The national NFU Poultry Board has been considering which work areas are most important to poultry members and how the board can work towards finding solutions to an array of challenges being faced by the sector.
The board's mission
In order to set the future vision for a resilient and innovative supply chain, the board has agreed a mission statement:
to protect, promote and progress the interests of poultry producers within the wider work of the NFU.
Purposefully broad, this mission statement allows all work areas to be streamlined to ensure that any end goals satisfy the needs of members and their businesses.
While there are a number of challenges facing the poultry sector there are also many opportunities that need to be embraced.
To do this, the board has identified five key areas that will really benefit members. While lobbying and policy making always has its ups and downs, the board is focused on all stakeholder engagement following a set of consistent messages.
Five key priorities
1. Productivity
Enable investment in the required infrastructure through a thorough review of planning regulations.
2. Animal health and welfare
Proactively manage sector reputation, risk and resilience including public perception and disease management.
3. Supply chain
Ensure fairness is prioritised in all transactions throughout the supply chain.
4. Environmental performance
Champion the sectors environmental credentials and safeguard nutrient neutrality.
5. Skills and labour
Increase producer confidence and sector resilience specifically by maximising the ability for businesses to invest by achieving long-term access to a reliable workforce.
Supporting member businesses
Each work area contains more detail that will sit behind it and include a set of asks to help member businesses.
The board will share this with you over the next few months. It is important the board gets your feedback to help shape its continued work on behalf of members, so please do get involved in regional activities to have your say.
Your local representatives are on the national board to stand for your best interests and can help shape the work of the NFU. They are all ready to help protect, promote and progress the interests of the sector and contribute to future policymaking that is fit for purpose.
Regional poultry boards
As part of the overall review of the NFU's democratic structures, regional poultry boards will be formed. This will allow for more effective policy making within the organisation.
There has already been some productive discussions and interesting visits organised and attended by members across the regions. Plans are afoot for the creation of the remaining regional poultry boards over the next few months where these do not already exist.
NFU Cymru and NFU Midlands and South regions already have poultry groups with regular meetings and activities for members that are poultry focused.
The addition of the north and east regions, who are set to create more formal arrangements shortly, will create a refined pathway for every member to influence the work of the national board.
This is a work in progress, and the NFU poultry team is always looking for feedback on how to make this process the best it can be for members.
Please do reach out to your regional poultry lead if you have any ideas or questions or would like to get more involved at a regional level to help feed in to the work of the national poultry board.
Regional poultry leads
NFU North
Catherine Stokes
Cumbria county adviser
Catherine supports NFU members across North Cumbria.
She manages the NFU’s lobbying activities with MPs and a range of external organisations from local authorities, the police and government agencies to non-governmental organisations and relevant commercial bodies.
She also actively supports NFU group secretaries to drive NFU membership and works closely with elected farmer representatives including county officeholders and members of regional and national commodity boards.
Catherine joined the NFU in November 2023. Prior to starting her role as County Adviser, Catherine worked in the NFU Mutual Carlisle office supporting the group secretaries by organising events and meetings for NFU members and signposting member queries.
Before moving to Cumbria eight years ago, Catherine had no farming experience and had spent much of her life working in social care or homeless services for local authorities. This all changed after Catherine moved in next door to a farm and tried her hand at sheep work. She then worked on several farms as a calf rearer and eventually became a full-time seasonal calf rearer and general farm worker on a dairy farm.
NFU Midlands
Ali Parker
HEREFORDSHIRE COUNTY ADVISER
As well as lobbying local authorities and public bodies, in her role public engagement is fundamental to reach out to the general public, particularly the younger generation, so that they can develop a better understanding of UK agriculture.
Aside from her county adviser role, Ali also leads the NFU Midlands Poultry Commodity Board which identifies challenges poultry producers across the region are facing and inputs views to shape the policy positions and arguments the NFU take to the top of government and the supply chain.
As someone who has grown up on a poultry and arable family farm in Herefordshire, Ali is aware of the immense pressure farmers are under to operate successful businesses and works to help the farming community move forwards.
Prior to her role at the NFU, Ali worked for an agricultural PR company, working across a number of different global businesses within the sector. This emphasised the importance of good communication, particularly for an industry that is often mis-represented, and making sure the wider population understand farming principles and the challenges it faces.
Outside of work Ali is usually helping out on the farm, spending time with her black Labrador, playing hockey, or enjoying Herefordshire’s social farming community. In recent years she also completed the Tesco Future Farmers Foundation which was a fantastic programme that enabled her to meet and learn from top industry professionals and senior executives in retail and food businesses across the supply chain.
NFU East
Hamish Debnam-Sharp
Essex County Adviser
He grew up on a small family farm just outside of Finchingfield in North Essex and attended Writtle College, studying for a diploma in agriculture.
He worked for several farms in the region before becoming a partner on the family farm five years ago.
Hamish said: “I’m really passionate about farming and am looking forward to joining the NFU and supporting farmers across the region."
NFU South
Katie Davies
Wiltshire County Adviser
She previously worked as an agricultural adviser in a specialist firm covering Wales and the border counties.
Katie was an active member of Llysyfran YFC and at all levels of the organisation, finishing as Wales YFC Chair in 2021 and is still involved as a club leader. She completed the Worshipful Company of Farmers; Challenge of Rural Leadership Course in 2022.
NFU Cymru
Dafydd Jarrett
Policy Adviser
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