NFU national poultry board chairman Thomas Wornham hosted the seminars and put members’ questions to the speakers, digging deeper into their work and getting an insight into their thoughts about the research that might shape the future of the industry.
You can watch each of the sessions back below.
Where next for poultry diets?
In this first seminar we heard from three experts about their work surrounding novel protein sources for poultry feed.
- Brian Kenyon, ABN: Are lupins an alternative protein source for broiler diets?
- Miha Pipan, Better Origins: Live insect feeding in commercial laying hens
- Professor Jos Houdijk, SRUC: Evaluation of the nutritive value of legumes as alternatives to soybean meal for broiler diets
Watch a recording of the seminar below to hear how the development of soya alternatives could change the way nutritional requirements are met in the UK poultry industry in the future.
The future for bird welfare
The second seminar focused on the development of new welfare monitoring and improvement methods as well as asking how the industry should work to improve the public’s perception of poultry meat and egg production in the UK.
- Rebecca Swinn, Innovative Farmers, and Glen Haggart, Addington Farm: Playing music in laying sheds to improve bird welfare and other improvements
- Professor Lucy Asher, Newcastle University: Distress calls for commercial monitoring of broiler chick welfare
- Hannah Eastaugh, Noble Foods and Nuffield Scholar: Adapting UK egg production for an increasingly welfare conscious market
Watch the video below to find out more:
Exploring innovations on farm and beyond
The third and final seminar focused on innovation within the industry, covering data collection, disease monitoring and exciting new feed research that holds great potential for the industry.
- Professor Emily Burton, Nottingham Trent University: The protein sources of tomorrow
- David Brass, The Lakes Free Range Egg Company: Why real time data? Why trees?
- David Speller, Applied Group: Disease detection in poultry units through the use of robotic sensors
Watch the video below to hear from our panel of experts about their work and how these innovations could shape the poultry industry.
NFU poultry board chairman Thomas Wornham (pictured above) said:
“The third NFU Poultry Research Seminar built upon previous events to act as a conduit between academia and industry, introducing new and innovative research and ideas that may be unheard of or something you could see benefiting your business.
"Our industry continues to evolve as businesses invest in new facilities and infrastructure. This series of seminars aims to enable poultry businesses to keep pace with new and upcoming trends, practices and even some blue sky thinking for the vision of the future.”