A turkey farmer’s bid to revive a centuries-old tradition has been dashed by this week’s order to house all birds indoors.
But Paul Kelly is determined next week’s turkey walk across historic Stratford St Mary Bridge on the Suffolk/Essex border will go ahead with human “turkeys” instead.
The return of bird flu prompted government vets to order a nationwide lockdown this week, after outbreaks led to millions of birds being culled in recent years.
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The Essex farmer planned to lead his “booted” flock across the bridge on Wednesday, November 18, and pay a toll to restaurateur and hotelier Paul Milsom, owner of the nearby Talbooth restaurant in Dedham.
For centuries, turkeys fattened on farms in Suffolk and Norfolk were driven down the old A12 to London before Christmas.
Their route included tolled bridges such as Stratford St Mary Bridge, which crosses the River Stour on the Suffolk-Essex border.
“Ninety thousand turkeys crossed that bridge,” said Paul, who planned to dress as a drover and lead 22 birds across it.
"I was really looking forward to it - one of my dreams was running the turkeys across the Stratford St Mary Bridge. I have been planning it for years."
More than a million turkeys were driven to London over the centuries, he said.
Some birds and their drovers travelled more than 100 miles, with the birds’ feet were often either fitted with tiny boots or dipped in a tar and sand to provide a crust to protect them.
The tradition died out in the mid-1800s when railways began carrying livestock from England’s farming heartlands straight to London.
Paul runs Kelly Turkeys, a family-owned premium turkey business in Danbury, Essex.
Under his father Derek, the business revived the original bronze-feathered breed after white-feathered birds pushed it out of commercial favour.
The British poultry industry is marking the 500th anniversary of the Christmas turkey this year.
The original dark-feathered bird first came over to England from America - its native land - five centuries ago.
A few years ago, Kelly Turkeys opened a US business selling the revived native breed to a fast-growing market of American customers.
His farm in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains now sells just under 5,000 turkeys to customers across the US.
He supplies butchers in New York and Washington, but most sales go to consumers as far away as California.
The premium birds are sought after in the US and one Californian customer spent $600 to get two premium turkeys flown in.
“It’s about 15 to 20 per cent of the UK market but growing quickly. Potentially it could be 10 times what we do here and I think it will,” he said, adding that the business was investing in more refrigeration as US sales grow by 20 to 30 per cent year on year.
Paul has welcomed the housing order for birds in England - which took effect on Friday, November 13 - but admits he was taken by surprise by how quickly it was implemented this year.
"It's come as a big shock to everyone because while we have had outbreaks it's nowhere near the number we have had in the past before they have put in a housing order - they may have learnt from their mistakes."
The order will have little effect on Paul because he starts plucking on November 24 and brings his free-range birds indoors a week earlier to clean their feet on thick straw bales.
He has taken part in recent bird flu vaccination trials by sending vaccinated day-old poults (turkey chicks) to a test farm.
"The housing order isn't going to stop the spread - it's going to reduce the risk," he said.
But he had a “good feeling” the trials would succeed and could end years of misery for the UK poultry industry, which has lost millions of birds to the disease through culls were ordered to stop its spread.
He and Paul Milsom hope next week’s celebration will highlight the turkey’s place in East Anglia’s history.
Paul Milsom said: "We are looking forward to hosting our turkey lunch at Talbooth restaurant and hearing from Paul Kelly about the history of turkey along with a timely masterclass on carving a turkey from Paul Kelly, alongside the Talbooth chefs.
"Despite the poultry mandatory house order, we will take time at the lunch to salute the history and story of turkeys marching in to London."
Paul Kelly holds Guinness World Records as the fastest turkey carver and plucker.
The lunch will begin with an 11am turkey walk, with Paul Kelly wearing a turkey costume alongside a flock of similarly dressed humans.
"I have got a great turkey outfit - it's coming out from under my sofa. We'll still make a day of it and it's a story as well. That bridge has been a huge part of the journey of the turkeys to London," he said.
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