Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
EP 23: Bfrepa 2025: Industry Reflections, Award Highlights & Emerging Standards Concerns
44 Plays1 day ago
In this episode, Tom Willings is joined by Jake Davies to unpack a hugely successful British Free Range Egg Producers Association (Bfrepa) conference and awards.
Industry momentum on full display
Both presenters note the strongest footfall in years, with a striking increase in farmer attendance and a noticeable uplift in the professionalism and investment seen across trade stands. Senior figures from government, major retailers, integrators and industry bodies were visible throughout the day – a clear signal of the event’s growing influence.
Award highlights
The hosts run through this year’s winners, noting standout performances from:
- Chippendale Foods – multiple category wins including Marketing Initiative, Chuckle Eggs, and Best Trade Stand
- Stonegate and Noble Foods – strongly represented across categories
- James Baxter – recognised by the British Egg Association for a decade of service as Bfrepa chairman
- Martin Troop – awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions across both the egg and meat sectors
Hatchery Standards: a new storm brewing
The conversation shifts to the RSPCA Assured hatchery standards, announced with minimal notice and due to take effect in February.
Key concerns raised include:
- Lack of sector consultation, echoing frustrations from the 2023 Laying Hen Standards rollout
- Operational uncertainty for the very small number of hatcheries underpinning the entire RSPCA Assured supply chain
- Ambiguity around new concepts – such as definitions of viable chicks – and unclear expectations across several technical areas
- A wider set of future topics flagged by RSPCA (AI, in-ovo technologies and more), prompting questions about the organisation’s methodology and communication approach
The hosts express a willingness to openly discuss the standards and extend an invitation to RSPCA Assured and the Pullet Hatcheries and Breeders Association (PHBA) to appear on the podcast.
What’s next on the podcast
Angela Curtis of RoboScientific will join a future episode to discuss real-time flock monitoring using VOC detection technology.
Listeners are also reminded of the Southwest Chicken Association dinner, where a guest editorship of the podcast will be auctioned.
Recommended
Transcript
Intro
Introduction to the Poultry Network Podcast
00:00:16
Tom Willings
Hello and welcome back to the Poultry Network podcast. and My name is Tom Willings. I'd normally introduce Tom Woolman at this point, but I'm joined instead by Jake Davies, editor-in-chief, the man behind the microphone. Jake, how are you?
Insights from the British Free Range Egg Producers Exhibition
00:00:30
Jake Davies
I'm very well, thanks. Yeah, just um sort of recovering from ah from a night of partying at the British Free Range Egg Producers, well, exhibition in the day and then the awards in the evening.
00:00:41
Tom Willings
Are you jaded? you You were looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as I saw you go past my yeah my trades on my trade stand, the egg-based trade stand. I have to say, I didn't move from the spot all day. It was incredibly busy. But um you looked on chipper form.
00:00:55
Tom Willings
What happened?
00:00:55
Jake Davies
Yeah, oh i mean i was I was buzzing around, buzzing around all day. So I certainly got my steps in before before the dinner. And then um the thing with these awards do is they, you know, quite rightly go on until till fairly late and you want to get out and see see people and have a beer with people. But that doesn't really start properly till about 11 o'clock. so So it's inevitably quite a late one, but um fantastic event. I mean, we could talk about, probably start by talking about the day and... um just seems to get bigger and bigger I think is the you know
00:01:27
Tom Willings
Yeah, i'd I'd love to pay a kind of wholehearted compliment to ah my friend Keith and and to to my friend Gary as well and and anybody involved with the organisation at Biffrepper or involved with the the conference as a standalone piece of work. I thought, to be honest, it's the it's the best one I've attended. I know I just said I didn't get around, but I saw enough to see that and It was absolutely jam packed in terms of the footfall.
00:01:56
Tom Willings
And contrary to many years, there seemed to be an awful lot of farmers there. And that's fantastic. um I thought the the number of trade stands that look really polished and really professional speaks to a degree of investment that surpasses um previous years and um and and that's got to be a great thing for for the industry at large. And then um yeah specific for for me, i was I was stood, as I said, on the Egg Bay stand in um what now feels like a familiar spot just outside the conference hall.
00:02:27
Tom Willings
And every 20 minutes or so, another heavy hitter ah sort of burst through the curtains, um having completed their set off to another high flying meeting somewhere. So whether it's kind of members of the shadow cabinet or it's leaders of, um you know, big, big business or it's, you know, the the DEFRA. hierarchy or um you know devolved equivalence, there were an awful lot of recognisable people who had felt that the conference was sufficiently important that it had to be in in their
Event Highlights and Award Winners
00:03:00
Tom Willings
day. And I think that's a huge compliment, as I say, to to Keith and to Gary and and and the organising committee. So for me, chapeau, chapeau, well done.
00:03:09
Jake Davies
Yeah, I'd echo that. I mean, I you know i know you' you're the egg-based man at events like this, but I spent all day going around every stand. And and like you say, they They get bigger and bigger, um more and more sort of dynamic and interactive. There was ah there was a giant a couple of companies with ginormous automated gates at the bottom end, which is interesting.
00:03:30
Jake Davies
ah Intermax had hawke Hawkstone beer on, which is, you know, towards the end of the day, much, you know, much appreciated. and There was a ginormous greenhouse next to you. i mean, that was.
00:03:40
Tom Willings
Yeah, I saw that.
00:03:40
Jake Davies
Yeah.
00:03:41
Tom Willings
I did wonder what was going on in the pan bonnis. um Trace Dan, Dr.
00:03:44
Jake Davies
yeah
00:03:46
Tom Willings
Joe enjoying himself in his in his greenhouse. Fair play.
00:03:49
Jake Davies
Indeed, yeah. And then, um yeah, of course, the award due, which um you didn't make it to, but I was um very much there enjoying myself. And yes, and brilliant. I've got Keith sent over with the list of um list of winners as well. So, I mean, sort of maybe perhaps the last one we'll give the last one first British Egg Association gave a a big nod to James Baxter for his i mean his tenure it as chairman of the Frepper is is is getting longer it must be i think around 10 years they said yeah
00:04:19
Tom Willings
Yeah, I was going to say a decade, which my mind boggles because that decade has absolutely flown. I don't know whether I'm just getting old or, or um you know, time as time has sped up for everybody. But um yeah, I still, i ah I'm of an an era of, you know, John Retson or Tom Veasey before that and and Miles Thomas, of course. But um these people feel like they were they were only yesterday. So for a decade to have gone by, and I bet you that's not a... ah um a light cross to bear either for for James i'm I'm sure running his own business running his own farm he's got a big family of course but that takes some doing that takes some doing
00:05:00
Jake Davies
Yeah, no, absolutely. i mean, so it's moving to the Befreppa Awards. I should say Myles Jack was really funny as well. He really appeals to me as a sort of, slightly posh middle class person I think you really that's my that's my type of humour but yeah Chippendales did very well I mean they probably won the most most awards they were in the marketing initiative for the proper good Yorkshire eggs they won the national award for the their chuckle eggs and they won best trade stand as well so
00:05:27
Tom Willings
well I'm going to throw Stonegate in there.
00:05:27
Jake Davies
um
00:05:29
Tom Willings
You would expect me to say that as well. I'm yeah very fond of my yeah my my friends at Stonegate still. and um yeah from From my eye, looking down the list of winners, it seemed to be either Stonegate first or Stonegate first and second.
00:05:43
Tom Willings
And so yeah it's a a Noble in there as well.
00:05:44
Jake Davies
Yeah.
00:05:47
Tom Willings
it' Let's make sure we're rounded. There are plenty of winners from across the park, but as you say, Chips, Noble, Stonegate. um did did appear to clear up. Congratulations, I think we should say, to everybody shortlisted, but especially to to the to the winners in the relevant
Martin Troop's Lifetime Achievement Award
00:06:04
Tom Willings
categories.
00:06:05
Tom Willings
So, yeah.
00:06:06
Jake Davies
yeah yet
00:06:07
Tom Willings
And can I say also to Martin Troop, I don't think we've ever used as many individuals names on a podcast, it feels as though we are, um you know, sailing close to the wind, but I'm pretty confident I'm on safe ground here, where I say that ah on behalf of the whole industry,
00:06:22
Tom Willings
um yeah martin Martin Troop is a properly good egg and and to see him win a Lifetime Achievement Award. I only wish I'd been there um to shake him by the hand knowing that he had won.
00:06:35
Tom Willings
I look forward to the next time I bump into into Martin. But yeah, Martin, congratulations.
00:06:38
Jake Davies
Well, of course, yeah, indeed. Lauded on the egg side and also chairman of the British Poultry Council, I think, recently.
00:06:44
Tom Willings
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
00:06:46
Jake Davies
So, yeah, um sitting across across both sectors and doing, you know, done a fantastic job for for both sides.
00:06:50
Tom Willings
Yeah.
00:06:53
Jake Davies
um So, yeah, I mean, fantastic. I mean, we'll we'll we'll we'll cap it there and and leave the rest of the night. to Suffice say it to say was a late one. Excellent.
00:07:01
Tom Willings
Well, it's taken care of Woolman. Tom's either not made it out of out of Telford or he's now struggling to count to 10 in the sheep pen, but um I'm sure we'll catch up with him next week.
Future Episodes and Guest Announcements
00:07:12
Jake Davies
I'm sure he'll be around. i mean, one of the speakers has kindly agreed to come on the podcast, Angela from Robo Scientific.
00:07:13
Tom Willings
um
00:07:18
Jake Davies
So hopefully in the next couple of weeks, we'll be hearing about about what those guys are doing with, remind me, Tom,
00:07:26
Tom Willings
Yeah, is it volatile organic compoundper compounds? I struggle to say it. and ah Real-time monitoring of of poultry flocks is what I understand it to be all about. But that is, you know, the start and the end of my understanding at this point. So i've got a bit of homework to do before we get Angie on the podcast, but look forward to to meeting her.
00:07:47
Jake Davies
yeah
00:07:47
Tom Willings
um Yeah.
Hatchery Standards Crisis Discussion
00:07:48
Tom Willings
ah You've just touched on in in your reference to to to BPC and and egg industry, and a crossover, um something that um broke just last week and and was a bit of a talk at the of the conference, and that's the hatchery crisis.
00:08:05
Tom Willings
standards change. I'm not sure how much of the detail you' you've picked up at this to date, but and and I guess by the time that this this podcast goes out, it it may already be old news, but there's certainly a little storm in the teacup brewing all over again and in respect to the ah RSPCA's revisions to to standards. 2023, it was all about laying hens and that feels as though it's actually not yet um ah A ah book closed, it it still ongoing discussions around and natural daylight particularly.
00:08:40
Tom Willings
but um But yeah, hatchery standards affecting both meat and egg sectors announced on the 17th of November to take effect from the 16th of February, three months. Let's hope the the hatcheries knew something about what the standards were going to be because they haven't got very long over Christmas to get them all ship shape sadly from the people I've spoken to to date and I'm certainly far from availed of all the facts and I haven't found anybody that was consulted before and before the standards were published it's extraordinary
00:09:15
Jake Davies
Yeah, I mean, it's like you say, it echoes the introduction of the Laying Hen standards. And I mean, i you know, it's not for me to say how to to run things, but a more collaborative approach would, you know, would seem more appropriate to me when you when you're sort of creating standards that the the sector has to follow. But I suppose ah you played not devil's advocate, see the other side, and I guess they want things to be a certain way and it could create I suppose, confusion or mess by to being more consultative. I don't know.
00:09:50
Jake Davies
it's It's a hard one to get your head around really. um Like say, you speak to people in the sector and they kind of go, ah, right. Well, we've been sort of told this in the same way, almost at the same time, and they send a press release out to me. So I get a list of things, you know, I read through it and I think, well, i don't understand half the stuff in, you know, don't quite understand what they're getting at here. What are they talking about?
00:10:11
Jake Davies
when it comes to, I mean, one of the things was viable chicks. There's no huge clarity over that and then and it feels it could have all been spelt out a bit more. and
00:10:20
Tom Willings
Yeah, yeah.
00:10:21
Jake Davies
And if if I'm saying as a layman, you know, and the people working hatcheries are making similar comments.
00:10:21
Tom Willings
i yeah
00:10:28
Jake Davies
Yeah.
00:10:29
Tom Willings
Lovely as it is to have you on this episode. i think when Tom is is back with his meat sector and hatchery expertise, it will be good to to discuss it with him and then hopefully a kind of a third party contributor that can also come on and and and shine a bit of light to it. But if I look at it um from my predominantly experience,
00:10:49
Tom Willings
um you know perspective on on the world. I'm not sure operationally that there is very much in the new standard that is going to dramatically um change things.
00:10:59
Tom Willings
I don't see it being a a particular problem, but I go back to the lack of consultation. Had there been something in there that did threaten continuity of certification or or approval, then to me, the the the consultation is that much more important.
00:11:17
Tom Willings
There are only two, maybe three hatcheries producing eggs for for the assured supply chain of, um ah sorry, chicks for the assured supply chain in in in our sector.
00:11:22
Jake Davies
Please.
00:11:31
Tom Willings
And if you've got to have that chain of custody in order to have finished product available on the supermarket shelf with the RSPCA assured logo, I'd say it's pretty important to make sure that the foundation level is um you know is secure and is is squared away. It's one thing having a thousand farms, a couple of thousand farms who may or may not fall foul of a failure to comply. I i also feel that they too should.
00:12:01
Tom Willings
deserved, in past tense, deserved appropriate consultation.
00:12:06
Jake Davies
Bye.
00:12:06
Tom Willings
But you could understand that from a corporate risk point of view, commercially, a few of those not passing muster does not threaten the overall availability of product to the consumer. But you take a hatchery out of the of the mix and there's a massive amount interruption for rore And every single business is is potentially affected by that.
00:12:31
Tom Willings
That can't be lost on the assurance scheme administration. And therefore, our kind of my head goes to a place where i think, well well, what's the motive then? of operating in this way, because there's form as well, of course.
00:12:42
Jake Davies
Mm-hmm.
00:12:45
Tom Willings
We've mentioned 2023, the laying farm standards was a not dissimilar process of um rattle the sabre, make a lot of noise about, or rather not, you know, just quietly launch new standards um and and then start the conversation.
00:13:03
Tom Willings
And that, that, That doesn't feel like the most constructive way about you know doing anything. and and And I just wonder why that's the chosen approach.
00:13:16
Jake Davies
We will have to well we'll have to ask them on the podcast.
00:13:17
Tom Willings
Strange.
00:13:19
Jake Davies
I think that's the that's the answer. i mean, they were kind enough to come on.
00:13:22
Tom Willings
Again.
00:13:23
Jake Davies
Yeah, have certainly. Yeah, yeah.
00:13:24
Tom Willings
Yeah, well, it could be the first repeat.
00:13:24
Jake Davies
Yeah, yeah.
00:13:25
Tom Willings
Well, that would be fantastic. Anyone from the RSPCA show that is available to come and talk to us about the, not so much the standards themselves, but the the methodology about their introduction, please get get in touch and
Podcast Popularity and Guest Invitations
00:13:39
Tom Willings
um and we'd love to talk about it.
00:13:39
Jake Davies
Yeah, we should definitely do that.
00:13:41
Tom Willings
and the The other point I want to just make on it, if you if you haven't read it, if you're sat there spitting out of your cornflakes, because um I'm told Jake, I was told yesterday that a lot of lot of people that listen to this um do so on a Friday morning when the when the email lands on their and they um and their breakfast table in their email feed. and So yeah, if your cornflakes have gone everywhere at this point, just make sure you're swallowed before I say this next bit.
00:14:10
Tom Willings
The thing that really concerned me about the change in the standards is not what's due by the the middle of February next year.
00:14:14
Jake Davies
Yes.
00:14:18
Tom Willings
It's all of the markers laid down for a variety of different topics that that the RSPCA is saying that they are currently reviewing and that they'll come forward with standards in due course. But In the meantime, if you as a business are considering an investment or or or doing your own research in these particular areas, then please bring it to the RSPCA such that we can either advise you or or probably you can advise us. And those things cover, I mean, again, extraordinary. those Those things include things like the use of artificial intelligence, um you know not to mention the very obvious stuff to do with inovosexing or inovavaccination what young way else was on there. There's a litany of things that... that
00:15:09
Tom Willings
or but maybe that's why the consultation is the way it is because they were so busy sort of creating this web of other things that were going to change the world that they forgot to pick up the phone and say look it's about time since 2017 the last time it was revised it's about time that we um that that we we issued some new standards I don't know yeah that's enough from me on that I've got i've gone far too far I'll hand back to you yeah
00:15:29
Jake Davies
Who knows, who knows?
00:15:35
Jake Davies
Onto the soapbox. Well, I think, you know, one one of the things that struck me was it was nice walking around the the trade stands and things and people up people seem to be picking up the podcast and listening to episodes. You know, I still point to, well, I'm trying to think in my brain chronologically what happened. I think it's last week's episode. of probably Yes, was Women in Poultry Productions with Emily and Kelly on. It was really nice episode.
00:15:59
Jake Davies
Aaron's was very popular couple of weeks ago. Aaron McKenna, at well, pilgrims you Pilgrims Europe now was my park. i mean
00:16:05
Tom Willings
yeah i as was going to nearly set my bar. Yeah.
00:16:07
Jake Davies
I nearly did. Well, I did. and then Yeah, yeah, yeah. But um no, again, it's um we will certainly ask RSPCA if they don't volunteer themselves forward to come and talk about the hatchery standards, potentially the Porton Hatchery Association as well.
00:16:20
Jake Davies
um And just to repeat, it's an open invitation, this this podcast. This is for the poultry sector. So if you have something to say, um come on
Closing Remarks and Next Episode Teaser
00:16:29
Jake Davies
and say it. I mean, one of the things we're doing, which will be next Thursday the Southwest Chicken Association's, uh,
00:16:36
Jake Davies
dinner so yeah there is ah there is a chance if you're there you can bid for that bid for a guest editorship of the podcast so ah please please do that if you want to sort set the direction of of an episode that should be good fun um but yeah I think probably a good point to wrap up Tom thanks for well yeah thanks for thanks for covering everything as usual
00:16:54
Tom Willings
Sounds good.
00:16:58
Tom Willings
No, Jay, thanks for stepping in.
00:16:59
Jake Davies
and
00:17:01
Tom Willings
Tom, where where are you? And to everybody else listening, yeah thank you for tuning in once again. We'll we'll be back next week.
00:17:07
Jake Davies
Cheers.