TURKEY and poultry lovers are being told not to panic and that Christmas dinner is safe, despite a dangerous strain of bird flu circulating around Europe.
Chicken, turkey and duck owners have been ordered to keep their birds indoors and implement safety measures issued by Defra, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which will stop them coming in to contact with wild birds and avoid any contamination.
It is hoped the measures will prevent home grown poultry contracting the H5N8 strain of the virus, which has already been found in 14 countries including Germany, France and Poland.
Simon Diss is the manager of Cowran Estate, a small estate in Pennington which specialises in producing organic meat, fruit, vegetables and experiences one of its busiest periods at Christmas preparing geese and turkeys.
Acting on Defra's orders, all of his 300 birds have now been moved inside.
He said: "Our birds will now be kept inside until they are slaughtered, so it's not a problem for us as we are not a big supplier.
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"They will be dying within the next few days and then hang for the next two weeks which takes the pressure off us but I know it adds more stress to bigger suppliers."
Mr Diss thinks a simple solution for the more concerned consumer is to buy local and be sure your food has not been exposed to the virus.
He also believes those seeking a free-range bird should not be deterred by Defra's orders to keep the creatures indoors.
He said: "Find a small local producer and that way you can ask what it has been exposed to, what it has eaten, and see for yourself how it has been living.
"If the bird had a nice life and was healthy and had a lot of choices for what it can eat, then keeping it inside for the last two weeks of its life won't make a difference."
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No new cases have been reported in the UK but the preventative methods are vital to ensuring devastation, as previously seen in Lancashire in 2015 when more than 100,000 birds were destroyed, does not happened again according to Dave Brass, CEO of the Lakes Free Range Egg Company.
He said: "There's a risk to the UK and Defra has responded remarkably.
"It can be a devastating disease, there were 44 million birds killed last year in the USA, it's a nightmare when it gets going and it quickly mutates.
"So from an industry point of view, it makes sense to keep our birds inside as infected birds will be migrating through our airspace.
"This is a practical solution and I hope the public support us."
Precautionary measures will remain in place for 30 days and Defra said it has increased surveillance for the disease.
Keepers are being urged to reinforce these measures by disinfecting clothing and equipment and making sure feed and water is not accessible to wild birds.
Similar restrictions have been introduced in Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland.
It has also been deemed that there is no risk to the public's health.
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