By Aimee Mahony, chief poultry advisor, NFU
We seem to be experiencing all the seasons at the minute in terms of the weather. As I currently look out of the window, I can see another sharp blast of diagonal rain hitting the ground but not long ago the sun made an appearance making it feel like Spring had finally arrived.
Just like the weather, change is around the corner for the poultry sector too. In March we welcomed members of the new national poultry board to the NFU headquarters in Stoneleigh. Each member brings with them enthusiasm and expertise covering the various species and production systems that operate across the poultry sector.
The board will be led by re-elected chair James Mottershead and Will Raw is fulfilling the vice chair position for the new two-year term. May I use this opportunity to thank our outgoing vice chair Phill Crawley whose dedication and commitment to representing the sector has been unwavering. Phill remains on the board, and I look forward to continuing to work with him and the rest of the committee.
There’s certainly plenty for the new board to work on, building on the brilliant work previous board members have contributed to whilst reviewing and setting their vision for the future. We will have board members present on the NFU stand at the Pig and Poultry Fair on the 15 and 16 May and I would encourage you to come and meet them and discuss the challenges and opportunities as you see them.
The broiler roundtable meeting with the farming minister Mark Spencer MP has now taken place, bringing together businesses from across the broiler supply chain. Producers, hatcheries, processors, retailers, food service and trade body representatives were all in attendance and discussed the key areas impacting on confidence, resilience and ultimately food security.
The key points raised will probably not be a surprise with planning, access to labour, risk of avian influenza and the threat of imported products produced to standards that differ to those UK producers adhere to, being the main areas of discussion. What the sector must now focus on is what they want to see from the government’s promised review of fairness in the supply chain and there will be opportunity to shape this so please do feed in your views.
On the topic of feeding in your views, the second part of the NFU’s review into farm assurance has now launched and a series of county meetings are underway to gather vital feedback. The NFU wants to listen to our members and together ensure that farm assurance delivers for farmers and growers.
Working with our members we can shape a more transparent, effective, and resilient farm assurance system that supports farmers and growers while instilling confidence in British consumers that their food is produced to the highest standards. This is your chance to influence the future of farm assurance and with this being a topical subject in both the egg and poultry meat sectors there’s never a better time to have your say!