The British Poultry Council (BPC) has welcomed the publication of Baroness Minette Batters Farm Profitability Review. published in December, which recognises the vital role of the poultry meat sector in delivering affordable food while meeting environmental and land-use objectives.
The Review features the BPC as a case study (page 89), highlighting concerns around the planning system and reinforcing the need for reform to enable investment in modern and efficient critical food infrastructure.
The current planning framework is not fit to deliver Government objectives for food production, environmental protection or long-term land use.
The BPC has welcomed the Review’s recommendation to develop a National Planning for Food Infrastructure Blueprint (page 92). This is consistent with BPC calls for a planning framework that provides certainty for businesses, supports innovation, and enables the delivery of a resilient, sustainable poultry meat sector.
BPC chief executive, Richard Griffiths, said: “The Review rightly recognises that modern poultry meat production depends on a planning system that works.
“Reducing stocking density to 30kg/m2 is the most significant welfare change in a generation. However, it is a shift that creates a logistical challenge; at least 20% more floor space is needed to maintain current throughput.
“The recommendation for a National Planning for Food Infrastructure Blueprint is particularly welcome and reflects what BPC members have been saying for some time: without clarity, certainty, and room to invest, delivering Government ambitions for food, the environment, and land use simply will not happen.
Poultry meat businesses are ready to play their part, but they need a planning framework that enables progress rather than holding it back.”