'It's been a year from hell!'

Farming

It’s been a year from hell – and it could get even worse!’

We catch up with our friend, Paul Kelly, owner of Kelly Turkeys, to hear about the devastating impact of bird fl u – which has killed more than 300,000 turkeys across East Anglia.

Tell us about your relationship with Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park?

I met Jimmy at the BBC Good Food Show 2004, and I invested in the Jimmy’s Farm business in 2011. I sit in on board meetings to bring what business experience I have to Jimmy’s Farm. We also produce turkeys on Jimmy’s Farm under the Jimmy brand for sale into the Christmas market.

It’s been a tough year for turkey farmers dealing with avian u – how bad is the situation in East Anglia?

In my 40 years of business, this has been the worst year we’ve ever known. In East Anglia, there have been over 300,000 turkeys lost so far, and whilst I would like to say that things can’t get any worse, they really could. I know of three Christmas turkey and goose farmers who are now out of business because of bird u. rough the NFU and British Poultry Council, we are lobbying hard to allow us to vaccinate our birds and create a fairer compensation scheme to help with this crisis. We ourselves have lost some turkeys, however, all of our KellyBronze ocks are ok, as indeed are Jimmy’s.

What will be the consequences for customers this festive season?

ere are no geese available now – the goose population has been wiped out and I have no doubt that there will be a shortage of free range turkeys too.

How does it compare with the challenges faced during the pandemic?

e pandemic lockdowns were a walk in the park compared to this year. In January, we hoped that things would be back to normal; how wrong we were. e Ukrainian war caused wheat to just about double in price. e price of soya went through the roof, along with our packaging and supplies. is, combined with the hangover we’ve had from Brexit and the shortage of labour, has created the perfect storm.

www.jimmysfarm.com

Farming

On a brighter note, have there been any good news stories to report at Kelly Turkeys?

No, is the sad answer. It’s been a year from hell.

e KellyBronze is a premium brand with a rich heritage and a renowned reputation – what makes celebrities choose your turkeys above all others?

We have been producing Kelly Bronze now for 38 years, over which time we have honed what we believe to be the perfect turkey. Whilst most food producers are eternally looking for ways to save money and reduce cost, we are continually searching for techniques to make our turkey better, which in most cases means adding cost. We do believe that if we can nd something that genuinely adds value, our customers are willing to pay more because it is assuredly better. e reason that celebrities and our customers buy from us is because it is a wonderful and delicious turkey. of Avian In uenza and we need to get a vaccination in place. If AI can be sorted, then we look forward to growing our business and making many more people happy on Christmas Day with a turkey that is easy to cook, wonderful to eat and makes their family go ‘wow’!

kellybronze.co.uk

What makes turkey such a great meat and does the future bode well for its place in the market?

Turkey is great because you get both white and dark meat. Whatever you can do with beef, pork, lamb or chicken, you can do with turkey. It is a very versatile meat. It is higher in protein and lower in fat than chicken, and the fact that turkey mince is in continual growth is testament to how great it tastes. e challenge is that turkey is not as cheap as chicken and, if it was, I’m sure it would have a greater market share. e future of premium turkeys at Christmas I think is very safe.

What’s coming up in 2023 that you’re excited about?

ere is a cloud hanging over the poultry industry because

Did you know?

In the UK, approximately 3.5 million captive birds have been culled since October 2021 due to the spread of avian fl u, while the virus has devastated wild populations.

A national bird fl u ‘prevention zone’ has been declared across the UK amid the biggest outbreak on record.

The H5N1 virus was fi rst detected in southern China in 1996 and has spread globally via infected wild birds.

www.jimmysfarm.com 54

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