Christmas dinner could come under pressure from a growing bird flu outbreak after tens of thousands of poultry were culled at a farm in Northumberland.
Around 2,000 birds have already died following an outbreak of avian influenza at a commercial poultry farm near Belford, with the farm's remaining flock of about 29,000 birds set to be destroyed to prevent the disease spreading.
The outbreak has raised concerns for poultry producers ahead of the festive season, when turkey farms enter their most important trading period of the year.
Farmer Catherine Armstrong, who runs the free-range egg farm near Belford, said her "worst fears" had been realised after discovering what she described as "a carpet of dead birds" inside her poultry sheds, the BBC reports.
Her flock of 32,000 egg-laying hens, which typically produce about 28,500 eggs a day for UK supermarkets, was culled after the virus spread rapidly through the site.
Armstrong said deaths rose from dozens of birds to more than 1,000 within days as the outbreak took hold.
Farming leaders stressed there is no current evidence of wider disruption to festive food supplies, but state the coming weeks will be critical to ensure the latest outbreak does not spread before Christmas demand begins to surge.
Northumberland county councillor Guy Renner-Thompson warned any further outbreaks affecting turkey farms will have serious consequences.
“If bird flu gets into those, that's ruined them for the year, because that's their main money-making part of the year,” he told the BBC.
Defra has imposed a 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone around the affected premises, with the wider area including the Farne Islands, which are famous for their seabird populations.
Experts have warned there is a "real risk" avian flu could affect Christmas poultry supplies if further outbreaks emerge.
Andrew Preston, professor of microbial pathogenesis at the University of Bath, told The Independent it was "very likely other cases will arise" as the UK enters peak bird flu season and migratory wild birds return.
“Currently, there will be farms in the UK with turkeys being reared for the Christmas market and these are susceptible to disease transmission from avian influenza,” said Wesley Thorne, poultry business director for northern Europe at Ceva Animal Health.
He said the industry builds resilience into the supply chain by producing birds in advance of Christmas, but warned farms must maintain strict biosecurity measures to reduce the risk of infection.
The outbreak is likely to be watched closely by consumers in London and across the UK, with turkey, chicken and egg supplies coming under pressure during previous bird flu outbreaks.