By Charles Bourns, broiler grower, Gloucestershire
I have a couple of questions to ask those involved in the poultry industry. I know new houses are being built and planned and I know production is not keeping up with demand which is great for prices. But what I want to know is do the planned new houses have a customer? As I remember years ago a prominent person in the industry said a business plan needs to have a customer plan. Or is the plan just to try and take someone else’s market? If so, we will be in for difficult times in the future, but I trust the industry has learnt from past mistakes.
With this in mind, my second point is are we going to start promoting the positives of our industry? We have a great many, most of which I do not believe the customer realises. If we do this, we might stop being the whipping boy for other industries. The one I have in mind is the water industry, which seems to be able to pump waste into our rivers and lakes and then (especially close to me) blame the poultry industry. Why us? Because we will put it right.
Just look what we have done over the past few years. We have improved bird welfare in both the laying industry and the poultrymeat industry with just recently the introduction of the 30kg stocking density. All this has been done whilst chicken to the consumer is still the best value protein available according to the. Our staff and farmers through the poultry passport have the best audited training in the world through the Red Tractor and BEIC, although I still believe stockmanship is the key to good welfare as the winners of the awards last month showed. We grow for Marks & Spencer and we have a vet visit every crop before the chicken go into the processing plant.
The industry has also done so much more. We have reduced antibiotic use, we have improved biosecurity to help reduce the incidence of disease especially avian influenza.
So all in all, we have a great deal to be proud of. Let’s spend a little more time and energy shouting about one of the most successful industries in the country. Our forefathers did and we must build on their legacy.
To change the subject, the Poulters and Fishmongers charity do have funds to help anyone who has been involved in the industry on the farm or processing side with short term cashflow problems which could be caused by illness, etc. The charity does have calls from fishmonger side and I find it hard to believe there is no-one in the poultry industry especially as the winter fuel allowance was removed.
Sorry to be a bit of a Dutch uncle with my comments but the industry is doing well and now is the time to build a sound foundation for the future. I know there has been discussions on promotion but I have seen very little action at my level.