UK poultry producers are battling a “bad season” of bird flu , with cases much worse than at this point last year, putting a squeeze on supplies of Christmas birds including turkeys, chickens and ducks.

Two industry insiders said they expected supplies of all poultry to be tight ahead of the festive season, especially for organic and free-range birds, which are seen as the most vulnerable to infection.

There are also likely to be fewer heavier birds available as some producers have started processing them earlier to try to avoid the risk of infection.

About 5% of the UK Christmas poultry flock, including turkeys, ducks and chickens, representing about 300,000 birds, are thought to have been culled so far this season.

The current avian influenza outbreak has seen higher numbers of cas

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