Industry's concern over outbreak

British farms rear 20 million turkeys every year

Confirmation that an outbreak of bird flu in Suffolk was the deadly H5N1 strain will be greeted with unease by the poultry trade.

BBC News assesses the impact of the discovery on the farmers, businesses and workers who depend on the sector.

It may be worth billions a year, but few will blame those who make their living from Britain's poultry business for worrying about the consequences of the virus.

Across the UK, the industry employs 55,000 people and will now be naturally concerned about the effect on the rural economy.

Public fears

Peter Bradnock, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, acknowledges that the outbreak is "not good news" for his members.

But he will be hoping that public fears about avian flu will be assuaged as effectively as they were after the discovery of a swan which died from the H5 strain in Cellardyke, Fife, in April 2006.

The UK's big four supermarkets - Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrison's and Asda - reported sales of eggs and poultry holding firm in the aftermath of that scare.

National Farmers Union spokesman Lee Woodger admits the Suffolk outbreak is more serious, but is confident the industry will quickly recover.

This is a very apprehensive time for all poultry farmers Charles Bourns, NFU

"If you go by what happened last time, sales of white meat went down by a few per cent for a couple of months before going on to exceed where they'd been before," he says.

"I expect we will see a slight drop in the coming months, with everything returning to normal in the medium term."

Experts are stressing that the risks to humans are tiny and that the public has no reason to panic.

But suppliers will be aware that sales of chicken dropped by 60% in France and Italy in 2006 after scares on the Continent.

Bernard Matthews, who run the Holton farm, already know they are vulnerable to bad publicity.

Controversy over their Turkey Twizzlers brand during Jamie Oliver's campaign for healthier school dinners in 2005 saw their operating profits drop to £26.7m from £40.4m.

'New territory'

The sheer scale of the industry demonstrates how much is at stake.

According to the British Poultry Council, every year the UK rears over 850 million chickens, 20 million turkeys, 19 million ducks, and around 100,000 geese. Over 90% of the poultry meat that we eat is produced in the UK.

Exports are worth £400 million to the British economy, and ultimately now their future depends on how quickly the Suffolk outbreak can be contained.

"We're in new territory," says NFU Poultry Board chairman Charles Bourns.

"We've every confidence in Defra but, until we know how this disease arrived, this is a very apprehensive time for all poultry farmers."