FEARS about bird flu have forced an Essex poultry farmer to cut back on chicken production by 70 per cent following a dramatic fall in demand.

While there have been no reported cases of avian flu among humans in this country cases have been confirmed elsewhere, most recently in Turkey.

Media coverage about human cases in far-flung countries and speculation in some media about the likelihood of a pandemic have resulted in Ian Chisholm cutting back production at his Norton Mandeville farm by about 700 birds per week.

From producing 1,000 birds for sale every week he has scaled down his weekly production to just 300.

"Six months ago we were in a position where we couldn't produce enough birds to meet sales. Because of scaremongering and the media hype and the way things have gone we're now in a situation where myself and the whole industry has seen sales plummet," he said.

Mr Chisholm, who has been at Norton Field Farm for eight years, believes one day there will be a human case of avian flu in this country, but the industry is already well prepared.

"One day, whether that's tomorrow, next year or ten years time, we will have avian flu of some description. That doesn't mean to say we're going to have an avian flu bug that's going to kill people.

"Obviously the high risk people are the people in the poultry industry, not the general public. We work totally differently to places like Turkey. People in places like Turkey rear poultry for food in their back yard. That's where the root of the problem lies."

Mr Chisholm added: "When you look at places like Thailand you have peasant labourers who sleep and work in the environment of their shed. We don't, we're a civilised country. We're not peasant workers. There's a vast difference between them and us.

"That doesn't mean we can be complacent because there's every chance it could happen, but the industry is well policed, it's self policing. You have the Department of the Environment overseeing us and it's a case that if there is a problem we're well prepared to deal with any situation that arises.

"The last thing the Government) can afford to do is have a repeat fiasco of foot and mouth."

Despite the downturn in poultry sales egg sales remain unchanged.

Mr Chisholm, who runs the business with wife Julie and son Daniel, said: "The egg side of the business is totally stable, it bounces along and the whole industry has not seen any real dent, but because of the bad publicity there has been a dramatic downturn in sales of chickens.

"There's a strong demand for the product but people are wary because of all the bad publicity."