By Charles Bourns, broiler grower, Gloucestershire
I am going to start this month’s article by saying that there is an organisation of which I am a trustee that was set up to help people in the poultry and fish industries if they have financial difficulties, whether long term or short. It is the Fishmonger and Poulterers Institute. We seem to regularly have applicants from the fish industry but not the poultry industry, so if you know of anyone who could benefit please let us know.
I cannot believe that there is no-one who would not benefit especially with Avian Influenza rearing its ugly head again.
It terrifies me so much I have stopped walking the dogs in the fields around the house as last time we had a large number of dead birds there. Let us hope that with the improved biosecurity on the farm it will not spread as it did two years ago.
Keep the visitors down and biosecurity up and keep on trucking as I say!
I do have a complaint against the big integrators at the moment. Why are they not prepared to look after their faithful contracted growers at a time like this when the companies trading in the wholesale market are getting so much more, due to shortages of poultry. It is a huge shame.
I am wondering are we going into a period which the industry has not been in for years where loyalty is mislaid and we as producers will start moving to the best prices, only to find in the long run the grass is not so green. So come on and look after your growers and ultimately your customers!
At the weekend I did an event where we lobbied against the Inheritance Tax reform. It was most interesting and once I had explained the position most were on our side. I did explain I pay tax as others do, but I use any spare money to keep the farm efficient. This year it was solar panels and I am sure after our Environment Agency visit this month they will have found something we have to spend money on! So, I feel it was a worthwhile exercise.
On the farm all seems to be going well. I am about to put my CCL figures in. I am looking forward to seeing if the solar panels have helped to bring us within target as I was fined last time because the farm had moved to growing Oakham Gold chicken.
This month the National Egg & Poultry Awards opens for entries. As a judge, I am really looking forward to the entries so I can see where I am going wrong!