By Charlie Reeve
Total UK poultry meat production totalled 177,400 tonnes in May, the highest monthly figure since January, although still marginally below the same month last year.
Overall, total UK poultrymeat production has been on an upwards trajectory in the UK for several decades and reached a new record high of 2m tonnes in 2025.
During the first five months of 2026, production has been even higher year on year.
Broilers continue to account for the vast majority of total poultry throughput, with roughly 95m processed during May.
Meanwhile, boiling fowl throughputs totalled 2.4m birds in May, a slight increase on the same month last year.
Turkey slaughterings held at 0.6m birds.
A major factor behind the increase in poultry meat production in recent years is heavier birds.
Broilers had averaged 2.2kg at point of slaughter for many years, although this lifted to 2.3 kg between 2021 and 2024, and then up to 2.4kg in 2025.
More recently, broilers averaged 2.5kg in May, up on both the previous month and the same month last year.
Chick placings
UK broiler chick placings were up very marginally in May at 97.7m chicks.
Commercial layer chick placings increased by 6.7 to 3.2m chicks, and turkey poult placings remain high up by 33% in May on year earlier levels at 1.1m chicks.
Defra says the number of placed chicks each month indicates future volumes of poultry meat and egg production, with consumer demand strongly affecting broiler chick and turkey poult 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 in 2025.