Devon Farmers Seek New Jobs After Bird Flu Kills 5,000 Chickens

A farm in Devon had to kill 5,000 chickens after an avian flu outbreak. Jerry Saunders owns Orchard Organic Farm, and he and his wife, Emma, need new jobs. The current insurance doesn’t help small farms like theirs.

Two of Jerry’s chickens got sick last month. So, officials said all his hens must be culled. Jerry’s farm lost a lot of money, costing them tens of thousands of pounds. The Saunders are heartbroken and struggling financially, and they say the system isn’t for small, family businesses.

Insurance for free-range birds is hard to find because these birds spend time outdoors and are therefore more likely to get infections. Big poultry farms often have better coverage. This situation devastates the Saunders family.

The government offers some money for culled hens; however, Jerry believes it favors large companies. The compensation scale favors young, healthy hens and drops quickly as hens age.

Jerry takes pride in his hens’ free life, which allows them to live longer than those on supermarket farms. But the compensation covers less than half of restocking costs, making it difficult to consider rebuilding their business.

The farm needs a costly deep-clean and must stay empty for a year. Since the Saunders can’t afford this, they likely must shut down and find new work. This is hard after 15 successful years.

Jerry is lucky to have other skills, including engineering experience and a lorry license. Still, he finds it hard to move on and can’t forget the chickens he raised being killed. The culling was done by workers in hazmat suits.

Disease rules impacted all Orchard Farm hens, and even hens in separate houses were culled. Jerry also had to pay to destroy eggs and feed, which cost over £12,000, because they believed those items risked infection.

Jerry said some hen houses were far apart, but the rules work for big farms where chickens are kept in one building. The rules are not flexible for small farms like theirs.

A friend started a GoFundMe that raised over £30,000. Jerry appreciates the support, but it only helps with short-term finances and won’t secure the farm’s future.

The fundraiser is a lifeline for the family and will help pay for mortgages and other bills. The real loss is the loss of the hens. Community support means a lot to Jerry, but it also makes it harder to stay strong.