Gian Luca Bagnara, Copa Cogeca Chair of the Poultry and Eggs Working Party, Rebecca Tonks, CEO of St Ewe Free Range Eggs and NFU Poultry Board chair James Mottershead formed the panel chaired by NFU chief poultry adviser Aimee Mahony.
James introduced the event with an accompanying video which had been pre-filmed at his family’s main farm. The plan had been to use his poultry site for filming but this was changed due to AI ( avian influenza) restrictions.
James said: “With AI in mind, we are all facing difficult and challenging times.
“Despite that, I want you to know that the NFU has your back and is working on your behalf at the highest level.
“Aside from disease, and market pressures, we also face continued uncertainty, not least from the new government's policies, which so far have been dismal.
“The poultry sector is an incredible sector to be involved in. We pride ourselves on producing a market led product and as a sector we produce quality poultry meat and eggs, which allow consumers to enjoy nutritious and versatile sources of protein.
“Together we feed the nation and contribute to the economy. Usually with little fuss and minimal support from government. While there continues to be many challenges out there, I want every poultry member to know the NFU is there for you.”
Watch again – NFU25: Poultry fringe session
Vaccinations against bird flu
Those who joined the online session were interested in an AI vaccination programme for birds. Paula Baker said the scale of the problem meant that culling was an unsustainable approach to disease control. Mark Gorton pointed out that we did not get on top of Covid 19 until the government started vaccinating.
James said he was all for an AI vaccination programme for birds but emphasised that it had to be safe to give consumers the confidence to continue enjoying poultry products and that it also shouldn’t’ disrupt the export market.
“I can completely understand why it is so emotive and that some people do not want to see it happen.”
Support for NFU's call for GB-wide housing measures
Patrick Hook wanted Defra to “get a move on” and introduce mandatory national housing measures to get ahead of the disease.
James said that Defra’s present strategy does not appear to be working and supported the need for a new approach and reassured members that the NFU continues to call for GB-wide housing measures to help protect the national flock.
Rebecca said that farmers have spent a lot of money investing in their flocks and are being told by the “powers that be” how to look after their hens.
“I want you to know that the NFU has your back and is working on your behalf at the highest level.”
NFU Poultry Board chair James Mottershead
‘A force to be reckoned with’
When asked what was the biggest lesson they had learnt from their past involvement in poultry, all of the speakers pointed to the innovation and adaptability of a sector that is the top protein in the UK and Europe.
Rebecca said she had been impressed by “the power of the poultry sector – we are a force to be reckoned with and we have developed our businesses with no subsidies, although some would be nice.”
Gian Luca said that the way we farm now had changed: “Ten years ago we were talking about what was going on inside the farm, now a large part of the discussion is outside of the farm – the environment, emissions and the social landscape. Society used to talk about where to eat and now there is more focus on how to eat.”
Rebecca also said that social media can be a friend or a foe, but it was an important way for poultry producers to tell their story. James mentioned the amount of information available at the fingertips of very young people, and the consequent rise of fake news. However, he could see that social media had begun to promote the sector and that people were continuing to back poultry meat and eggs as healthy options.
Use of robotics
When the discussion turned to artificial intelligence and robotics, Rebecca said that there was already a high level of automation in poultry farming that supported the farmer but: “The day that we expect a robot to run our farms is the day that we are off the planet. If you are so removed from the work of looking after poultry then you should go and do something else, it’s game over.”
Questions from the audience
Poultry Industry Programme member Lucy Hinch asked what was the number one thing a producer can do to try and ensure they are in the best place for their business when looking at new contracts?
Rebecca said that it was vital to get good advice which could be obtained through the NFU, to ensure you are making the best decision for your family. While Gian Luca advised producers to make sure that protections on standards and regulations on the environment, feed and animal welfare are considered in the contract.
Broiler farmer and NFU Board Vice-chair Will Raw asked: “The EU has already reauthorised processed animal protein (PAP) for use in poultry diets and the UK has launched a consultation on doing the same. If it is reauthorised in the UK, how do we as a poultry sector ensure consumers are supportive about including PAP in poultry diets?”
Gian Luca advised that clear criteria on the use of PAP had meant that consumers were not speaking out against it in Europe, but that the use of it had been pushed back because processes had to be reorganised. He said the bottleneck was with the feed industry.
James said he was in favour of the reintroduction of PAP into poultry diets, but he said that we need to maintain trust and public support by demonstrating the welfare benefits to the bird as well as the environmental credentials as a substitute for soya alongside any economic bonus.
David Nielson from Avara asked how to reconcile the planning needs of farmers with the need for more poultry housing. Gian Luca said the planning process was 50% science and 50% art. Rebecca added that farmers need to lead the way on how they are selling themselves to the planning industry: how they are dealing with their manure and how they can contribute to food security.
She said that a new approach was required to educate planners about poultry farming and James highlighted this is one of the NFU poultry board’s key priority areas and something they were very much working on.
Meet the speakers from this session
Aimee Mahony
Chief adviser (poultry), National Farmers' Union
In 2019 Aimee was named the EPIC Young Poultry Person of the Year and eight months later was appointed NFU chief poultry adviser.
Aimee leads the NFU poultry team on a number of policy issues covering both the poultry meat and egg sectors and manages the national poultry board.
James Mottershead
NFU Poultry Board chair, Midlands
James is a previous chair of the NFU Poultry Industry Programme and has always been passionate about ensuring the voice of younger members is well represented.
He is keen for the board to address issues surrounding labour shortages, resilience and supply chain fairness and believes these are some of the industry's main priorities.
Gian Luca Bagnara
President of The Italian Poultry Association
As the only institutional body working on behalf of the European agricultural and cooperative sector, Copa Cogeca represents over 22 million farmers and their family members alongside the interest of 22,000 agri-cooperatives.
Gian Luca has varied experience including project management, research economics, and territorial marketing. He is knowledgeable about the global economy particularly in relation to trade and investments and has proven ability to develop solid partnership with high-level officials to achieve favourable results.
With professional experience in a number of countries Gian Luca will bring a truly global view to panel discussion.
Rebecca Tonks
NFU Poultry Board member, South
Rebecca is based in Cornwall and her business produces, packs and processes British free range eggs from their own farm as well as from producers across the South West of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Rebecca is an advocate for women in agriculture and is passionate about connecting farmers and farming practices with consumers to help educate and inform the public about how food is produced and why they should back British farming.
More from our NFU25 fringes
Watch again – NFU25: Dairy fringe session
Watch again – NFU25: Horticulture and potatoes fringe session
Watch again – NFU25: Poultry fringe session