By Charlie Reeve
Total UK poultry meat production increased to 171,900 tonnes in April, the highest monthly figure since January.
Production lifted by 1,300 tonnes on the previous month but was still marginally below year-earlier levels.
Roughly 93m broilers, which account for the vast majority of total poultry throughput, were processed during April, 1% below year earlier volumes.
This fall in throughput volumes for broilers accounted for much of the annual decline in total meat production.
Boiling fowl throughputs were also back slightly on the same month last year at 2.3m birds.
Meanwhile, turkey slaughterings increased by 31% on the year to 0.6m birds.
Liveweights of birds at point of slaughter averaged 2.4kg for broilers and 2.1kg for boiling fowl in April, both marginally up compared with April 2025.
Chick Placings
UK broiler chick placings increased by almost 1% to 94.2m chicks, while commercial layer chick placings dropped by 11% to 2.8m chicks.
Turkey poult placings climbed by 25% in April on year earlier levels to 700,000 chicks.
Defra says the number of placed chicks each month indicates future volumes of poultry meat and egg production, with consumer demand strongly affecting placings.
Egg prices and production
UK farmgate egg prices averaged 154 pence per dozen during the first quarter of 2026, up by almost 4% on year earlier levels and 3% higher than the final quarter of 2025.
A total of 273m dozen eggs were produced for human consumption during the first quarter of the year, an increase of 6% on last year’s levels.
Meanwhile, output of egg products reached 21,900 tonnes, up by 45% compared with the same period a year earlier.