Fears are growing of ‘big, big shortages’ of turkeys at Christmas amid the bird flu crisis.

The stark warning from industry chiefs came as it emerged half of free-range birds had been wiped out or culled because of the disease.

Describing it as ‘the worst bird-flu outbreak we have ever seen’, they told MPs that there is a real risk of gaps on shelves this festive season.

Some farmers, they said, had lost their entire flocks of thousands of turkeys, geese and ducks in just days. 

Although supermarkets are expected to turn to imports from countries such as Poland, it is understood that the price of these has more than doubled. 

Details of the crisis were laid bare at an inquiry by the Commons food and farming committee, Efra, which is investigating the impact of bird flu on farmers.

The Government recently ordered all poultry and captive birds in England to be kept indoors because of the disease.

Chief executive of the British Poultry Council, Richard Griffiths, told the committee: ‘This year is the worst bird flu outbreak that we have seen, ever.

‘The usual number of free-range turkeys for Christmas is about 1.2 million to 1.3 million. We have seen around 600,000 of those free-range birds being directly affected. Half of free range.

‘The total UK production of turkeys is 8.5 million to nine million birds for Christmas. Of those that are Christmas birds, probably just over a million have been culled or died from bird flu.’

Asked about the impact on prices of the loss of the birds, and the need for stores to turn to imports to make up the shortfall, he said: ‘That is a question for retailers. We do not know how the gaps within retail are going to be filled.’

MPs heard how farmers had been left traumatised by the loss of their flocks. Paul Kelly, of Kelly Turkeys, a hatchery in Essex, said: ‘It has been devastating. As a hatchery business we supply farmers throughout the country, so I get first-hand experience of when they get an infected premises. The challenge for a lot of the smaller seasonal producers is they have their Christmas flock on their farm and when they are infected they all die within four days.

‘At the moment, small independent seasonal producers are being wiped out.’

He added: ‘There will be a big, big shortage of British free range turkeys on shelves. Spot prices for imported turkey have doubled. Northern Europe has suffered the same problem as we have.’

There are fears many turkey farmers will give up as they don’t want to risk being hit by further outbreaks in future years.

Industry leaders say they need an improved compensation scheme to cover losses and say the future of the industry relies on the development of a vaccine.

Mr Kelly said: ‘We are a small business and we have lost £1.2million. Luckily we are going to get through this year. Going into next year, I don’t want to put the farm at risk. Without a vaccine or compensation scheme that is fit for purpose, I don’t know whether a lot of producers will grow Christmas turkeys next year.’

The UK’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, told MPs it was the first time the virus had survived in the wild bird population from one winter through the summer to the following winter.

She added: ‘This strain is very infectious...

‘A teaspoon full of infectious material can create thousands of infectious doses. It has been devastating.’