Stuart Anderson MP has called for a resilience and recovery fund to support South Shropshire's egg producers and poultry farmers. Almost 1.8 million birds have had to be culled due to the outbreak of avian flu.
This has significantly affected rural areas like South Shropshire, which is home to more than 9.5 million chickens. This accounts for 90.8% of livestock across the local authority area, which has some 3,685 farms – the highest per county in England.
On 16th February 2025, five more counties joined Shropshire and other areas that are already under mandatory housing measures as part of the roll-out of Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ).
Stuart has said that "urgent action" must be taken to protect the egg supply in the UK. He has been in contact with local egg producers. Will Lea, a free range egg producer from Cardington, has said that the government needs to "bring in full housing measures for the entire country".
Stuart has also called on Ministers to improve compensation for those affected by the outbreak. Currently, compensation only goes as far as lost birds and is not available for interruption to business. Yet, farmers face many costs as an outcome of the outbreak - not least on feed.
Poultry farmers and egg producers have also reported difficulties in obtaining suitable insurance amid increased costs. So, Stuart has also called on Ministers work with industry and make it easier to access affordable insurance cover.
Concerns have also been raised about the impact on farmer's mental health. Requests for counselling services provided by the Farm Safety Foundation have more than doubled, with a 13% increase in calls to its crisis support line.
In a survey of 750 farmers, the Foundation found that mental health is the "biggest hidden problem" facing the sector. Following the outbreak, Stuart has also updated his Farmer’s Support Portal with details of action to take.
Stuart's webpage includes an interactive map to see which areas are affected and which measures should be taken. He is encouraging everyone to be vigilant for signs of the disease and to report them.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"Some 1.8 million birds have sadly had to be culled due to the recent outbreak of avian flu. This has significantly affected rural areas like South Shropshire, which is home to more than 9.5 million chickens. Undoubtedly, this is a very challenging situation for egg producers and poultry farmers, whose birds have died and face many costs as a result. I am supporting local farmers, who have said the government needs to bring in full housing measures for the entire country and expand the scope of compensation, as it only goes as far as lost birds and is not available for interruption to business as usual. I am also calling for a resilience and recovery fund in recognition of these costs and have urged Ministers to work with industry to make it easier to access affordable insurance cover. I hope that the government will not hesitate to provide further support for this valuable sector, which contributes more than £500 million per year towards the West Midlands economy."
Will Lea said:
“The Government needs to pull its finger out and bring in full housing measures for the entire country. Conversations must be had about how they will support farmer's access insurance to protect themselves and compensation for losses.”
