Poultry farms have seen income grow strongly, according to Defra’s latest farm business income projections for 2020/21.
Average income for the year for poultry farms is expected to be around £130,000, an increase of 48% compared to 2019/20.
Increased egg prices following strong retail demand during the COVID-19 lockdowns are expected to be a major driver increasing poultry output by 7%. Output from poultry meat is also forecast to rise. In comparison, input costs are expected to go up by 2% As with other livestock farms it is anticipated that the biggest cost increase will be for feed costs.
The Defra forecasts for 2020/21 are derived from information available in early March 2021 for prices, livestock populations, yields and input costs and are intended as a broad indication of how incomes for each farm type are expected to move compared with 2019/20.