Bernard Matthews yesterday laid off 120 workers at its turkey plant
in the UK, with the possiblity that another 500 could go if the
bird flu scare continues to damage sales.
Poultry processors across Europe are bracing themselves for another
downturn in consumption after the discovery of the deadly form of
bird flu in a domestic flock of turkeys in the UK.
Measures to prevent avian influenza in poultry flocks could be
compromised by lax management, poor international coordination, and
a lack of funds, according to researchers.
A report on avian influenza from the EU's food safety watchdog
could help to calm consumer fears about eating poultry and eggs,
even though the regulator's scientists have also sounded a note of
caution.
In an ominous sign for processors and the public, France has
slaughtered turkeys at a farm suspected of being infected with the
deadly form of avian influenza, possibly marking the first time the
disease has spread to domestic stock...
The deadly form of avian influenza has hit Europe's largest poultry
producer, with France's government confirming over the weekend that
the H5N1 form of the virus was found in a dead duck and possibly
some swans.
With bird flu creeping up on the EU, the bloc's members have been
jolted into a more active response to the danger, which not only
threatens human health, but also the poultry processing sector's
livelihood.