A huge upturn in local food sales sparked by the coronavirus crisis has led to a rise in demand for turkey poults.

East Anglian Daily Times: Paul Kelly has seen a dramatic rise in demand for day-old turkey poults to fatten for Christmas Picture: KELLY TURKEYSPaul Kelly has seen a dramatic rise in demand for day-old turkey poults to fatten for Christmas Picture: KELLY TURKEYS (Image: Kelly Turkeys)

Turkey producer Paul Kelly says he has seen a big uptick in orders from his FarmGate Hatcheries business in Danbury as farmers anticipate a Christmas rush.

“Many butchers have doubled their business and had many new customers coming through their doors,” he said.

MORE – Farmer’s anger as thieves strike just as busy harvest season gets under way“This has led to farmers who supply butchers with traditional Christmas turkeys ordering more day-old poults.

“Those farmers who supply businesses with good home delivery sales have also seen double-digit growth.

“The feeling is that shopping local and supporting local food producers has gathered momentum. But people have short memories, so it will be interesting to see how many of those people do not go back to their old ways.”

FarmGate Hatcheries is a leading suppliers of poults for farmers producing turkeys for the traditional Christmas market, with the world’s largest collection of coloured turkey breeding stock, supplying a wide range of bronze, black and white poults and growing stock.