Insightful conversations with the people shaping the UK poultry sector.

Portable blood testing is giving poultry nutritionists and vets a clearer view of how birds are actually responding to feed—not simply what a ration is expected to deliver. In this episode, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Aaron Cowieson, senior science fellow at DSM-Firmenich, to explore the emerging use of blood biomarkers in...

Campaign groups scrutinising food and farming have become more professional, coordinated and technologically capable. How should farmers and agricultural businesses respond—and where does the industry need to improve? Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Amy Jackson, founder of Oxtale Communications and a research fellow at the University of Nottingham. Drawing on her experience...

Water sanitation has become standard practice on many poultry farms—but does cleaner drinking water reliably translate into better bird performance? In the 50th episode of the Poultry Network podcast, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings speak to poultry vet Dr Ian Lowery, director of Crowshall Veterinary Services, about the findings of his doctoral research into broiler...

Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are joined by Vera Bavinck, poultry veterinarian for Kipster, to discuss a radically different approach to egg production in the Netherlands. The conversation covers Kipster’s low-impact production model, the use of upcycled feed ingredients, welfare-led housing design, natural daylight, lower stocking densities, keel bone fracture monitoring, delayed onset of lay,...

In this special episode of the Poultry Network podcast, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by two younger voices from the UK poultry sector: Ed Lanning, representing the broiler industry, and Callum James, representing free-range egg production. The episode was inspired by a charity auction prize bought by Robert Lanning at the Southwest Chicken...

In this episode of the Poultry Network Podcast, Tom Woolman speaks with David Petrie-Dolphin of Drayton Animal Health about the behind-the-scenes work involved in bringing poultry vaccines, veterinary medicines and animal health products to market. David explains the role of a Contract Research Organisation, or CRO, and why pharmaceutical and animal health companies often use...

This week on the Poultry Network podcast, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Harrison Davies, technical manager at Aviagen, to discuss the launch of the Ross 308 505 Club. Harrison explains what EPEF — European Production Efficiency Factor — means, how it is calculated and why it provides a useful benchmark for broiler...

In this episode, Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are joined by Greg Marsh, Poultry Sales Manager at ForFarmers, to discuss the launch of the Layer Academy, a BFREPA-backed initiative designed to help people working in the laying sector broaden their knowledge, build networks, and better understand the wider egg supply chain. Greg explains why the...

In this episode, Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are joined by Gary Ford for a wide-ranging discussion on the UK egg sector, covering organic production rules, environmental guidance, government price-cap speculation, chick and pullet supply pressures, and a new academy for young people in the egg industry. Episode overview The UK egg sector is enjoying...