REGISTRATION has opened for the online forums that will take place this year instead of the British Pig & Poultry Fair.
With live events still unable to take place, organisers of the fair are bringing together series of forums that will offer insight for pig and poultry farmers in the UK on 12 May.
See also: Register now for the forums
Partnered by feed compounder ABN, the programme for the day will include the popular pig, poultry meat and egg outlooks, plus technical sessions, all of which will be free to attend live online.
NFU chief poultry adviser Aimee Mahony said: “With the sessions taking place virtually this year you don’t even need to leave the farm to get the latest information!”
“Attending the outlook sessions at the online Pig and Poultry Forums gives producers the opportunity to hear about the things that matter to their own business from a variety of representatives from across the supply chain including farmers, packers, retailers and trade bodies.”
Egg outlook
In the egg sector, the looming colony cage ban by retailers will create significant disruption, warns Tom Willings, supply chain director at Stonegate. “Very few retailers have supported the scale of investment required to convert 50% of production and 30% of the retail trade to free-range or barn. My expectation is that, in the short-term, prices will go up. But high prices will then motivate oversupply.”
Other trends include the continuing pull between ethics and economics, quickly followed by environmental issues. There are also new challenges coming down the track, says Mr Willings. These include a potential ban on beak trimming, slaughter of day-old male chicks, and transport and slaughter of end-of-lay hens. “We only need to look at the EU to see what’s coming – there is a strong direction of travel which we cannot ignore.”
Poultrymeat outlook
It’s been a difficult year for the poultry industry, with Covid-19, Brexit and avian influenza all causing market disruption. But there is room for cautious optimism, according to Danny Johnson, commercial director at ABN,
Consumers are increasingly focusing on higher welfare and slower growing birds, and retailers will want to meet those demands, he explains.
This will require a joined-up approach throughout the supply chain – and a higher price at the end of it. “In this forum, we will be hearing from Sophie Throup at Morrisons and Jonty Hay, who sits on the Red Tractor board for independent producers.
“I am looking forward to hearing their thoughts on what retailers want and how that will fit into the standards. Ultimately, we all want to know what that change will mean for producers.”
See also: Register now for the forums
Programme for Online Pig & Poultry Forums
Sector | Forum | Speakers | |
Poultry | 09:00 | Poultry Meat Outlook | Danny Johnson, ABN (Chair) Sophie Throup, Morrisons David Neilson, Avara Foods Jonty Hay, Hay Farms |
10:00 | Success with the slower growing bird | Matthew Donald, (Chair) Patrick Nicholls, Hubbard Charles Bourns, Producer & NFU Poultry Board | |
10:45 | On-farm hatching for welfare and performance | Jake Davies, Poultry Network (Chair) Erik Hoeven, Nestborn Tom Wornham, Poultry Producer | |
Pigs | 11:30 | Pig Outlook | Mike Sheldon, AHDB (Chair) Sophie Throup, Morrisons Andrew Saunders, Pilgrim’s Pride Rob Mutimer, NPA |
12:30 | Optimising sow and pre-weaning piglet performance | Steve Jagger, ABN (Chair) Chris Opschoor, Topigs Norsvin Kristian Volshoj, AB Neo | |
13:15 | Ammonia: What’s coming, how to prepare and funding opportunities | Jon Foot, AHDB (Chair) Philippa Mansfield, Catchment Sensitive Farming Simon Lague, Big Dutchman Daniel Holling, Big Dutchman | |
Eggs | 14:30 | Egg outlook | Aimee Mahony, NFU Chief Poultry Advisor (Chair) Tom Willings, Stonegate Farmers Rebecca Tonks, St Ewe Free Range Eggs Mark Williams, British Egg Industry Council |
15:30 | Importance of water quality on layer performance | Ian Lowery, Crowshall Vets Christine Parry, ABN (Chair) | |
16:00 | What does Net Zero look like for free range eggs? | James Baxter, BFREPA (Chair) Heather Webb, Promar |