By Aimee Mahony, NFU chief poultry adviser
How can it be January already and another year has flashed by? I hope that the New Year brings you all great success, prosperity and happiness and I look forward to continuing to represent the poultry sector in my role as Chief Poultry Adviser at the NFU.
The run up to Christmas is always a busy one with the seasonal poultry supply chain operating at full speed and sadly the number of avian influenza cases increasing as we enter the peak risk period for disease incursion. With only a couple of sleeps to go until Christmas Day 2025, there was even more to digest with the launch of Defra’s animal welfare strategy.
It is good to see the government recognise the excellent work of British farmers within the strategy and their commitment to working together to maintain and enhance world class standards. However, there are many questions raised for the poultry sector specifically, with multiple actions focussed on breeding, production systems and climate change adaptations.
Our initial response to the strategy highlighted the need for more transparency in the detail behind the government’s proposals and as the New Year progresses we will be looking to find out more about the government’s direction of travel.
The government also made another significant and long-awaited announcement in the run up to Christmas related to the threshold for inheritance tax changes. A 14-month campaign has seen the NFU and its members put everything on the line to highlight the impacts of the disastrous proposals. After it became clear that the government were wedded to the policy, the NFU has been focused on mitigating the worst of its impacts for the majority.
This new announcement, which sees the tax threshold raised from £1m to £2.5m, will come as a huge relief to many and whilst there is still tax to pay, it will greatly reduce that tax burden for many family farms, the people that are the beating heart of the countryside.
There will undoubtedly be challenges as we navigate through the next twelve months and there will be opportunities too which all those in the supply chain must grasp with both hands. I’d like to see greater collaboration and a stronger spotlight on the valuable contributions poultry businesses make, celebrating their innovation and progress rather than headlines which focus on the negatives.
If you’d like to be part of driving policy development which will help shape the future of the poultry sector and you are a NFU member, then look no further. We are appointing the National Poultry Board for the next two-year term (2026-2028) and are looking for passionate people to represent all aspects of poultry production. You can find out more on NFU online or by getting in touch with your local NFU contact. I’m looking forward to receiving your nominations and working alongside the Board to create a transparent and progressive future for British poultry meat and eggs.