October 23, 2009

Reduced placing of turkey poults on farms this summer may lead to a shortage of traditional Christmas turkeys, according to Paul Kelly, MD of Kelly Turkeys at Danbury, Essex.

Many producers have reduced placements when the recession was at its gloomiest early in the year. Over the same period, major retailers also dramatically cut their orders for premium fresh turkeys, said Kelly.

Turkey prices have remained stagnant, which will make the meat popular with consumers this year, and the lack of supply will make the retailers wonder about the wisdom of their decision to reduce orders early this year, according to Kelly.

Also, farmgate prices are expected to increase, and sales records during the 90s when the economy was in deep recession showed that farmgate prices did not drop as most people did not compromise the festive feast.