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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of avian influenza on domestic poultry and what support they will provide to domestic producers.

The British poultry sector is highly resilient and plays a significant role in the production of high quality chicken, turkey, duck and geese.

The scale of Avian Influenza (AI) outbreaks occurring in the UK and Europe is unprecedented and we recognise the poultry industry is under serious pressure. In the United Kingdom, during the period 1 October to 3 November 2022, approximately 1.5 million chickens, 931,000 turkeys, 336,700 ducks, and 19,000 geese alone have died or been culled for disease control purposes because of AI. In comparison to approximately 2.4 million chickens, 351,000 turkeys, 342,500 ducks and 41,800 geese during the first year of the outbreak (October 2021 to September 2022).

We recognise that these outbreaks are very distressing for the individual poultry farmers and businesses that are affected. However, the overall impact on food supply is relatively small, with approximately 1.1 billion chickens and 11 million turkeys alone usually sold in Great Britain each year.

Defra's objective in tackling any outbreak of Avian Influenza is to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible. Our approach considers the latest ornithological, epidemiological, veterinary and other scientific advice. Where necessary, we are also able to introduce Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) and mandatory housing measures within AIPZs in order to reduce the risk of further disease spread. A national housing order in England was announced on 31 October and will come into force on 7 November.

On 28 October we announced a new package of measures to support domestic producers with the impacts of AI. This included changes to the compensation scheme allowing compensation to be paid to farmers from the outset of planned culling rather than at the end. This will allow us to give earlier certainty about entitlement to compensation, better reflect the impact of outbreaks on premises and lead to swifter payments to help stem any cash flow pressures.

In consultation with the Food Standards Agency, an easement to marketing rules is also being introduced in England. The measures mean that farmers who breed turkeys, geese, ducks or capons for their meat will have the option to slaughter birds early, and to freeze them, which can then be defrosted and sold to consumers between the period 28 November and 31 December 2022. This option is being introduced to give producers certainty over business planning.

Defra continues to monitor the situation and is working closely with the poultry sector.