After a hesitant start to the year, broiler numbers in March bounced back to one of their highest monthly figures ever. Weekly chick placings averaged 23.8m during March, a rate of placements across the UK broiler industry only equalled in five months previously.  See also: Record 485.66 EPEF result for Moy Park farmer It puts the sector back on track to show an overall increase for this year to date. The final tally of day-olds for March reached 95.1 million, up 1.6m on the same month last year.  When combined with January and F ..read more

THE British Pig & Poultry Fair is back in with a new venue, the NEC in Birmingham  Here, we cover what would-be attendees of the fair need to know about the show, and will update this page as more detail becomes available. What is the British Pig & Poultry Fair? The fair usually takes place every two years and is the biggest exhibition in the UK for poultrymeat, egg and pig farmers. There are typically more than 330 exhibitors at the show, which attracts about 10,000 visitors over the two days that it runs. Feed compounder ABN has long been the principal sponsor of the show, and i ..read more

A week-long poultry health course for vets, technical staff and poultry managers is being relaunched after a five-year break. Designed and taught by specialists at The Pirbright Institute, University of Surrey, and UK industry experts, the course combines hands-on practicals, demonstrations and lectures to give professionals deeper insight into best practices in poultry health. See also: Apprentices celebrate success at Noble Foods Industry specialists will lead discussions on enrichment, hatchery practice and field investigations, with practical sessions taking place at the University of ..read more

STONEGATE has announced that Mole Valley Farmers has been added to its list of authorised feed manufacturers for organic poultry feed. Mole Valley Farmers took charge of Uffculme Mill in Devon in 2023 and subsequently developed the site into a dedicated organic feed mill. See also: Spot ration costs hit four-year low It has since developed a range of organic diets to meet the specifications needed for the Stonegate supply chain. These include the Soil Association and OF & G Organic diets along with a range of bespoke diets required for the Clarence Court brand. Mole Valley Farmers joi ..read more

MOY PARK farmer Brian Dickey has been applauded for his record-breaking flock performance results, recognising his world-leading husbandry and farming practices. Brian Dickey, who farms outside Ballymena, Co. Antrim, has scored a European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) of 485.66, beating the previous Moy Park record. See also: Govt announces £35m for Wye Valley poultry manure management EPEF is an equation used to measure the technical performance of a broiler flock and takes into consideration the feed conversion ratio (FCR), liveability (life expectancy), live weight and slaughter ..read more

DEFRA has announced an ‘action plan’ setting out a range of measures to restore the River Wye to health. It will require large poultry farms to export manure away from areas where they would otherwise cause excess pollution and provide up to £35m in grant support for on-farm poultry manure combustors in the area. See also: New govt grants to help fund poultry welfare equipment Combusting poultry manure provides a source of renewable energy and converts manure to nutrient-rich ash, which is a valuable fertiliser that is easier to transport and use on farms – reducing risk to the environmen ..read more

Spot ration costs reached a four-year low this month, following a further weakening of soyameal prices. Although average UK feed wheat prices have edged forward by around £4 a tonne since February, a sharper fall in soya values has pushed ration formulation costs down overall. See also: Find out more about the Poultry Network Precision Agri Feed Buying Service Global soya prices have come under more significant pressure as the South American crop descends onto the market. The UK average HiPro price has slipped by £40 over the last two months, down to £384/ t. This is the first time it has drop ..read more

INDEPENDENT egg packer and producer Bird Bros has said it will phase out colony egg production by converting sheds at its home farm to barn units. The £26m-turnover business packs over 4 million eggs a week from 800,000 hens and supplies retailers, wholesale and food service businesses across the UK. Set up in 1969 by twin brothers Carl and Peter, the farming enterprise supplies 65 different SKU (stock keeping units, or products) to about 350 regular customers each week. See also: New govt grants to help fund poultry welfare equipment Cousins, Matt and Stuart (sons of the company’s founde ..read more

DEFRA has made available grant funding for a range of poultry farm equipment that could help the health and welfare of flocks. The range of kit available under the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) 2024 for poultry includes misting systems, LED light installations and monitoring technology. See also: Scotland proposes to ban colony cage egg production Part of Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, farmers can apply for a minimum of £1,000 and a maximum of £25,000, with a percentage of the cost paid depending on the item. For many items, this percentage is an increase on las ..read more

ELANCO has taken over the sole UK distribution of GalliPro Fit, manufactured by Chr. Hansen. The product is a triple-strain probiotic that supports gut health in poultry. See also: Wholesale egg market up as free-range flock growth stalls Polly Davies, Elanco monogastric sales leader, said GalliPro Fit can prove a viable option to incorporate into rations. “What makes the probiotic different is the fact it contains three carefully selected, naturally occurring bacterial strains: two B. subtilis and one of B. amyloliquefaciens,” she said. “The combination of bacteria works together to supp ..read more