In this episode, Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are joined by Richard Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Poultry Council (BPC) – the UK trade association for poultry meat producers, including chicken, turkey, duck and goose.

Richard offers insights into his career, which began in mining engineering before he transitioned to the poultry sector nearly two decades ago.

He reflects on how the industry has changed dramatically and why it remains as interesting and vital as ever.

The core discussion focuses on the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) law changes announced in May, aimed at easing post-Brexit friction in trade between the UK and the EU.

Richard explains the broader context of food security and how future trade frameworks must serve the long-term goal of feeding the nation reliably and sustainably.

He argues that the UK must build a resilient, fair trading system, and that improved SPS arrangements with the EU are a step in the right direction.

This is essential, not just for the poultry meat trade, but for genetic exports too – an often-overlooked pillar of the UK’s poultry industry.

Some key points discussed:

 * Food security must underpin all future policy decisions. The UK needs a long-term strategy that prioritises domestic production while maintaining productive trade links.
 * Post-Brexit, UK poultry producers have faced five years of disproportionate trade barriers compared to EU exporters. New SPS streamlining could help reverse a 33% drop in exports since 2019.
 * The UK’s poultry sector depends on balancing imports and exports: particularly dark meat exports and breast meat imports, due to consumer preferences.
 * Speed, shelf life and just-in-time supply chains are critical. Friction in trade undermines the viability of fresh meat exports.
 * There’s a growing shift toward “just-in-case” supply chains, building resilience into the system post-COVID, Brexit, and other global shocks.
 * The UK must maintain high animal welfare and environmental standards, but ensure those don't outpace trading partners and put domestic producers at a disadvantage.

The conversation also touches on stocking density reductions in UK broiler production.

While viewed positively as a welfare improvement, the changes have reduced production capacity, raising questions about how the UK balances regulation with affordability and competitiveness in a global market.

Finally, the episode acknowledges the complexity of interlinked challenges — from trade policy to environmental impact — and the need for government to avoid siloed thinking.

As Richard notes, a close relationship with the EU should not be seen as a trade-off, but a strategic necessity for long-term stability.

Will a new deal with Europe smooth poultrymeat trade? And how will new stocking densities affect supply of British chicken

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 industry. 

From farm to fork, we bring you expert insights, latest trends, and stories that shape the sector. 

Whether you’re a farmer, processor, or simply passionate about poultry, this podcast is your go-to source for all things poultry in the UK.

The Poultry Network Podcast: Introductions

PART two of this edition of the Sustainability Podcast sees Tom, Teun and Nick delve into the topic of white-egg laying hens. 

In just two years, white eggs have left behind the ‘processing egg’ tag and become a feature of the supermarket fixture nationwide, now occupying a 12% share of the UK laying flock. 

In a more relaxed discussion, the three explain how white and brown eggs differ from the shopper’s perspective. 

Spoiler alert: they don’t. 

But as Teun and Nick explain, in the keeping of poultry, whether in the hard performance data, or the objective welfare outcomes or the softer and more subjective enjoyment of managing a flock, there is no comparison to their brown feathered cousins. 

Farming is a tough way to earn a living, even in times of much-needed improvement in profitability. 

Livestock is a 24/7 commitment, and a difficult flock can feel like a jail sentence. 

Nick and Teun explain how their white hen, the Dekalb, has improved not just the financial outlook for producers, but their mental health too. 

Not long ago, the notion of a 100-week flock cycle would be the preserve of moulted flocks in countries not interested in animal welfare or subject to the kind of regulation European markets take for granted. 

The 500-egg club was the target, a glass ceiling waiting to be cracked. 

Many have since achieved this milestone, and the 600 club awaits. How long until we see the first such performance? Listen to find out.    

Part 2: Hendrix Genetics/Joice & Hill go in-depth on white eggs and their growth in the UK 

In the first of a two-part episode of the Sustainability Hub podcast, Tom is joined by two respected poultry experts from Hendrix Genetics, a leading company involved in multi-species animal breeding. 

In their most recent projections, Rabobank forecast demand for poultry and eggs to grow by 22% in the next decade, outpacing every other livestock sector.

From Teun van de Braak and Nick Bailey, we learn how Hendrix Genetics is rising to this challenge. 

With 30 years’ experience between them, Nick and Teun share their valuable insights into the pace of change in markets domestic and abroad. 

We hear how developments in animal welfare bring with them occasional conflicts, compromises or unintended consequences. 

A leading geneticist, Teun is now responsible the director responsible for technical services and customer support across the Hendrix Genetics world market. 

A frequent contributor to conferences and knowledge sharing events across the globe, Teun has an incredible knowledge matched only by his enthusiastic communication. 

Nick has led UK distributor Joice & Hill since 2008, and business is thriving under his leadership as Nick and team balance the needs of a diverse customer portfolio with the volatile market demands resulting from the anticipated move away from intensive production and the growing presence of white eggs on shelves. 

Amongst such turbulent times, Nick explains that Joice & Hill have also deployed a major environmental initiative, electrifying the company fleet and investing heavily in renewable energy, managing to reduce emissions by 8% during a period of double-digit growth. 

In a fast-paced conversation, the trio discuss everything from market segmentation, the undervalued pullet rearing phase, in-ovo sexing and, as a signpost to the second part of the podcast, the correlation between the meat industry’s slower-growing chicken transition and the layer sector’s adoption of white eggs. 
 



PART 1: Hendrix Genetics/Joice & Hill talk market developments, genetic advancement and white layers

Discussing their mission to help transform agriculture through the discoveries and developments of science-led research, Dr Fiona Short and Paddy Tarbuck, Innovation Leads at UK Agri-Tech Centre, joined Tom in the studio for another edition of the Sustainability Hub podcast. 

We hear how the UK Agri-Tech Centre was created, learn about the kind of support and the facilities on offer to the food and farming industry, and get a preview on some of the exciting news from the burgeoning back-catalogue of successful funding calls the team have been involved with. 

Branded ‘Activate, Elevate and Accelerate’, members of UK Agri-Tech Centre benefit from athree-tiered level of support, designed to meet the different needs of every client, from independent farmers to multinational companies. 

But irrespective of size, the access to expertise, the connection of businesses with academia and science and the project management skills to unlock investment are benefits felt by all. 

In a rapidly changing world, where sustainability presents the food and farming sector with both opportunity and threat, Paddy, Fiona and Tom discuss whether pressures from the supply chain have helped or hindered the adoption of technology or practices that could move the dial. 

Leaning on Fiona’s deep understanding of poultry nutrition, we discuss feed raw material supply chains, novel proteins and their regulation and split-feeding. 

Paddy, whose agri-food knowledge and broad experience across sustainability shines through, raises ‘resilience’ as a mutually beneficial perspective on such challenges and describes the inspirational leadership demonstrated by one egg producer active in the UK Agri-Tech Centre network. 

The final call to action is clear. Whether you’re a primary producer or in a business further along the food chain, UK Agri-Tech Centre can help unlock your potential and create lasting value. 

And if you’re looking for more direct involvement, as an organisation in a period of strong growth, Paddy and Fiona are looking to bolster the Sustainability team, too. 

It’s a great time to get in touch with them. 
 

Dr Fiona Short and Paddy Tarbuck, from the UK Agri-Tech Centre, talk poultry innovation and sustainability

Trouw Nutrition have a clear mission; to feed the future. 

And they’re leaving no stone unturned in their quest to balance the limited resources of nature with the increasingly complex demands of a growing population. 

Part of the Nutreco group of companies, Trouw Nutrition have developed not one but a whole suite of environmental footprinting tools to aid agrifood supply chains to understand the emissions and impacts of a variety of food production systems, from dairy to eggs. 

Paul Mooney, Poultry Director, and Jim Uprichard, Technical Manager for Sustainability, joined Tom Willings on the Sustainability Hub Podcast to discuss the MyFeedPrint range of carbon calculators and their application. 

MyFeedPrint is a project five years in the making, borne of the need to understand and then mitigate the emissions created by agriculture. 

Jim, bringing to bear his background in ruminant nutrition and now 34 years of experience in the business, has been a driving force throughout the development process. 

Harnessing a combination of certified data sources, MyFeedPrint is designed to give feed manufacturers the ability to accurately calculate diet emissions and report to their customers. 

What sets MyFeedPrint apart from the many other calculation tools in the carbon footprinting space is the sheer depth of detail available to categorise and distinguish between logistics chains. 

As Paul highlights, the Global Feed Lifecycle Institute (GFLI) database has been widely adopted as a source code for animal feed raw material emissions, but the interpretation of the data differs across the market. 

When DEFRA published their 2-year study into the harmonisation potential of agricultural carbon calculators earlier in 2024, the degree of divergence between the 6 tools studied was up to 450%, much of it owing to feed. 

MyFeedPrint wasn’t part of the study cohort of the time, but as Paul and Jim explain in the episode, the depth of analysis provided by their tool perhaps offers agricultural businesses, codes of practice and even national authorities a unique opportunity to remove the inconsistencies of comparing results using different calculators. 

MyFeedPrint could be a one-stop shop for comprehensive evaluation of firstly feed, but then individual value chain emissions via the Trouw Nutrition stable of associated calculators; MyMilkPrint, MyEggPrint and more. 

Paul describes a blueprint for collaboration that Trouw Nutrition have been involved with, including a leading UK supermarket, an egg packer, the producers and the feed manufacturer. 

Together, using the suite of Trouw services, the team have identified the emissions hotspots and created a strategy that could reduce them by over half. This approach is readily applicable to all, anywhere in the world. 



Trouw Nutrition: Paul Mooney and Jim Uprichard talk about environmental footprinting services

In the very first episode of the Poultry.Network Sustainability Hub Podcast, Tom Willings speaks with Tim Burnside, Global Vice President for Welfare, Sustainability and Compliance at Aviagen Group. 

The Sustainability Hub was established by Poultry Network to showcase how every part of the poultry meat and egg production chain is working towards a more sustainable future. 

In a series of podcasts, our pioneers in sustainable poultry production take to the mic to discuss the latest innovations and insights in their businesses and how their progress might help shape the future further afield. 

Aviagen are at the vanguard of the poultry industry, but as we learn in our discussion with Tim, there’s more to Aviagen than the Ross 308 and a keen eye for selection. 

Aviagen is a business pioneering scientific research, accelerating the implementation of technology to protect valuable natural resources and, perhaps above all, acting as an influential force for good in sharing knowledge and recognising best practices across a diverse network of customers and global stakeholders.  

Tim, who has devoted a career of thirty years to the company, uses his extraordinary commitment and experience to guide the global Aviagen Group on policies and developments seeking to champion and further advance bird welfare and sustainability. In his role, Tim travels extensively, presenting as an authority to the wider industry and sharing his vast knowledge. 

An active contributor and chair of multiple sustainability-focused working groups across the world, there can be no-one better placed to kickstart the conversation. 

In a wide-ranging dialogue, Tim and Tom discuss the nitty-gritty of the Aviagen breeding program. 

Tim brings to life the strategic balancing act of keeping a steady yet progressive eye on the selection process, ensuring a pragmatic approach to the levers of productivity and welfare. 

Rather than presenting such a balance as a compromise, Tim explains the resources at Aviagen to create the ideal blend of features for a given market.   

Tim points to the importance of farm management along with genetics in outcomes of health and performance. 

Aviagen’s long-term corporate program of recognising success at the grassroots level is a resounding success and has created the blueprint for continuous improvement, from individual farms to integrated supply chains. 

Looking ahead to the changing marketplace facing the sustainability challenges of the present day, the pair explore how the sector at large is well prepared not only to adapt but to thrive. 

As a global poultry industry, we’re providing an all-important healthy and cost-effective protein source, but doing so with ever-greater care and responsibility to the bird and the planet. 

With thanks to our sponsors, Alltech, Aviagen, Elanco, Moy Park, Trouw Nutrition, UK Agri-Tech Centres 

Tim Burnside, Aviagen: Breeding Poultry For Higher Sustainability, Welfare and Performance 

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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