A new survey by the NFU poultry team has revealed that the average UK broiler house is 31 years old, with 15% of houses still in use built over 50 years ago, raising concerns over the sector’s ability to meet environmental targets, welfare standards, and food security goals without significant investment.
The findings come from the NFU’s 2025 Broiler Shed Age Survey, the largest of its kind, which collected data from over 5,000 poultry houses covering 7.2 million m² of floor space. The results show little improvement since the previous survey in 2014, highlighting what the NFU describes as an “urgent need for modernisation” across the sector.
Key findings include:
57% of broiler houses are at least 20 years old, and nearly half (43%) are over 30 years old.
7% of houses currently in use have never undergone major refurbishment since being built at least 50 years ago.
Only 17.4% of surveyed houses have been refurbished during their lifetime.
Houses used for broilers tend to be newer than those for breeding stock, and Northern Ireland has the newest housing while Scotland has the oldest.
Despite widespread calls for reinvestment, producers face major planning and regulatory challenges, as well as low confidence in the supply chain. The NFU has warned that without government-backed support, grant funding, and planning reform, the sector risks falling behind competitors abroad, particularly as imported poultry meat increases.
“Data from this survey will help inform policy decisions and lobbying asks that centre around the sector needing supportive and proactive government decision making to allow producers to farm competitively and continue producing the nations favourite meat,” the NFU said in a statement. “With producer confidence currently being low, this support is much needed to help promote investment in poultry businesses and future proof the sector.
The survey also underscores how the current planning system acts as a barrier to progress. Previous NFU data has helped influence lobbying efforts on planning and infrastructure funding, and the union said this latest dataset will shape policy asks around planning and grant schemes.