Tributes paid to turkey pioneer Derek Kelly

Derek Kelly, who restored the traditional bronze feathered turkey to the Christmas dinner table, died on 18 January at his home in Danbury, Essex, aged 95.

He and his wife Mollie founded Kelly Turkeys in 1971 and although Derek stepped back from leading the company almost 20 years ago, he continued to play a lifelong role in the UK poultry industry and this was recently honoured by recognition in its hall of fame. 

His prominent role in the industry was recognised by the award from the Queen of an MBE ‘for Services to the British Poultry Industry’ in 1997.

Early passion for farming

By contrast with his career and later life, he was born in the small village of Brancepeth in the heart of the County Durham coalfield. His parents were teachers who were rather dismayed by his early interest in farming and insisted he should study agriculture at university if he wanted to make it a career.

In the fifth and final year of university study he started a Master’s Degree in genetics and was persuaded by a lecturer to focus on poultry rather than his beloved cattle because there were more progeny and a shorter generational interval. 

By then he had had enough of the academic world and began working on the Yorkshire hill farm near Skipton.

Derek Kelly, who died at the age of 95, was a “a role model to be admired and respected” within the poultry sector.

He saw an opportunity to pursue his love of genetics with Arbor Acres, one of the leading US poultry breeders seeking to introduce their broiler chickens to the still very traditional UK poultry industry.

He went to Bernard Matthews as they were starting to mass produce turkeys for the Christmas market, and on to US turkey breeder, River Rest. When this company was a victim of a Wall Street crash, he and Mollie started their own business using the hatchery at Springate Farm, Danbury.

The UK had joined the Common Market, which did not have a designation for the kind of turkeys reared traditionally by farmers – dry plucked, hung for several weeks like game and then processed. Derek campaigned with the NFU and British Turkey Federation to lobby Westminster and Brussels to have this designation accepted.

Hobby keeper to award winning breeder

Derek and Mollie had kept a few traditional breeds as a hobby and they began to realise the bronze-feathered, slow growing turkeys did have a special flavour distinct from the commercial fast-growing breeds. There were very few bronze-feathered turkeys then remaining in the UK and Derek went around the country buying from other farmers who wondered why on earth he would be interested in their birds.

In 1989 Derek and Mollie had a visit from Delia Smith researching a new Christmas book – and that became a lifelong friendship, which extended to Derek becoming an associate director of Norwich City Football Club, of which Delia and her husband were the owners.

In his mid 70s, in 2007, Derek handed over the managing director role to son Paul. Derek continued a very active role in poultry affairs and also became involved in two City of London Livery Companies for Poulters and Farmers.

In a tribute to his father, Paul Kelly said: “Dad had 95 wonderful years and was blessed to work in an industry he loved and was devoted to. He passed away peacefully at home just as he had 
wished.”