Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the culling and death of birds grown for the festive season due to avian flu on demand for poultry workers.

The scale of Avian Influenza outbreaks occurring in the UK, Europe and globally this year is unprecedented and we recognize the impact this has had on the poultry industry, particularly the turkey sector. However, the British poultry sector is highly resilient and there is no immediate threat to the food supply chain. Demand for poultry workers via the Seasonal Workers visa route is less than anticipated this year due primarily to the AI outbreak. This will not affect the 2,000 visas allocated to the seasonal poultry sector in 2024.