In this episode of The Poultry Network Podcast, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings speak with North Yorkshire broiler farmer Paul Flintoff about the serious impact of a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak on his farm.

Paul explains how a routine day-18 boot swab, taken as part of the National Control Programme, came back as a Group B positive suspect, with confirmation arriving six days later from APHA. By then, the birds were at an age when thinning would normally begin, so the delay added major feed costs and operational pressure. Once confirmed, the flock could not enter the normal food chain, and Paul had to organise on-farm culling, carcass disposal, cleaning and disinfection, and all the practical next steps himself.

A key theme in the discussion is how different the response felt compared with avian influenza. Rather than APHA taking control, Paul says much of the burden fell on the farmer to arrange culling, disposal, shed cleanout and future planning. He also warns producers that there may be no restriction on placing the next flock, so it is essential to stay on top of APHA testing dates, especially if medication or management issues could delay sampling and affect thinning plans.

Paul shares the lessons he has taken from the experience: tighten biosecurity at every stage, improve clothing and access control between farm areas, communicate early with processors and APHA, and plan for the worst as soon as a suspect result appears. He has since introduced day-one vaccination for Salmonella Typhimurium and says the flock after the outbreak was the best crop the farm has had, showing the value of a truly deep clean.

Sponsor’s note: This episode is sponsored by Kersia. Learn more about the Fumagri range here: https://www.kersia.uk/farm-hygiene/fumagri/

EP 37 | Paul Flintoff: What Happens When Salmonella Hits a Broiler Farm

In this Poultry Network episode, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings speak to poultry vet Daniel Parker about the renewed threat from Newcastle disease and what UK producers should be doing now.

The discussion sets the issue in context: DEFRA has raised the risk level to medium, outbreaks in Europe have moved west, and nearly 2 million birds have reportedly been lost over the last 18 months.

Mr Parker explains that a new genotype is circulating in Europe, with cases highlighted in Poland, Germany, Spain and Belgium, making this a preparedness issue for the UK poultry sector rather than a reason to panic.

The episode breaks down why Newcastle disease matters commercially.

It is a notifiable disease, comparable in seriousness to avian influenza in terms of mortality, production loss, trade disruption, and the likelihood of culling and movement controls if an outbreak occurs.

Mr Parker outlines how it may present, including egg drops in layers and breeders, high mortality in broilers and adult stock, and broader production losses.

While wild birds may play a role, Mr Parker stresses that people, vehicles, equipment and shared crews are likely to be critical risk pathways.

He also warns that this virus is more robust than avian influenza, harder to disinfect and able to survive longer in the environment, raising the bar for on-farm cleansing and disinfection.

For producers, the most useful section is on vaccination strategy.

Vaccination against Newcastle is allowed, and existing vaccines can reduce mortality, even if they do not fully stop shedding.

Mr Parker’s advice is clear: longer-lived birds such as layers, breeders and turkeys should have robust, well-monitored vaccination programmes, with attention paid to storage, application and titre levels.

Broilers are a different commercial decision because vaccination can affect performance, but hatcheries and farms should be ready to move quickly if the situation changes.

This episode gives producers, hatcheries, vets and the wider supply chain a calm, credible assessment of risk and a clear action plan: tighten biosecurity, review vaccination programmes, and prepare now rather than react later.

Ep 36 | Slate Hall poultry vet Daniel Parker: Newcastle disease in Europe – what UK poultry producers need to know

Poultry Network’s latest podcast hears from Rose Hill’s Dave Hodson Jr, who argues that strong layer performance starts with getting the basics right – and that vaccination only delivers if it is applied properly.

Speaking on a technical episode focused on the laying sector, Mr Hodson drew on decades of experience working with commercial flocks and said producers should think less about vaccination as a routine task and more about whether every bird is genuinely receiving a live, effective dose.

He said that in free-range egg production especially, disease pressure can build quickly if detail is missed. While older cage systems were designed to reduce challenges such as worms and coccidiosis, modern free-range systems have reintroduced many of those risks, alongside greater contact with wild birds and more variable range conditions.

That makes good vaccination programmes important, but also means they cannot be looked at in isolation. Mr Hodson said flock health depends on controlling several areas at once, including respiratory disease, parasite burden, water quality and the condition of the range.

A key point from the discussion was that vaccine handling and administration matter just as much as the product itself. Once a live vaccine is mixed, it begins to lose viability, meaning storage, mixing and delivery through the water system all need careful attention. He also highlighted tongue staining as a practical way of checking whether birds have actually taken in the vaccine, alongside serology and close monitoring of flock performance.

Infectious bronchitis was one of the main examples discussed, with Mr Hodson warning that vaccination intervals still need to be right even when administration is good. Push protection too far, he suggested, and flocks can still be left vulnerable.

The conversation also widened into the broader management picture on free-range units. Red mite, poor water quality, worm burden and weak range management were all identified as common factors that can undermine performance, regardless of how well a vaccination programme looks on paper.

Throughout the episode, the emphasis was on stockmanship. Mr Hodson argued that the best producers are those who know what normal looks like in their birds, spot changes early and deal with problems before they become expensive.

For UK egg producers, the message was not about chasing one silver bullet. It was about building consistency – one flock after another – through better vaccination, better observation and tighter control of the everyday factors that shape hen health and output.

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Ep 35 | Dave Hodson Jr, Rose Hill Poultry: Managing laying hens for optimal health and performance

In this episode of the Poultry Network Podcast, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by NFU Chief Poultry Adviser Aimee Mahony for a timely discussion following the NFU Conference.

Aimee reflects on nearly a decade with the NFU and explains how the poultry sector is working to raise its profile within wider farming and government policy. 

The conversation explores the key themes from this year’s poultry breakout session, which focused on resilience, horizon scanning, and the opportunities and pressures shaping the future of both poultry meat and egg production.

Topics include the continuing challenge of planning permission for new poultry buildings, the growing influence of welfare and environmental policy, and the need to balance rising expectations with affordable food production. 

She also discusses how the NFU engages with stakeholders across the supply chain and why the sector must do more to tell its story proactively rather than simply reacting to criticism or misinformation.

The episode also looks at new shed age survey data from the laying hen sector, revealing the age profile of infrastructure across the industry and why that matters for future investment. 

Aimee shares insight into regional differences, the implications of the cage consultation, and what the data means for the sector’s ability to modernise.

There is also discussion of the latest developments within the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, including new biosecurity visit support for poultry producers in England, and a wider reflection on food security, sector resilience and the policy choices that will shape the future of British poultry production.

Aimee closes with a reminder of several important deadlines, including the colony cage consultation, National Poultry Board elections, and the National Planning Policy Framework consultation.

A useful episode for anyone wanting a clearer view of the policy landscape, the current pressures on the sector, and the work being done to make sure poultry producers are heard.

If you farm broilers or hens, or work in the broader poultry sector, subscribe to the Poultry Network newsletter at poultry.network for weekly news, insight and analysis.

EP 34 | Aimee Mahony: Key Themes from the NFU Conference Poultry Breakout

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).

Ep 33: Better Chicken Commitment Exit, Cage Ban Consultation, and Farm Tech Grants

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.

EP 32 | Kelly Grellier and Kate Parkes: RSPCA Assured Hatchery Standards Go Live: What Hatcheries Need to Know

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.

Ep 31 | Rachel Evans, Countryside Alliance: Where does Welsh school chicken come from?

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.

Sponsor message — Morspan Construction. UK market leader in clear‑span steel‑framed poultry buildings, handling planning, design, project management and construction. https://morspan.com [https://moorspan.com/] | 01291 672 334

Ep 30 | BEIC CEO Nick Allen — Egg demand breaks 200 per head and trade and welfare tensions

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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EP 29: Prof Brendan Wren – Why Campylobacter Never Went Away and The Amoeba Link

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.

EP 28, David Mark PT 2: Broiler Farm Expansion in the UK – Planning Permission, Permits and Investing in New Broiler Sheds

Welcome to The Poultry Network Podcast, hosted by Tom Woolman and Tom Willings — your insider guide to the UK’s poultry meat and egg production sectors.  

From farm to fork, we bring you expert insights, latest trends, and stories that shape the food on our plates.

Jake Davies

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