A number of young women involved in poultry production have formed a networking group, and are keen to spread the word to attract new members, and also sponsorship.
The Young Women in Poultry Production group was formed last year after Hipra invited a group of 10 women to get together for a one-off networking event.
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The initial members included Hannah Cargill, contract production manager at Avara Foods, who quickly saw the potential for the group to evolve and expand. Together with Becca Goodings, assistant farm manager at Noble Foods, the group wants to continue to grow in order to provide networking opportunities and improve the technical knowledge of its members.
“Initially, we just wanted to keep in touch and teach each other things about the industry,” says Cargill. “But we have now grown to about 50 members and are at the stage of approaching larger businesses and inviting them to do workshops.
“We have already been part of a trip with Elanco to see the Hemicell manufacturing plant, and have taken part in workshops on topics including salmonella.”
She says the group is seeking sponsorship from poultry companies that would like to host meetings where new members can be introduced to the group and everybody can improve their knowledge of the industry.
“We have a Whatsapp group, and our goal is to empower women and provide a network that usually takes years to build up,” she says.
Eventually, as the group grows, her goal is to visit colleges and universities to show young women that a career in poultry is a good option.
The group is already making progress. BFREPA has given it a free stand at its conference in November to help it get its message out. At the moment, membership is free, although Cargill says there may eventually be an annual charge of about £50 to cover costs.
The immediate goal is to double membership numbers by the end of the year. And Cargill says if the group is able to secure sponsorship, she would like to attend more conferences and events to broaden the knowledge of its members.