The British Pig & Poultry Fair is returning to Stoneleigh on 10-11 May, offering a long-awaited opportunity for the industry to get together and discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Poultry producers have endured a volatile couple of years during Covid. Meeting up with suppliers, processors, retailers and other producers will therefore be a great opportunity to tackle current difficulties and plan ahead for a brighter future.
“It’s important for people to attend, because we haven’t seen each other in person or been together as an industry for so long,” says Danny Johnson, general manager at ABN, which is partnering the Fair. “The Pig & Poultry Fair will be the first event where the whole monogastric industry has come together since 2018. We need to share experiences from the past couple of years and agree a route forward. Coming together is always important, but this year even more so.”
Aimee Mahony, chief poultry adviser at the NFU, agrees: “We are facing some big challenges like Avian Influenza and labour shortages, and being able to exchange ideas and listen to viewpoints from people representing different parts of the supply chain is so important.
“Producers can also visit the trade stands to learn about new technology and innovations to take back to their own business. It’s quite unique having everything in one place.”
Rising input costs are a concern across every sector. “Feed and energy prices are soaring and it’s not always easy to recover that from the marketplace,” she says. “But there will come a point where something has to give, otherwise people won’t restock: It’s not sustainable to operate below the cost of production.”
In the broiler sector, consumer demand remains strong, with chicken the nation’s number one choice of meat. “It’s nutritious, affordable and versatile,” says Mahony. However, some consumers are demanding slower grown chicken with lower stocking rates, in line with the European Chicken Commitment. “That is a challenge, but businesses are looking at ways to offer consumers a choice, rather than a full switch for the whole sector.”
There’s a similar challenge in the egg sector, with producers exiting colony systems and moving to free-range production, at a time when retailers are really looking for barn eggs, says Robert Gooch, chief executive of BFREPA. Demand for eggs soared during Covid, which sent prices rapidly higher – but now that demand has cooled, leaving the sector in a situation of oversupply and subsequently very low prices. “We need to meet up to talk about it and get a feeling for what the future holds.”
All producers will clearly continue to look at ways to maximise efficiency and productivity in a changing environment. The ABN poultry forum will therefore focus on driving performance in the most sustainable way possible, considering carbon footprints and the challenges of reducing soya usage in monogastric diets, says Johnson. “There is growing interest in UK-produced protein crops and these will be part of the industry’s solution to reducing the carbon footprint of UK agriculture.”
BFREPA will also be focusing on tackling red mite and feather pecking, says Gooch. With such a variety of issues facing the industry, it’s so important to come together to try and address them. “Sitting on your farm and worrying isn’t going to help; whatever the challenge is, talking to fellow producers and sharing information at the Fair can only be a good thing.”
- The British Pig & Poultry Fair will take place at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, on May 10-11, featuring a packed forum programme with top industry speakers and more than 300 exhibitors. For more information and to book your free ticket visit pigandpoultry.org.uk.
