An insulation lining which is already used in many parts of the world to improve existing poultry housing environments, is being fitted in the UK for the first time as part of a completely new development.
Designed to create a heat shield in summer and to minimise heat loss in winter, the lining in question is Valerón AVA film. Widely established globally for renovating existing roofing areas, the product has been incorporated in a 200,000-bird unit being built for the Phelps family at their farm near Hartpury in Gloucestershire.
“It has been used in refurbishing a number of poultry units in the UK but this is probably the first application in a complete new project in the Northern Hemisphere,” said Food Chain Innovation’s director, Allan Meldrum, who supply Valerón AVA to the poultry industry.
The idea of applying Valerón AVA on the internal side of the unit’s pre-made insulated roof panels was put forward by Northern Ireland-based poultry housing suppliers, E & C FitzGerald, who designed the Hartpury development. They said that applying the product not only reduced the total amount of insulation needed but also virtually eliminated the transmission of water vapour.
Headline image shows the lining fitted in the new build Hartpury unit