yet.
Rachel Dobson, managing director of Lynx Purchasing, which supplies food to restaurants, said the industry was facing an “unusually difficult” Christmas.
She said: “Avian flu means there are shortages of supply from both Europe and South America, which supply much of the seasonal demand for turkeys in the UK market.
“Some suppliers have been reluctant to commit to turkey pricing this year, or even to guarantee supplies at all.
“At the very least, we’re advising hospitality operators to expect turkey prices to be significantly higher this year.
“Operators may end up receiving fewer turkeys than they ordered, being sent smaller birds, or even being told that no supplies are available.”
Experts have warned farmers that they could face one of their worst festive seasons in recent years.
Prof Ian Brown, head of avian virology at the Pirbright Institute, told the BBC earlier this month: “Essentially, we’ve got a virus that’s incredibly what we call ‘fit’.
“It’s highly infectious, it’s very well adapted to birds, which makes it almost a super strain.”
