Bird flu sparks lay-offs at factory

LONDON - The bird flu outbreak at the Bernard Matthews factory in England claimed its first human victims yesterday with the announcement of more than 100 job losses.

Confidence in the brand among shoppers has plummeted since the outbreak of the H5N1 virus at the factory in Suffolk which led to the slaughter of 160,000 turkeys earlier this month. Supermarket sales of Bernard Matthews products had fallen from 30 per cent to 40 per cent since, anecdotal reports said.

About 130 staff at the Norfolk site will be stood down for 20 days from today, but the firm is preparing to lay off 500 workers.

- INDEPENDENT