The Poultry Network Podcast

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Tom Willings and Tom Woolman catch up at Celtic Manor for a special episode from the 2026 Egg and Poultry Industry Conference, sharing their highlights and some frank reflections on the challenges facing British poultry.

With planning, activism and public perception recurring throughout the day, the pair ask whether the industry is making progress on its reputation — and what needs to happen beyond familiar calls to “tell our story better”.

They discuss Paul Kelly’s message about understanding what customers value and having the confidence to charge for quality. Alongside that, they reflect on Barney Kay’s account of how Noble Foods communicates the nature and biodiversity benefits of organic egg production.

Changing consumer habits are another major theme. Drawing on Rabobank’s Julia Buech’s presentation, the Toms consider what the uptake of GLP-1 weight-loss medication could mean for food spending, demand for protein and the opportunities for poultry and eggs. Europe’s ageing population adds another dimension to the discussion about future demand.

The conversation then turns to John Alistair Clarke’s presentation on geopolitics, European agricultural policy and potential changes to welfare rules. From cages and stocking densities to trade, feed imports and Ukraine’s place in European food production, the hosts consider what the direction of EU policy could mean for British producers.

There is an optimistic finish with the Derek Kelly Future Leaders Discussion. Egg producer Ryan Dakin, broiler producer Will Oliver and Avara Foods hatchery manager Emilia Cojocaru leave the Toms encouraged by the enthusiasm, practicality and pride coming through the industry.

Plus: the minister’s visit, Paul Kelly’s familiar conference humour and Tom Woolman’s latest strategy for recruiting podcast subscribers.

• 00:14 — Welcome from EPIC at Celtic Manor
• 02:19 — Paul Kelly: selling on value and quality
• 03:39 — Noble Foods and the story behind organic eggs
• 04:13 — Planning, reputation and telling poultry’s story
• 07:56 — Stephen Morgan’s visit and the missing audience Q&A
• 09:08 — Weight-loss medication, food spending and protein
• 11:51 — Europe’s ageing population and future demand
• 13:38 — European welfare policy, trade and agricultural priorities
• 16:51 — Ukraine’s role in European food production
• 19:44 — The Derek Kelly Future Leaders Discussion
• 21:28 — Subscribe before Tom catches you at dinner

Follow the Poultry Network Podcast for weekly conversations from across the poultry sector, and visit Poultry Network for the latest news.

In this 'Halloween special' of the Poultry Network Podcast, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Nick Davies, general manager of Bestico, to explore biological control of red mite and flies on poultry farms.

Nick explains how predatory mites, tiny parasitic wasps and predatory fly larvae can help tackle pests at different stages of their life cycles. He discusses how these beneficial species are introduced into poultry houses, why starting early matters, and how other treatments can affect them.

The conversation covers the practicalities for laying farms, including repeat applications, keeping manure pits dry, reducing feed spillages and broken eggs, and the differences between traditional flat-deck housing and multi-tier systems. Nick also explains where biological control has limitations and why farmers may still need corrective treatments.

On costs, Nick gives indicative averages of around 12p per bird for a season of fly control and 35p per bird for red mite control over a flock cycle, with programmes tailored to individual farms.

After the interview, the Toms reflect on the challenges of investing in prevention and invite listeners already using biological pest control to share their experiences.

• 00:14 — A Halloween special: introducing biological pest control
• 04:57 — Meet Nick Davies from Bestico
• 05:28 — Using natural predators to tackle red mite
• 08:27 — When to start, how to apply the products and compatibility with other treatments
• 13:09 — Parasitic mini-wasps and the fly life cycle
• 16:57 — Getting ahead of the fly season
• 19:01 — Cleaning routines, biosecurity and different housing systems
• 21:26 — Biofly: larvae that feed on pest-fly larvae
• 22:56 — Rearing beneficial species, quality control and UK uptake
• 25:22 — Practical steps to support fly control
• 27:06 — Indicative costs per bird
• 28:26 — Tom and Tom’s reflections on prevention and adoption

For anyone trying to keep up with the Latin names:

ProductSpeciesRole discussed

Androlis

Androlaelaps casalis

A predatory mite that actively hunts red mite.

Taurrus

Cheyletus eruditus

A predatory mite Nick describes using around nest boxes and other areas where red mite congregate.

Biowasp

Muscidifurax raptor and Spalangia cameroni

Tiny parasitic wasps that target fly pupae.

Biofly

Hydrotaea aenescens, also called Ophyra aenescens

A fly whose larvae feed on pest-fly larvae.

• Bestico’s poultry pest-control information
• Contact Bestico
• Poultry Network

Already using biological pest control on your farm? Tom and Tom would like to hear how it fits into your management programme. Get in touch at [email protected].

Tom Woolman and Tom Willings explore the UK chicken market with Mark Rooza, who works with Gafoor, the poultry processor in Preston.

Mark contrasts last year’s tight supplies with a more competitive market in 2026, explaining how imports influence prices, buying decisions and demand for growing space. He also describes Gafoor’s growth from processing around 800,000 birds a week after Covid to 1.2 million today, serving customers across food manufacturing, wholesale, meal kits and restaurants.

The conversation looks at how Gafoor works with independent growers, why customers outside the supermarket sector still value Red Tractor chicken, and what the expansion of American-style chicken restaurant chains could mean for British poultry producers.

• The chicken market in 2026: Mark’s assessment of supply, demand and competition from imports.
• Stocking densities and the “race for space”: How different customer requirements shape demand for chicken and farm capacity.
• Working with independent growers: Contracts, farm support and the freedom to make decisions on feed purchasing.
• Serving different markets: How a broad customer base helps Gafoor manage changing demand and find outlets for different cuts.
• The growth of chicken restaurants: Opportunities in quick service restaurants, including demand for British and halal chicken.
• The outlook for producers: Whether pressure for more growing space has eased, and what could change that.

After the interview, the Toms discuss what the growth of takeaway and delivery means for consumers’ connection with farming, and why provenance, food assurance and consumer confidence matter across the poultry sector.

This episode is sponsored by Evans Vanodine, which has been developing products and providing technical support for the poultry industry for more than 40 years.

In this week’s sponsor message, Nick Evans introduces the company’s poultry hygiene range, including GPC8 disinfectant and products for water systems, hatcheries and processing facilities. He also explains the practical support available from its poultry specialists, from advice on cleaning and disinfection to farm visits and help with biosecurity programmes.

Find out more at evansvanodine.co.uk.

00:15 – Welcome

03:48 – Introducing Mark Rooza and Gafoor

05:45 – The chicken market in 2026

08:39 – Imports, price and provenance

10:10 – Stocking densities and the race for space

11:52 – Serving different markets

14:46 – Working with independent growers

18:58 – The growth of chicken restaurants

21:33 – Balancing demand for different cuts

22:31 – Opportunities for British chicken

24:05 – The outlook for growing space

25:52 – The Toms reflect on provenance and assurance

For more poultry news, market analysis and interviews, visit poultry.network.

Subscribe to the Poultry Network Podcast for a new episode each week.

Poultry Network editor Jake Davies joins Tom Willings and Tom Woolman after a visit to the Dutch Pork & Poultry Expo in Hardenberg, reporting on the mood among producers and the innovations on the trade stands.

The team discusses the buoyant outlook Jake encountered, how Dutch poultry profitability compares with the UK, and the questions surrounding farm buyouts and future production.

Energy was a particularly prominent theme. Jake shares what exhibitors told him about investment in battery storage, making better use of solar power and opportunities for on-farm electric vehicle charging. Could the same trends become more visible at UK poultry events?

On bird health, there is a look at Tiergesundheit Emsland’s approach to creating a physical barrier against red mite, alongside a catch-up with Jacco Rubens of Stronger Flocks about its work on keel bone damage.

Jake also reports on his conversation with Veetality, which is developing digital poultry houses that use cameras to monitor flock behaviour, with ambitions to connect what happens inside the house with disease risks outside it.

Finally, a visit to camera-based poultry weighing business ChiCams provides another opportunity to test the hosts’ chicken knowledge. Jake scored seven out of ten on its stand quiz — can the two Toms do better? Expect questions about colour vision, recognising names and communication before hatch, plus the beginnings of a Christmas poultry pub quiz.

00:14 — Introductions and Jake’s “chicken holiday”

02:05 — Arriving at the Dutch Pork & Poultry Expo

03:08 — Producer confidence, profitability and farm buyouts

07:02 — Battery storage, solar power and on-farm EV charging

09:11 — A different approach to red mite control

10:40 — Stronger Flocks and keel bone damage

12:32 — Veetality: Digital poultry houses and flock monitoring

15:28 — Looking ahead to EPIC and BFREPA

15:54 — ChiCams and the chicken quiz

18:26 — A Christmas poultry pub quiz?

Dutch Pork & Poultry Expo

Tiergesundheit Emsland — red mite control

Stronger Flocks

Veetality

ChiCams — camera-based poultry weighing

Subscribe to the Poultry Network podcast wherever you listen, and join us again next week.

Tom Woolman and Tom Willings mark World Egg Day with a discussion of poultry catching, animal welfare and the week’s news.

The Netherlands’ move towards upright catching prompts a look at what changing practices could mean for UK broiler and egg producers. Tom Willings shares his experience of trialling the method, including the practical challenges in multi-tier laying houses, while the pair consider the implications for labour, costs and the potential role of mechanical catching.

They also discuss the first bird-flu outbreak of the 2026/27 season on the Isle of Lewis, lessons from Tom Willings’ animal welfare officers’ course, and whether chicken belongs on the breakfast menu as Tom Woolman gives his verdict on McDonald’s chicken and egg McMuffin.

Along the way, there’s home butchery, an impromptu poultry quiz and news of the podcast’s unsuccessful bid for an award at the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists’ Harvest lunch.

• 00:16 — Welcome, kitchen aprons and home butchery
• 02:03 — Animal welfare training and lessons from the abattoir
• 05:17 — A poultry quiz for World Egg Day
• 07:04 — Upright catching: welfare, costs and practical challenges
• 10:07 — Bird flu on the Isle of Lewis
• 11:20 — Chicken for breakfast: the McMuffin verdict
• 13:18 — Agricultural journalism and the podcast awards
• 16:04 — Subscribe and keep in touch

Follow or subscribe to the Poultry Network Podcast on your usual podcast app to hear each new episode.

For poultry industry news and our weekly newsletter, visit poultry.network.

Knowing how your flock compares with other farms is one thing. Understanding why it performs differently — and what to change — is another.

Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are joined by Patrick Snodgrass and Iain Campbell from AgriFarm Data to explore how broiler growers can make better use of the information collected in their sheds. Patrick explains how frustration with benchmarking that showed differences without explaining them led to the development of the business.

From environmental controls and feed records to flock performance, the discussion looks at bringing information together, reducing paperwork and comparing results through anonymised benchmarking. Who owns that data, and how should farmers share it with vets, consultants and the wider supply chain?

There is also a closer look at recent performance trends, including increased mortality recorded among growers using the platform. The guests explain why these observations need further investigation rather than immediate conclusions about chick quality or the effects of summer temperatures.

And does better technical performance always mean better profits? Patrick discusses the influence of processor payment models, energy costs and the risk of chasing performance while losing control of expenditure. Looking ahead, the team considers how predictive analysis could help growers tailor management to their chicks, feed and shed infrastructure.

05:04 — Why AgriFarm Data was created

07:37 — Bringing shed, feed and flock information together

10:22 — Farmer ownership of data and relationships with processors

16:14 — How anonymised benchmarking and permission-based sharing work

18:11 — Growth, feed conversion and recent mortality trends

21:23 — Technical performance versus financial returns

23:56 — Predictive analysis and the next steps for farm data

28:41 — The hosts’ reflections: interpreting results and understanding the limits of a dataset

Enjoyed the episode? Follow or subscribe to the Poultry Network Podcast in your usual podcast app. You can also sign up to the Poultry Network newsletter for updates from across the sector, delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Wayne Olbison shares practical reminders for autumn and winter cleaning and disinfection: clean thoroughly at turnaround, check that products work at the temperatures you will be using them in, and follow instructions on compatibility, application rates and contact time.

For coccidiosis control, he encourages growers to ask suppliers for specific efficacy evidence and compare the cost of treating the whole house — not just the price of the drum. Always follow the product label and safety instructions.

Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Dr Pablo Alarcon and Dr Mat Hennessey from the Royal Veterinary College to discuss the pressures shaping poultry’s response to avian influenza — and why some of the biggest challenges cannot be addressed through farm biosecurity alone.

As part of the Flu Trailmap project, the researchers have mapped poultry supply chains and spoken to people across the industry about their experiences. They explain what this work reveals about the connections between farms, hatcheries, processors and egg packers, and how disruption in one part of the system can affect businesses elsewhere.

Insurance is a major part of the conversation, from the difficulty of obtaining cover to whether premiums could better reflect disease risk and biosecurity. The guests also explore an idea raised by interviewees: a levy supported by government and industry to help share the financial risk of outbreaks. They discuss the questions this would raise, including who should contribute, rather than advocating a particular scheme.

On planning, the discussion turns to a fundamental question: where will the extra poultry housing come from? Lower broiler stocking densities and the move away from enriched colony cages require more space to maintain domestic production, yet interviewees repeatedly described difficulties securing permission to build or extend. The researchers consider how local planning decisions and national priorities could be brought together more effectively.

Finally, they discuss the case for a longer-term poultry strategy, bringing government and industry together to consider where production takes place, how it is financed and how the sector can be better prepared for future disease outbreaks.

Are broiler drinkers delivering more water than birds can actually drink? Ziggity Systems’ André van Rij made that case at this year’s Poultry Meat Conference, questioning whether recommended flow rates leave farms dealing with unnecessary spillage—and whether catch cups introduce more problems than they solve.

Recorded at the event, Jake Davies and Tom Woolman discuss his argument for removing catch cups and getting drinker height right. It challenges a familiar setup on UK broiler farms, although, as Tom points out, there are reasons producers adopted cups in the first place.

Heat stress is another focus, drawing on Alan Ball’s presentation for Slatehall Veterinary Services. He explained how birds lose heat and the limitations of misting during humid conditions or prolonged hot weather. Jake and Tom then add their thoughts on cooling pads and housing design, and why some changes need planning well before the next hot spell.

P.D. Hook’s Carlos Paiva brought the hatchery perspective in Hatching My Way. His account of multi-stage incubation and producing millions of chicks gives Jake and Tom plenty to discuss, particularly the value of experienced staff and the personal responsibility Carlos described for the quality of chicks leaving his hatchery.

There’s also discussion of Will Raw’s NFU industry update, including planning delays facing businesses ready to invest and concerns about standards for imported poultry. And, following chairman John Underwood’s remarks about communication, a reminder that emails and WhatsApp messages are no substitute for properly checking in with colleagues.

Could the sounds inside a poultry house help producers spot health and welfare problems before they develop?

This week, Jake and Tom are joined by Carly Scott, FAI director and BirdBox project lead, and Professor Lucy Asher of Newcastle University to discuss the next generation of BirdBox and the research behind its flock-monitoring technology.

The project began around a decade ago with a challenge from the Lakes Free Range Egg Company: bring together the information collected on farms and across the supply chain, and put it to practical use. Carly explains how BirdBox combines in-house sensors, a digital flock book and information such as feed, veterinary and egg-grading data to help producers monitor their flocks and investigate performance problems.

The next step is moving beyond looking back at what went wrong towards identifying warning signs earlier.

The discussion covers what water consumption and egg-grading data can reveal, how the farmer-facing dashboard works, and the ambition to support earlier intervention when birds are heading towards ill health or behaviours such as feather-pecking and smothering.

Lucy explains the work to recognise chicken vocalisations automatically, including the challenges of accounting for different breeds, ages and housing systems — and hens that appear to invent their own “slang”.

Also explored is why the team is prioritising explainable AI, expert checks and balances and commercial validation.

Finally, Carly considers how the data could support decisions across the wider egg supply chain and previews the planned BirdBox launch and demonstrations at BFREPA Live.

Recorded at Harper Adams immediately after Poultry Network Live, Tom Willings and Tom Woolman reflect on the biggest messages from a day of debate, technical insight and practical discussion across the egg and broiler sectors. And, before any of that, there is an overdue update on Tom’s increasingly determined escape-artist sheep.

They discuss Patrick Hook’s candid account of the planning system, rising construction costs and why poultry businesses need to engage more openly with MPs and their local communities. Ken Clow offers a balanced assessment of the egg sector: demand remains strong, but producers must be alert to the risk of supply moving ahead of the market. That caution is contrasted with Geraint May and HSBC’s continued confidence in poultry investment, supported by the availability of all-egg contracts and longer-term agreements.

The hosts also look back at Jack Hughes’ practical session on farm biosecurity, Ashley Banyard’s deep dive into avian influenza and ConkerAI’s demonstration of how artificial intelligence could help poultry businesses improve efficiency and decision-making.

From the afternoon breakouts, they consider progress in broiler health and welfare, the fundamentals of a successful laying farm, benchmarking and energy costs. One theme ran through several sessions: finding, supporting and retaining good people. Robert Lanning explains how his approach to recruitment and staff management has evolved as his farming business has grown, while the wider discussion asks what poultry employers must offer to attract the next generation.

The episode ends with a challenge for future conferences: how can the sector bring more young people into the room and show those outside poultry the variety of careers and opportunities available across farming and food production?