Half of free-range turkeys produced for Christmas have died, warns poultry executive

Half of the turkeys that were bred for the Christmas market have died from bird flu.

That’s according to British Poultry Council chief executive Richard Griffiths, who warned the government’s food committee of the shortage.

“The usual amount of free-range birds grown for Christmas is around 1.2 to 1.3 million. We have seen around 600,000 of those free-range birds being directly affected,” he said.

Price tags for the turkeys that do hit the shelves, however, aren’t expected to be hiked.

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