Bourns sets record straight
9 January 2008
NFU poultry board chairman Charles Bourns has today responded to a number of press reports 
suggesting he had quit the industry.
The following letter has been sent to a number of national papers who ran the story this morning:
Dear Sir
Contrary to some recent press reports, I am not quitting the poultry industry. What I have done, in common with many other chicken producers, is to take the decision not to re-stock my poultry sheds for as long as there is no prospect of being able to rear table chickens profitably.
However, I want to draw a clear distinction between the economic problems of poultry farming, which affect all sectors of the industry, up to and including organic production, and the welfare issues. Low prices are a problem for poultry farmers now, and will become a problem for poultry consumers in the future if production falls and a shortage of home-produced chicken develops. But they are not a problem for the chickens. Their welfare is safeguarded by legal requirements, industry standards and the stockmanship of poultry producers which will be the same regardless of the price of eggs or chicken.
The irony of this situation is that there is a very real danger that, in their well-intentioned attempts to encourage consumers to trade up to higher welfare chickens, the celebrity chefs will end up compounding the economic problems of the industry. Why ironic? Because if fewer British chickens are produced, this will suck in imports from competitor countries where welfare standards are lower. The net effect would therefore be to damage chicken welfare overall.
Higher prices are needed right across the board to give the poultry industry a sustainable future. When the supermarkets start to recognise that by lifting their prices, I will consider re-stocking my poultry houses. Until then, they will remain empty.
NFU chairman of the poultry board Charles Bourns
