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
    • July 2025
    • 2025 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    • 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. July 2025
    2. 2025 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    3. June 2025
    4. 2025 Innovation supplement
    5. May 2025
    6. April 2025
    7. March 2025
    8. 2025 Feed and Nutrition supplement
    9. February 2025
    10. January 2025
    11. December 2024
    12. November 2024
    13. October 2024
    14. September 2024
    15. 2024 Building for the Future supplement
    16. August 2024
    17. 2024 Poultry Health supplement
    18. July 2024
    19. 2024 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement
    20. June 2024
    21. 2024 Innovation supplement
    22. Pig & Poultry Fair 2024
    23. May 2024
    24. April 2024
    25. March 2024
    26. February 2024
    27. January 2024
    28. December 2023
    29. November 2023
    30. Processing Equipment Supplement – Nov 2023
    31. October 2023
    32. Building Supplement – Sept 2023
    33. September 2023
    Featured

    Poultry Business – July 2025 issue

    By Chloe RyanJuly 1, 2025
    Recent

    Poultry Business – July 2025 issue

    July 1, 2025

    Poultry Business – 2025 National Egg and Poultry Awards finalists supplement

    July 1, 2025

    Poultry Business – June 2025 issue

    June 9, 2025
  • Jobs
    • Browse Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Manage Jobs
  • Events
    • National Egg and Poultry Awards
    • Poultry Fair
    • Webinars
Twitter LinkedIn
Poultry News
Production

Looking ahead to turkey’s 500th year

Chloe RyanBy Chloe RyanJune 10, 20255 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

The UK turkey industry is facing significant challenges. From competition with imported meat to evolving consumer habits and logistical hurdles post-Brexit, the sector is struggling. Yet there are also opportunities for innovation and renewed consumer relevance, and with a birthday on the horizon, there is a big marketing opportunity for turkey in 2026.

Kelly Turkeys hosted a conference at its Essex base in May with dozens of turkey farmers from across the country, in a day led by managing director Paul Kelly, examining these topics. The message was that although the UK turkey industry has declined, there is a sustainable future ahead, if the industry makes the most of the opportunities.

State of the market

In the mid-1990s, the UK produced around 46 million turkeys annually, Paul Kelly explained to the gathering of around 200 turkey farmers in a large storage unit on the farm in Danbury, Essex. Today, that figure has plummeted by 79% to just under 10 million birds. The number of UK turkey farmers has similarly shrunk to roughly 800, mostly small-scale operations averaging 1,500 birds each. This contraction reflects not only growing imports, especially breast meat “butterflies” from Poland and Germany, but also underinvestment in the UK.

Imported breast meat, sold often without clear origin labels, now dominates UK butchers’ counters at Christmas, Kelly explained. On average, 60% of turkey sold is imported, despite many consumers assuming what they are buying from butchers’ shops is British. The UK turkey sector is deeply linked to Christmas traditions but risks further decline without change. Projections warn of a 60% production drop in 20 years if current trends persist.

The UK is now Europe’s eighth largest turkey producer, Kelly explained. Poland and Russia dominate, each producing over 44 million birds.

Brexit has introduced logistical challenges, which has made life harder for British turkey businesses, he added, limiting live poult exports and shifting trade toward hatching eggs. The domestic poult market has halved from 150,000 to 80,000 birds annually.

Retail trends

Toby Kelly, who leads on new product development, delivered a presentation on retail trends.

The UK turkey market was worth £395 million in 2024, with Christmas driving 51% of annual revenue. This is expected to rise to £415 million in 2025 due to inflation and a shift from expensive beef to more affordable turkey.

Consumers often believe supermarkets are cheaper, but data reveals a more complex picture. Toby Kelly showed a range of prices from different UK retailers.

M&S wet-plucked: £21/kg

Waitrose dry-plucked: £17.50/kg

Tesco free-range: £10.50/kg

Aldi dry-plucked: £14.42/kg

KellyBronze premium: £15–£18/kg

Given these figures, premium British turkey is competitively priced, especially when production method and welfare standards are considered. The key is better communication of the value.

Crowns and joints are increasingly popular, particularly among smaller households and urban shoppers. Pre-seasoned and ready-to-roast options now represent 28% of sales, demonstrating that convenience and variety are driving growth.

Recent Kantar data shows that fresh turkey volumes declined by 0.2% over the past year, while frozen turkey sales grew, mainly thanks to discounters and price promotions.

Outside of Christmas, Toby made the case that retailers understock turkey compared to chicken. Ocado offers eight turkey SKUs versus 246 for chicken, and Sainsbury’s has 11 versus 83, he said. Yet innovative products like confit turkey thighs (Kelly has recently launched such a product under the Krafted by Kelly brand that is selling well) have proven there’s consumer appetite for variety.

Lessons from Abroad

Russia offers a powerful case study. There, turkey is positioned as a premium product with high nutritional value. This framing of turkey as a lean red meat substitute could have similar potential in the UK, where consumers are increasingly seeking healthy yet indulgent proteins.

However, changing British habits is not easy. The UK market is mature and saturated, with turkey still strongly associated with Christmas. To shift perception, the industry must invest in product development, brand repositioning, and customer education, Paul Kelly said.

Complementing whole birds with cut-up portions, joints, sausages, and prepared meals is the way forward, Kelly said. For example, jointed stag poults can generate £81 revenue per bird, with good gross margins. Skilled labour can portion birds efficiently.

These formats suit smaller households and busy lifestyles, while maintaining British provenance and quality.

500 Years of Turkey: A marketing opportunity

After a break to look around the farm’s processing facilities, the farmers heard once again from Paul Kelly, this time on how 2026 presents a brilliant marketing opportunity.

In 2026, the UK will mark 500 years since the turkey’s arrival in the UK. While initiatives like the NFU’s “Buy My Turkey” campaign are helpful, they are too seasonal and underfunded to shift perceptions year-round.

A solution could be a national, industry-funded campaign to reposition turkey.

Paul suggested there were lots of potential initiatives, including a national campaign: “500 Christmases, One Golden Centrepiece”; a “Turkey Walk” event around farms; collaborations with chefs and TV programmes; farm open days; and co-ordinated marketing efforts in butchers and retailers.

“If each Christmas bird sold contributed £1 toward marketing, the sector could raise £1–2 million to fund promotion,” he said.

About Kelly Turkeys

Kelly Turkeys was founded in 1971 by Derek Kelly, who is about to celebrate his 95th birthday. Managing 38,000 breeders and producing over 2 million eggs yearly, it supplies 27% of the fresh turkey market and hatches 150,000 eggs weekly across multiple sites. It also operates a farm in Virginia, USA.

Beyond breeding, the business has diversified into cooked and cured products, developing its own brands—Kelly Turkey Breeders, KellyBronze, Krafted by Kelly—and processes 155,000 turkeys annually. Premium dry-plucking methods are used on 42,000 birds during the Christmas peak.

 

Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Previous ArticleDaylight at the end of the tunnel
Next Article Avara sets tougher climate targets in new sustainability push
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

Production

Broiler production increases, latest Defra data shows

July 17, 20252 Mins Read
Production

Comment: We need to attract young people to the poultry industry

July 8, 20252 Mins Read
Production

New RSPCA chicken welfare standards now available for RSPCA Assured members

July 7, 20252 Mins Read
Latest News

Chippendales launches ‘Proper Good Yorkshire Eggs’

July 30, 2025

World Egg Day to celebrate ‘the mighty egg’

July 29, 2025

Iceland reinstates cage-free egg commitment with new 2027 timetable

July 29, 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.