ClickAJob News

Retailers are preparing for a dip in the sales of poultry due to the avian flu outbreak on a Suffolk farm.

The discovery of the HN51 virus on the Bernard Matthews-owned farm has led to the cull of 160,000 birds.

In a statement from Bernard Matthews Foods, the turkey producer asserts: "Scientific evidence from the World Heath Organisation and other industry bodies has shown that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers."

Yet there are concerns that public fears will impact upon the sales of poultry.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said: "It is probable that there will be some knock-on effects in terms of sales."

However, according to the Guardian newspaper, the majority of shoppers are not letting news of the H5N1 strain affect the contents of their shopping baskets. A straw poll in Manchester found that a majority of customers would continue to buy and consume poultry and poultry products such as eggs.

One consumer is quoted as saying: "This has all been totally over-hyped."

Similarly supermarket chain Sainsbury's has predicted that savvy shoppers will be taking reassurances from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) seriously.

A spokesperson for the company said: "Because the UK has been affected later than the rest of the world, UK consumers are wiser than the first time around and know the real risks, rather than worrying about it."