By James Mottershead, chair, NFU Poultry Board
It was fantastic to attend the National Egg & Poultry Awards at the beginning of July, although it was a quick mad dash for me into London and back home in between two chicken catches. Many congratulations to all the winners, you thoroughly deserve your awards.
It would be wrong for me not to specifically mention Charles Bourns and his lifetime achievement award which was richly deserved after all the time and commitment he has devoted to the poultry sector. It’s worth remembering that when Charles was chair of the NFU national poultry board, he had additional representative responsibilities at a European level, and that was before he took on the important role as the Copa-Cogeca chair. I often wonder how I manage to ensure all my NFU commitments are met as well as commitments back home on the farm – in Charles’ day there where some weeks when you left home on a Monday morning and didn’t get back home until the Friday evening. So many congratulations to Charles.
Amidst many meetings at the back end of June and July, the NFU poultry board met with Red Tractor to discuss the work-based diploma in detail.
In 2007, the EU wrote into law that members of staff directly involved in the rearing of broiler chickens are key to the wellbeing of birds. This legislation has been kept post-Brexit and keeps the UK legislatively equivalent with poultry farmers in EU countries. All keepers who are given any welfare responsibility, including holiday, part time and temporary staff cover, must have a certificate attesting to completion of a recognised training course. For broiler chickens, this means that the minimum qualification to comply with the regulations is the level 2 diploma in work-based agriculture (poultry production), ensuring that the mandatory units have been completed.
Red Tractor is aware through the certification bodies that a number of scheme members are having difficulties understanding and meeting this standard, of which I can personally vouch for.
Alongside Red Tractor, we also invited the training provider, Poultec, to our last poultry board meeting. As a result of these discussions, and in an effort to keep scheme members compliant with the standard, Poultec has recruited more poultry trainers to help get people through the diploma. Red Tractor is also considering how to ensure growers are compliant.
This doesn’t prevent you from needing to complete the diploma, but it will ensure that those who are struggling to begin or make progress with their diploma for genuine reasons will still be able to operate as an assured farm.
Red Tractor has also uploaded an information document with all the relevant details, including funding options. I would encourage all who have encountered problems with this to get in contact with your certification body as soon as you can and keep them updated. They are here to help you keep your assurance status.