NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23

I run the poultry side of the business with my dad, and it’s a great industry to be in. It’s really technology and data driven, so very interesting and quite different to the rest of the farm.

I went to Leeds University to study History and Politics and didn’t have any intention of coming back to the farm, but then my friends went to London and I decided an office job wasn’t for me.

I’m looking forward to meeting other farmers in the sector and industry experts.

We started with a 16,000 bird unit, which quickly developed to 32,000 and then 64,000.

Having arable and poultry on the same farm, it made sense to begin milling our own feed.

On the PIP, I’d like to build my network of contacts. You can never learn too much from people, there’s always somebody who’ll have a little gem in a conversation that can help you with the next thing you’re looking at, or help you change what you’re doing currently. It’s also great to put myself out there a bit more.  

I fell into poultry by accident when I got offered a scholarship by Moy Park and did my placement year with them and absolutely loved it.

I want more awareness of what’s going on in the wider industry and a bit more involvement with other young people in poultry on the PIP.

I am now based at Cote Hatchery as a management trainee and have broad role within the business.

I decided to apply for PIP as it looked like a great opportunity to meet new people and expand my knowledge within the poultry industry.

I’m looking forward to meeting like-minded people and developing my knowledge within the poultry industry.

With it being such a fast-moving environment, and technology advancing quicker then ever, I feel it’s crucial to stay at the forefront of the industry.

I then ended up taking an opportunity as a feed sales agent with Noble Foods and have worked there for nine years.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I also co-founded a poultry recruitment business.

I’ve been running the poultry enterprise from the beginning, after finishing college at 18, and I oversee the ten staff who work across all our sites.

Doing so has made me really quite passionate about the poultry sector and keen to play a more active role in it. I am looking forward to meeting the other members of the PIP as no doubt we will be able to learn a lot from each other, which will be invaluable during these challenging times.

Moving away from a background in dairy, Ryan has taken a hands-on approach and embraced every opportunity to learn from others in the industry.

As a former member of the PIP (Poultry Industry Programme), Ryan is keen to represent other new entrants and to champion the voice of grassroots farmers in shaping policy and practice.

He is practical and forward-thinking, and passionate about the future of the industry. Food safety, traceability, and high welfare standards are key priorities and areas of passion for Ryan. 

Currently I oversee two as-hatched farm and one sexed farm and I also oversee the ground-source renewables side of the business.  

Toby grew up on a family farm but went to university and took a different path, studying business management at Newcastle before working for the BMW Group. He rejoined the family business of Kelly Turkeys in Essex in January 2021.

As a member of the PIP (Poultry Industry Programme) in 2022/23, Toby had the chance to network and learn about other parts of the sector and the political side of the industry.

I’m excited to join the PIP to meet other people of a similar age from the different areas of the industry, so that we can network and hopefully create some good working relationships.

With many of the challenges and opportunities that the industry faces, it is important to be able to work with peers from all areas to solve challenges and support the industry in years to come and the PIP provides a great opportunity to do this.