Poultry News
  • Production
    • Broiler Production
    • Ducks
    • Egg Production
    • Game
    • Hatching
    • Housing
    • Turkeys
  • Processing
  • Business & Politics
    • Business
    • Economics
    • EU & Politics
    • Marketing
    • People
    • Training & Education
  • Welfare
    • Environment
    • Food Safety
    • Vet & Medication
    • Welfare
  • Feed
  • Genetics
  • New Products
  • Magazines
    • June 2025
    • 2025 Innovation supplement
    • May 2025
    • April 2025
    • March 2025
    • 2025 Feed and Nutrition supplement
    • February 2025
    • January 2025
    • December 2024
    • November 2024
    • October 2024
    • September 2024
    • 2024 Building for the Future supplement
    • August 2024
    • 2024 Poultry Health supplement
    • July 2024
    • 2024 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    • June 2024
    • 2024 Innovation supplement
    • Pig & Poultry Fair 2024
    • May 2024
    • April 2024
    • March 2024
    • February 2024
    • January 2024
    • December 2023
    • November 2023
    • Processing Equipment Supplement – Nov 2023
    • October 2023
    • Building Supplement – Sept 2023
    • September 2023
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Events
    • National Egg and Poultry Awards
    • Poultry Fair
    • Webinars
Twitter LinkedIn
  • FREE Email Newsletters
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
Twitter LinkedIn
Podcast
Poultry News
  • Production
    • Broiler Production
    • Ducks
    • Egg Production
    • Game
    • Hatching
    • Housing
    • Turkeys
  • Processing
  • Business & Politics
    • Business
    • Economics
    • EU & Politics
    • Marketing
    • People
    • Training & Education
  • Welfare
    • Environment
    • Food Safety
    • Vet & Medication
    • Welfare
  • Feed
  • Genetics
  • New Products
  • Magazines
    1. June 2025
    2. 2025 Innovation supplement
    3. May 2025
    4. April 2025
    5. March 2025
    6. 2025 Feed and Nutrition supplement
    7. February 2025
    8. January 2025
    9. December 2024
    10. November 2024
    11. October 2024
    12. September 2024
    13. 2024 Building for the Future supplement
    14. August 2024
    15. 2024 Poultry Health supplement
    16. July 2024
    17. 2024 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    18. June 2024
    19. 2024 Innovation supplement
    20. Pig & Poultry Fair 2024
    21. May 2024
    22. April 2024
    23. March 2024
    24. February 2024
    25. January 2024
    26. December 2023
    27. November 2023
    28. Processing Equipment Supplement – Nov 2023
    29. October 2023
    30. Building Supplement – Sept 2023
    31. September 2023
    Featured

    Poultry Business – June 2025 issue

    By Chloe RyanJune 9, 2025
    Recent

    Poultry Business – June 2025 issue

    June 9, 2025

    Poultry Business – 2025 Innovation supplement

    June 9, 2025

    Poultry Business – May 2025 issue

    May 15, 2025
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Events
    • National Egg and Poultry Awards
    • Poultry Fair
    • Webinars
Twitter LinkedIn
Poultry News
Business

Avara Foods’ annual sales and profits rise, despite £5.8m of cost of closing duck business

Chloe RyanBy Chloe RyanFebruary 1, 20212 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

Avara Foods has reported annual sales of £1.2 billion in the year ending 31 May 2020, up 5% year-on-year. Profit for the financial year was £11.2 million, up 3.6% on the year before. This growth was achieved despite the significant disruption to the market caused by COVID-19 in the final quarter of the financial year.

Margins were squeezed by the impact of the pandemic, according to the annual report, with an additional £6m spent on additional hygiene measures and infrastructure to enable staff to comply with social distancing. In addition, margins were hit by the closure of the foodservice market and by trading market prices falling sharply in the face of oversupply.

The company recorded costs of £5.8 million associated with the closure of its duck business, a decision it took due to changing market conditions. In late 2019, the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) in pigs caused many Chinese farmers to convert their pig operations to ducks. This huge growth in duck numbers caused the global price of feathers to collapse. The export of feathers was a valuable part of its business, Avara Foods notes in its annual report. The closure of restaurants in the spring compounded the problem and the decision to close the duck business was announced in April 2020.

Andy Dawkins, Chief Executive Officer at Avara Foods commented: “Despite the challenges 2020 presented, our plans remained on-track and we have delivered more value to customers than ever before – a real credit to all those who work at Avara. In the face of COVID-19, we invested heavily to protect the wellbeing of every single colleague and to ensure the business was stable and resilient. I’m proud by how we have continued to manufacture great products, maintained our high standards and strengthened our customer relationships in these most difficult of times. We anticipate another period of strong growth ahead – as a business we’re agile, ambitious and well-placed to weather the uncertain market conditions created by Brexit and COVID-19.”

Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Previous ArticleEdinburgh scientists transfer climate-tolerant feathers to British chickens
Next Article South West Chicken Association replaces conference with March webinar
Chloe Ryan

Editor of Poultry Business, Chloe has spent the past decade writing about the food industry from farming, through manufacturing, retail and foodservice. When not working, dog walking and reading biographies are her favourite hobbies.

Read Similar Stories

Business & Politics

Comment: My verdict on the EU reset and US trade deal

June 12, 20253 Mins Read
Business

Avara sets tougher climate targets in new sustainability push

June 10, 20251 Min Read
Business

Griffiths Family Foods and Eureden launch joint UK egg venture

June 5, 20252 Mins Read
Latest News

Hygiene audits critical to pathogen control in hatcheries

June 13, 2025

Comment: My verdict on the EU reset and US trade deal

June 12, 2025

Broilers – a summer saga

June 12, 2025
Sponsored Content

Navigating Sustainability in Egg Production: Practical Steps for Producers

June 1, 2025

Maintain stable and continuous coccidiosis control amidst stocking density reductions

November 1, 2024
© 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

  • Farmers Weekly
  • AA Farmer
  • Farm Contractor
  • Pig World

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.