UK Poultry Briefing: Better Chicken Commitment pullback, enriched-cage ban consultation & new farm tech grants

This week’s Poultry Network podcast reviews three issues with direct impact on UK producers, integrators, egg packers and the wider poultry supply chain.

1. Better Chicken Commitment (BCC): UK Hospitality says a group of 18 major foodservice brands (including KFC and Nando’s) will step away from the BCC—often linked to down-stocking (lower stocking density) and slower-growing breeds. The episode explores why: sustainability trade-offs (more feed/water), plus the operational reality of spec-driven cuts/weights, carcass balance and continuity of supply. The group says it will instead create a “Sustainable Chicken Forum” to pursue practical welfare and sustainability progress.
2. Laying-hen cages consultation: discussion turns to the government consultation on banning enriched colony cages. The hosts argue the proposal leans heavily on public perception rather than welfare science, and warn that a five‑year timeframe could remove around 14% of UK egg production (and potentially 15–20% of capacity), with European imports likely to fill the gap—raising “level playing field” concerns if European timelines are longer. The British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) asks stakeholders to: (a) write to your MP, (b) respond to the consultation, and (c) tell BEIC what action you’ve taken. The consultation closes 9 March (as referenced in the episode).
3. Funding window: from the NFU conference, the hosts flag that the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund opens on 17 March (match funding), plus wider support cited at £120m (£50m for equipment/tech and £70m for the Farm Innovation Programme). Grants can support welfare and efficiency upgrades (e.g., sensors, curtains, split feeding, lighting, drinkers, egg packing equipment).

Tom Woolman and Tom Willings welcome back their first repeat guests to the Poultry Network Podcast: Kelly Grelier (Chief Commercial Officer, RSPCA Assured) and Kate Parks (Senior Scientific Officer, RSPCA). After the hosts’ earlier coverage, they set out RSPCA Assured’s perspective on the revised hatchery standards, now in force from 16 February.

The updated standard applies across poultry sectors—laying hens, broilers, turkeys and ducks—and is positioned as a refresh of a document last published in 2017, rather than a wholesale rewrite. The most substantive strengthening is in the section covering humane killing: RSPCA Assured reviewed current best practice and incorporated relevant guidance, including Humane Slaughter Association material, alongside clearer expectations on contingency planning. Other updates include additions intended to be consistent across species, such as a section on wild animal control.

Consultation is a central theme. Because hatcheries span multiple species schemes, the guests explain that proposals have historically been worked through the relevant species Standards Technical Advisory Groups (STAGs) and targeted meetings with affected members. They point to a focused 2023 session involving laying-hen hatchery members and BEIC representation, and acknowledge that an unusually long gap between sign‑off and publication—linked to a wider pause on standards releases—may have created a perception gap about how much engagement took place. Looking ahead, RSPCA Assured has convened a dedicated hatchery STAG to give hatchery-specific issues more focus.

For businesses assessing compliance and supply chain risk, Kelly and Kate emphasise that the revision was issued with a three‑month notification and they are not aware of major new requirements that should disrupt operations; where bigger changes are needed, longer lead times would normally apply. The discussion also highlights the egg sector’s sensitivity, given the small number of assured laying-hen hatcheries underpinning end‑to‑end continuity.

Finally, they unpack the document’s “iBoxes”—forward‑looking signals on areas such as in‑ovo sexing, AI use and potential future expectations for feed and water provision in hatcheries. The message to operators is to engage early on innovation and investment so welfare aims and practical delivery can be aligned. RSPCA Assured reiterates its welfare‑only focus and cites YouGov research indicating 85% of consumers look for welfare assurance.

Tom Willings and Tom Woolman return to The Poultry Network Podcast with an update on the new-look newsletter (and a reminder to add it to your safe sender list so it drops every Friday around 9:30am). 

Then they’re joined by Rachel Evans, Director for Wales at the Countryside Alliance, to unpack the Alliance’s punchy research into where chicken served in Welsh school meals is sourced from.

Ms Evans says the findings are “atrocious”: some councils reported the vast majority of school chicken coming from outside the UK/EU, including Merthyr Tydfil (99.35% from Thailand and China), Conwy (94% outside the UK/EU), Gwynedd (87.62% from Brazil, Thailand and China) and Caerphilly (87.32%). 

Anglesey said 100% of its chicken is British, and Anglesey and Bridgend said none comes from outside the EU. 

Crucially, Ms Evans says not one of Wales’s 22 local authorities could state what percentage of their chicken was sourced from Wales.

The conversation ranges from tight school budgets and affordability to assurance schemes (many citing Red Tractor), the per-meal value rising to £3.40 after an £8m funding increase, and the climate-policy contradiction of importing food “from the other side of the world”. 

Ms Evans calls for an urgent review of Welsh Government procurement frameworks and an annual, public sourcing report so parents can see exactly what’s on children’s plates. 

The full report and dataset are available on the Countryside Alliance website.

UK egg consumption is climbing again, but welfare reform, planning and trade policy will determine whether domestic supply keeps up.

Tom Woolman and Tom Willings speak with BEIC CEO Nick Allen, eight months into the job after a career in soft fruit, on what the Government’s animal welfare strategy means for the sector.

Mr Allen sets out the BEIC’s remit across 11 trade bodies and the Lion Food Safety Scheme, then previews a £1.5m consumer campaign for 2026 aimed at health, protein and convenience, with millennials a key audience.

The demand signals are strong. UK sales hit 13.6 billion eggs in 2024 (around 26,000 a minute) and per‑capita consumption is put at 209 eggs a year, up from 199. Kantar points to roughly 5% volume growth through 2025.

On enriched colony cages, the consultation’s preferred 2032 end‑date (options range to 2038) raises feasibility questions. Replacing 6–7m hens could mean around 200 standard 32,000‑bird free‑range units and 2,500–3,000 hectares of land, on top of £400m+ already invested in the last transition out of conventional cages to colony.

Trade equivalence is the other pressure point. Ukrainian egg product imports have risen to around 11,000 tonnes in the year to Sept 2025, largely into manufacturing and foodservice and typically around 20% under UK equivalents. The UK is extending tariff‑free access from 31 March 2026 to 31 March 2028, while the EU runs a tariff‑rate quota.

Also covered are beak trimming progress via the Laying Hen Welfare Forum and why “zero‑day” in‑ovo sexing is the key milestone for male chicks.

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Campylobacter on supermarket chicken may have slipped from the headlines since the Food Standards Agency (FSA) surveys of 2014–15, but it hasn’t gone away. 

In this Poultry Network Podcast episode, hosts Tom Willings and Tom Woolman revisit one of the poultry sector’s biggest food‑safety challenges and ask why Campylobacter remains a leading cause of gastroenteritis — with an estimated ~500,000 cases a year in the UK and a cost to the economy of over £1 billion.

Joining them is Professor Brendan Wren (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), Co‑Director of the Vaccine Centre and Co‑Director of the GlycoCell Engineering Biology Mission Hub. 

Brendan explains why Campylobacter is so well adapted to birds (optimum growth around 42°C), how tiny doses (around 100 cells) can cause severe illness in humans, and why the “Campylobacter conundrum” persists: the bacterium is oxygen‑sensitive and doesn’t generally spread person‑to‑person, yet seems ever‑present in the food chain.

The conversation explores a provocative “missing link” — free‑living amoebae. Brendan’s research suggests amoebae can act like a Trojan horse, sheltering Campylobacter inside durable cysts and potentially making it more invasive when it emerges. If that’s true, it could reshape on‑farm thinking about prevention, surveillance and water hygiene.

Key topics include:
• What changed after the FSA findings — boot barriers, thinning practices and supply‑chain controls
• Why Campylobacter peaks in summer (and why it’s not just barbecue season)
• PCR‑based detection of Campylobacter within amoebae, and what it means for understanding transmission
• Practical interventions: drinking‑water filtration, UV, improved hygiene and targeted anti‑amoebae approaches
• Next steps: systematic farm sampling (including free‑range) to test the hypothesis and refine control strategies

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In this episode of The Poultry Network Podcast, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined again by poultry consultant David Mark to discuss what it takes to develop new broiler units (or expand existing broiler sites) in today’s UK poultry industry. Drawing on his work with growers (including many in Lincolnshire), David sets out where the opportunities are, what the biggest blockers tend to be, and how to approach the process with a clear commercial plan.

Inside the episode:
• Broiler sector outlook: demand for chicken, improved efficiency and the need for continual reinvestment in housing and equipment
• Partnership in an integrated supply chain: why contract growers matter to integrators (including Moy Park and Avara) and the role of the British Poultry Council (BPC) in pushing the case for new capacity
• Choosing your operating model: contract grower vs managed contract (including outsourced farm management) vs farm business tenancy / fully repaired lease — and how risk and margin differ
• People and performance: how to keep control as you scale, the role of farm managers, and practical options for stepping back from day‑to‑day work
• Planning and permits: site selection, separation from neighbours, pre‑application advice, and building a “pipeline” so you’re ready when planning starts to move
• Expanding existing sites: how stocking‑density changes and existing permissions can sometimes unlock additional shed capacity
• Biosecurity and public confidence: avian influenza risk, why farms can feel “closed”, and how open farm events and viewing access can help
• Nutrient management and poultry litter: treating litter as a storable by‑product, plus solutions such as biogas/biomethane, CO₂ capture and turning digestate into balanced fertiliser

If you’re in the UK researching broiler sheds, broiler farm expansion, planning applications, environmental permits, contract growing or managed broiler production, this conversation will help you focus on the decisions and the conversations that matter.

Tom Woolman and Tom Williams are back for 2026 with a quick New Year catch‑up (including Tom’s other life in the Backwood Redeemers… on accordion), then they dive into the biggest policy headlines that landed over the festive break.

This episode focuses on the government’s new animal welfare strategy (described as “the most ambitious in a generation”) and what it could mean for UK livestock — with a poultry‑first lens. 

They also reflect on how the announcement was timed and packaged alongside other news, and why the media attention landed where it did.

Key topics:

 • Egg sector: the direction of travel on colony systems, the future of infrared beak treatment, and the momentum behind in‑ovo sexing.

 • Meat sector: how to interpret government language on moving away from fast‑growing broiler breeds, and the practical uncertainty for the supply chain.

 • The big missing piece: trade. If UK standards tighten, how are imports handled, and can welfare ever be a meaningful lever in trade policy? (They discuss the view that WTO rules don’t treat welfare as a straightforward “distinguishing factor”.)

 • Joined‑up policy: why welfare strategy, the National Food Strategy and farm profitability need to be hand‑in‑glove.

To close, they look ahead to 2026’s big unknowns - geopolitics (Ukraine/Russia) and what any shift could mean for commodities, energy and feed markets - with the usual reminder not to make purchasing decisions based on podcast chat.

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In this Christmas episode of The Poultry Network podcast, hosts Tom Willings and Tom Woolman close out 2025 with a sector roundup, alongside festive banter about their non-jumper fleeces, the cat walking out mid-recording, and a sheep update (“the ram is out and two are lame”).

Avian influenza dominates the conversation. Housing orders are framed as a recurring strain on the industry – birds finally going out around 15 May, then heading back in from late October/early November. 

The discussion also touches on how AI has complicated the cage-free transition, including the January 2025 outbreak at Griffiths that removed 1.3 million birds (layers and pullets) and put extra pressure on barn supply.

Iceland’s brief wobble on its cage-free commitment is revisited too, followed by a swift reversal after campaign pressure, including Joanna Lumley’s involvement and support from Compassion in World Farming.

On eggs, the focus shifts to tight supply in the UK and across Europe, plus the wider context of expected laying-hen reductions in the Netherlands (talk of another 5–6 million birds exiting in 2026). 

Per-capita consumption is flagged as a growth opportunity, with the UK at around 200 eggs per person versus roughly 220–250 in parts of Europe.

Broilers get a more upbeat report card: 2025 is described as a standout year for physical performance, with the first UK crop hitting 500 EPEF and more following. Strong prices and lower feed costs also feature, with feed easing by roughly £20–£25/tonne over the year.

The episode also takes in structural change and deal activity: the PD Hook/Two Sisters joint venture split (and PD Hook’s hatchery plans), 2Agriculture’s move to acquire two feed mills, and a run of egg-sector M&A including Eurovo’s investment in Two Chicks, the Griffiths/Eureden joint venture, Noble Foods’ acquisition of Just Egg, Bumblehole’s sale to the Hardeman Group, and Sunrise’s sale to Latvian firm Agrova. 

In the meat sector, Gressingham’s majority sale to France’s LDC is noted, alongside a broader discussion about why European investment is still flowing into the UK despite post-Brexit friction.

The year ends on a lighter note with the South West Chicken Association Christmas dinner (4 December): an auction prize to guest-edit the podcast raises £250 for South West air ambulance charities (bought by Robert Lanning) – before festive wishes and a sign-off until 2026.

In this Poultry Network Podcast, hosts Tom Woolman and Tom Willings speak with Angela Curtis, CEO of RoboScientific – whose presentation at the BFREPA conference created a real buzz – about how “electronic nose” technology could change flock health management.

RoboScientific has spent around 10 years developing a system that samples the air in poultry houses and analyses volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – the chemicals that make up smells – to detect disease.

Each shed is monitored using a compact box (about 18 inches cubed) containing 24 sensors.

Different combinations of those sensors respond to different conditions, producing a distinctive “digital fingerprint” for specific diseases or challenges.

Rather than continuous streaming, the system draws shed air for around an hour, often between 5–6am, pulling roughly 3,000 litres across an adsorbent pad before analysis.

This concentrates VOCs from across the whole building, giving a much more representative picture of flock health than boot swabs or individual bird checks.

Once processed, results are sent to the cloud – or via Bluetooth where connectivity is limited – and presented to the farmer through a simple dashboard or smartphone alert.

A major advantage is that VOC changes are not dependent on visible symptoms.

RoboScientific’s broiler trials suggest the system can identify disease one to two days before clinical signs, and in the case of viruses such as Newcastle disease or avian influenza, potentially two to four days earlier.

Alerts are designed to be practical and actionable for farmers, for example “likely infectious bronchitis – check this shed”, or a general prompt when something unusual is detected.

A deeper veterinary dashboard is also in development, enabling flock-history analysis and tracking of disease progression, such as the transition from coccidiosis to necrotic enteritis.

The technology has shown strong performance in broilers and is now moving into layers.

Early work is focused on diseases such as erysipelas and Mycoplasma, and RoboScientific is exploring whether VOC patterns could even detect red mite infestation levels. APHA trials are planned to confirm early detection windows for key notifiable diseases.

Commercial rollout for broilers is expected by the middle of next year.

Work in layers, hatcheries and rearing units will follow as disease signatures are mapped, with layer deployment anticipated around 2027 once validation and on-farm trials are complete.

Units are expected to cost £7,000–£8,000, with one or two typically required per broiler shed depending on size and airflow.

Angela encourages producers and vets interested in the technology to get in touch or visit RoboScientific’s website or LinkedIn page.

The episode highlights how rapidly developing sensing technologies could reshape flock management, enabling earlier intervention, better decision-making and a more complete understanding of flock health than traditional sampling methods can provide.