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EP22: Women in Poultry – Building Careers, Community and Confidence
2 Playsin 7 minutes
In this episode of the Poultry.Network Podcast, Tom Woolman and Jake Davies sit down with Emily Neate-Wynne (Evans Vanodine) and Kelly Anderson (Lohmann GB) to talk about careers, community and the fast-growing Women in Poultry initiative.
Both guests share how they “fell into” poultry – from family egg farms and weekend egg collecting to technical roles in biosecurity, pullets and sales. They reflect on why so many people stay in the sector once they arrive, and how varied the career paths can be.
The discussion then turns to the origins of Women in Poultry. What began as a dinner for ten women in May 2023 has quickly grown into a national network of more than 200 members, supported by sponsors including Aviagen, Lohmann GB and Premier Nutrition. Emily and Kelly explain how the group moved from a WhatsApp chat to a formal committee, with in-person workshops and online sessions.
They outline what the initiative is trying to achieve:
– creating a safe space to swap experience and contacts
– supporting women who can feel isolated in on-farm or field-based roles
– offering practical learning on topics such as gut health and mental health
– making events accessible around busy work and family lives
There’s also discussion of a recent online session with Herefordshire charity We Are Farming Minds, looking at mental health in agriculture from the partner’s perspective; how employers have responded to Women in Poultry; and the broader value of visible, structured support networks in retaining talent in the industry.
Finally, Emily and Kelly explain how to get involved, how membership works, and why the initiative is very deliberately open, non-clicky and not “anti-men” – with anyone in the sector welcome to engage, attend events, and support future activity.
A practical, people-focused conversation that underlines how much quiet work is being done to support the next generation of talent in UK poultry.
Recommended
Transcript
Intro
Introduction to Poultry Network Podcast
00:00:15
Tom Woolman
Hello and welcome back to the Poultry Network podcast. I'm Tom Woolman and I'm pleased to say that this week I'm joined by Jake Davis, Editor-in-Chief of Poultry Network. Hi, Jake.
00:00:28
Jake Davies
Hello all. Hi, Tom. Good to be here with my moustache that looks nothing as good as yours, I'm afraid. I'm getting there slowly.
00:00:37
Tom Woolman
Yes, well, that's that's obviously something people are going to have to watch along on YouTube if if they want to fully appreciate your mustache. um
00:00:43
Jake Davies
It's broken.
00:00:44
Tom Woolman
But yeah, nice and nice of you to to give it a go and join the club.
Meet Women in Poultry Group
00:00:51
Tom Woolman
um So this week we were going to have a chat with, some and we're going to chat Women in Poultry in the Women in Poultry group.
00:00:58
Tom Woolman
I'm pleased to say that joining us, we've got Emily Neatwin and we've got Kelly Anderson. So welcome to both of you.
00:01:05
Emily Neate-Wynne
Hello.
00:01:06
Tom Woolman
um We just wanted to chat a little bit really about careers and and what it's been like for the two of you building your careers in the in the poultry sector. I want you to talk a little bit about the the Women in Poultry initiative and how you've got to where you've got to and and what you're hoping to do going forward.
00:01:22
Emily Neate-Wynne
Yeah, OK.
00:01:23
Tom Woolman
So maybe we could start off with you, Emily. Maybe just tell us a little bit about your career journey so far and how you came to be doing what you're doing.
00:01:28
Kelly
Thank you.
00:01:33
Emily Neate-Wynne
okay i mean I completely stumbled into it really frankly. um Farming background, my parents were egg producers initially, I would be fourth generation farming in Herefordshire. So it's in my blood, so I've always naturally gravitated around this industry.
00:01:51
Emily Neate-Wynne
um But my my role, I've been in the biosecurity industry now for probably about seven and a half years. um And it was by luck that i I got into this kind of job and I love it. I love the industry. i love the work. I love the biochemistry aspect of what i do. I love being able to help as well. So um yeah, really, really enjoy this. And it's been a great pleasure to be in such a wonderful industry for as long as I have and hopefully for a long time more yet too.
00:02:21
Tom Woolman
Yeah, hopefully we'll we'll keep on
Career Journeys in Poultry
00:02:23
Tom Woolman
going. and ah Tell me a little bit about your journey, Kelly, so far.
00:02:27
Kelly
Okay, so very similar to Emily, I followed in my father's footsteps, who used to be a rearing manager for, well, Linkage of Chickens, now known as Stonegate. So yeah, I started back in 2001 as a weekend egg collector.
00:02:42
Kelly
ah So learned lot of experience along the way, ah colony, free range, organic and rearing. and So I spent a good, obviously 14 years there, um and i' I've now,
00:02:50
Jake Davies
Thank you.
00:02:54
Kelly
work in sales and service for my 10th year.
00:02:58
Tom Woolman
you' You're probably glad to to move on from egg collecting, both of you. I'm sure you've both done your stints, but it's
00:03:05
Emily Neate-Wynne
yeah um character building absolutely
00:03:07
Tom Woolman
you've got a funny sort of muscle memory. Yeah, you've got a muscle memory. I always find when you go back to packing eggs, all of a sudden you just sort of slot back into it.
00:03:12
Kelly
Absolutely. So therapeutic.
00:03:16
Tom Woolman
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:03:17
Jake Davies
I've never done any egg collecting. I completely fell into into into poultry, really, did journalism. And there's quite a lot of people, but the common thing is that once you get into the poultry sector, it seems very difficult to get out of it.
00:03:28
Jake Davies
I mean, there's a testament to how interesting it is and the people in it, really.
00:03:30
Kelly
Yeah, it does.
00:03:31
Emily Neate-Wynne
yeah
00:03:33
Jake Davies
um yours your You sort of fell into it, Tom, is that is that fair to say?
00:03:39
Tom Woolman
I've, I've, yeah, I did. I fell into it. i was, yeah, I wanted to be a sheep farmer and I spent six months driving around on a quad bike in New Zealand, getting extremely cold and extremely wet.
00:03:50
Tom Woolman
Um, and then I did some work in chicken sheds and I thought, Ooh, this is, this is nice.
00:03:53
Emily Neate-Wynne
Thank you.
00:03:54
Tom Woolman
I'm warm and dry. Um, and I just, just followed my instincts really. And, um, who knows?
00:03:59
Kelly
good
00:04:00
Tom Woolman
I didn't think I'd end up presenting a podcast when I, when I first started doing that, that's for sure.
Women in Poultry Initiative Overview
00:04:06
Jake Davies
um So, yeah, we we asked you you guys to come on because we wanted to talk about the the women in poultry um
00:04:07
Tom Woolman
Um,
00:04:15
Jake Davies
ah yeah initiative um which is a really fantastic you know um thing that that's happening in the sector championing uh women in in agriculture and specifically in poultry so um so yeah i'd like love to for one of you to to give us bit of a potted history about about the project and how you guys are involved
00:04:35
Kelly
Okay, Emily, would you like to, would you like me to jump in on that one?
00:04:38
Emily Neate-Wynne
Well, yeah, you you were there from the start, Kelly, so you go ahead.
00:04:41
Kelly
Yeah.
00:04:41
Tom Woolman
Who was first through the door?
00:04:43
Kelly
First through the door, I was one of 10. yeah, so what began as a simple dinner idea in May 2023, when Gerry Bailey-Watts of HIPRA brought together 10 passionate women, including myself, with a shared interest in paltry, has now grown into the the thriving community is today. Okay.
00:05:03
Kelly
So yeah, it's great to to be working alongside.
00:05:06
Tom Woolman
What was that first dinner like?
00:05:08
Kelly
Sorry.
00:05:09
Tom Woolman
What was that first dinner like?
00:05:11
Kelly
ah was great to be in a room with the females, like-minded, with what I found most fascinating, I guess, was a certain members from the broiler sectors, free range myself. So just learning a little bit about different things within the industry. And and it was just great at supporting each other.
00:05:32
Kelly
It helped that the food was delicious too. so yeah, yeah, it was a really fun and and insightful evening.
00:05:42
Jake Davies
How did you get involved, Emily?
00:05:46
Emily Neate-Wynne
um So there was a bit of a call to action grow on social media. So essentially, as as Hannah, Hannah Cargill, our chairwoman, as she tells the stories, as after this meal, everyone wanted to stay in touch. So that a WhatsApp group was created. And then after some time, they decided to open the doors to the to the wider community. And and then that's where that's where I come in. So first, it was this post on Instagram, um of which I thought, yes, I'd like to get involved in this sort of thing, you know. And, um and then within about four or five months of that, I've been asked to become chairwoman. So it was a bit like, hang on, how did this happen? But I, I'm here for it. It's great. um And now it, it's becoming something really, really phenomenal. And it's all about
00:06:34
Emily Neate-Wynne
empowering women and it's all about providing opportunities for networking and for growth and for development and learning. And now we've got about 213 members from those original
Community Growth and Networking Benefits
00:06:49
Emily Neate-Wynne
10 around the dinner table and, and ever growing.
00:06:49
Tom Woolman
Wow. wow
00:06:53
Emily Neate-Wynne
We've got three key sponsors. So we've got Aviagen, we've got Loman and we've got Premier Nutrition who When Hannah reached out to these companies to say, you know, would you would you maybe support a couple of workshops?
00:06:57
Kelly
That's right. Mm hmm.
00:07:09
Emily Neate-Wynne
Would you maybe financially support us and try and get these women together and grow this little bit? They said, put that aside. We want to we want to really be at the front and centre of this. And and that's and that that's what's happened.
00:07:20
Emily Neate-Wynne
And it's they are not the only ones. there There's other people and other companies that really want to support this. To date, so far, we've done some in-person events and we've done a number of online events as well because um you know Hannah and I, just by chance, we're both based in Herefordshire,
00:07:40
Emily Neate-Wynne
the committee, this is ah this is a nationwide thing. So we do all of our meetings online, but we really want to do as many in-person sessions as possible. So we've done some on gut health, in-person on gut health, and we've done ones online, which was our most recent in October. That was all about mental health and and our angle on that one, because mental health, what's fantastic about this is it's an ever-growing topic, but
00:08:08
Jake Davies
Thank you.
00:08:08
Emily Neate-Wynne
our angle was about mental health in agriculture yes but from the woman's perspective from the partner's perspective from the support so perspective and um the charity was we are farming minds which is a it is a herefordshire based um mental health charity and emily stables is the partner of sam stables who is the centre of it. And so we asked her to come on and tell her story and the impact on her and the family and the business and the farm, and but all from from her perspective. So that was really lovely online. um
00:08:44
Emily Neate-Wynne
And then we're right at the end of the year now, but we're going to squeeze one more in, which is just simply going to be something just for fun. So we're going to do a Christmas quiz and we're hoping to do it. What was the date? Was it the 10th, did we say? 11th? Remind me.
00:08:59
Kelly
Yes, at the eighth of December.
00:09:02
Emily Neate-Wynne
8th, excuse me, it's the 8th of December.
00:09:03
Kelly
Yes.
00:09:04
Emily Neate-Wynne
so we're going to do that 8 o'clock on the 8th of December. So that will go out on social media. And it's not just exclusive for the the members. you know Anyone can come along, but we really want to broaden this.
00:09:13
Kelly
Hmm.
00:09:14
Emily Neate-Wynne
We want more people to know about it. And we it's it's so, that there's nothing clicky about it. It's just women being women, meeting women, empowering women.
00:09:26
Emily Neate-Wynne
And, and equally, it's not anti men either. So any of these group sessions, you're you're all welcome. It's all an opportunity to meet each other and grow. But I think it's more just about having that extra bit of voice in the industry.
00:09:39
Emily Neate-Wynne
And so far, it's been amazing. And I'm so grateful to a part of it. And as we look ahead, you know, it's we've got plans, we want to do more and we want to, yeah, help grow partnerships and connections and all sorts.
00:09:52
Tom Woolman
Fantastic. Fantastic.
Personal and Career Impact
00:09:54
Tom Woolman
So Kelly, if I could just come to you, how has your involvement in Women in Poultry then sort of impacted your own career and your own development and what changes of have you felt since becoming a part of it?
00:09:56
Kelly
Sure.
00:10:06
Kelly
Okay. Yes, sure. So going back to what I was saying about starting as a group of 10, we realised that we needed to find, well, create a committee. So I took on the responsibility of treasurer which is something completely new to me. so it's been a great challenge learning as I go, but yeah, it's been fantastic. so that's certainly helped me grow as an individual.
00:10:32
Kelly
But as I mentioned earlier, speaking with like-minded people and and sharing knowledge and expertise, it's just helped me, a yeah, just expand and and and and be better in in what I'm doing.
00:10:45
Kelly
Yeah.
00:10:45
Tom Woolman
I'm sure there must have been all sorts of people that you've met as well when you're doing networking, women in other positions. um
00:10:53
Kelly
Absolutely.
00:10:54
Tom Woolman
Yeah. that Because I think we can end up quite siloed, can't we, in in poultry? Because we do slightly different things and you end up talking to the same sort of people that you talk in day in, day out. um
00:11:06
Kelly
and it can be quite isolating as well. And, you know, we drive around like particularly drive around a lot and you you know, you're always thinking and having a conversation with yourself. But you know, likes of Emily have known each other a couple of months.
00:11:22
Kelly
and I'd say.
00:11:22
Emily Neate-Wynne
Yeah.
00:11:23
Kelly
Yeah, and, you know, I feel confident having a conversation with her and and just boosting my mood if I'm having a bit of a bad day. It's just, yeah, great to bounce ideas around.
00:11:34
Kelly
It
00:11:35
Tom Woolman
Yeah. I mean, if you so have you got 200 people on your WhatsApp group? Then.
00:11:41
Emily Neate-Wynne
We've got 126 on the WhatsApp group so.
00:11:44
Tom Woolman
Okay. That must be fairly lively from time to time.
00:11:47
Kelly
can be.
00:11:47
Emily Neate-Wynne
We can be yeah, you throw some hot topics in there.
00:11:47
Kelly
its certainly can be
00:11:49
Emily Neate-Wynne
yeah, you get all kinds. Yeah.
00:11:54
Kelly
Yeah.
00:11:55
Tom Woolman
Brilliant. um And how have employers reacted? know you've mentioned sponsors, haven't you? But how employers reacted to you being involved?
00:12:07
Kelly
Okay, I work, I'm a technical manager for Loam and GB. And when I approached them about the opportunity to sponsor, they nearly hit my hand off. So they've been very supportive financially and emotionally as well.
00:12:23
Kelly
So it's been great from from where I'm stood.
00:12:23
Tom Woolman
Mm-hmm.
00:12:27
Emily Neate-Wynne
Yeah, for me, I came in to this is slightly later. So the sponsors have sort of already been established by that point. um But within my company, there's also there's we've got quite a few women within middle management. So I work for Evans Vanadyen as a monogastric biosecurity specialist. And so they really are quite excited by this and any collaboration opportunities going forward. They're they'll be straight in that queue.
00:12:55
Emily Neate-Wynne
So it's it's really the the energy is is really exciting that we're getting all that feedback. So that's lovely.
00:13:01
Kelly
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Overcoming Networking Challenges
00:13:03
Tom Woolman
Do you think from an like an agricultural point of view, when you have people that are working on farm, and these could be men or they could be women, do you think that it's it's easy enough to get off a farm and and get to networking events? Because I think it's one thing I think when you're traveling around, i certainly I travel around for my day job as well,
00:13:21
Tom Woolman
um and it's quite easy to to drop in and to and to go to different networking events. I think when you're committed to a farm and you're responsible for the birds and it's hard to find cover, I guess it must be a bit of a challenge trying to trying to get some of those people off farm to to meet up for face-to-face things.
00:13:37
Emily Neate-Wynne
Absolutely. And then you add in the burden of the mental load of running a house and a family with however many children and what other, what any other responsibilities that you're, that fall into your camp as well.
00:13:43
Kelly
Mm-hmm.
00:13:51
Tom Woolman
Hmm.
00:13:51
Emily Neate-Wynne
Absolutely, Tom. And this is why we you know, we recognise that because we live it. I've got two children I've got a two year old and a four year old myself. So I've just literally started the world of school runs and I have a full time job and I run a house, you know, so um i absolutely empathize with people in this situation.
00:14:11
Emily Neate-Wynne
And so we are trying to take that into consideration and we do. That's why some of them are online. and We sort of think, would a weekend be better or a weeknight?
00:14:17
Kelly
Mm-hmm.
00:14:19
Emily Neate-Wynne
And then we think about with the in-person event. We don't expect big numbers. There's no expectations. If you can get there, that's fantastic and we're going to have a great time. But if you can't, that is absolutely okay. just You can sign up to be a membership and benefit from this without any expectation.
00:14:36
Emily Neate-Wynne
That said, as we move into next year, we are going to try and um with the in-person events, we are we are looking at ways that we can make it more available for people who have such tight schedules.
00:14:49
Tom Woolman
well well
00:14:50
Emily Neate-Wynne
Yeah, various ideas.
00:14:54
Kelly
Yeah, and the WhatsApp group is very beneficial as well. and it with Members need to ask questions on anything like that. It's a good community feel to it.
Joining and Benefits of Women in Poultry
00:15:04
Jake Davies
you've both spoken so eloquently about the benefits of this scheme as as kind of brought to you guys and and clearly of obviously other the other members as it's expanded so quickly um and you've also answered the sort of list of questions um you're clearly very passionate about the project because as i said you've you've covered a lot of what we what we wanted to talk about um without hugh a great little prompting to be honest but uh the the the one thing to make sure we get out there is how how do you get involved how do you join is there a fee what are the criteria if you could sort of cover that one you do that would be fantastic
00:15:39
Kelly
Yeah, sure.
00:15:39
Emily Neate-Wynne
Kelly, I'll let you answer that. yeah
00:15:41
Kelly
No problem at all. and As a annual membership fees, so there's there's two rates. So it's £30 for producers and £50 for industry members.
00:15:53
Tom Woolman
Well, that's not a lot at all, is it?
00:15:53
Kelly
And this
00:15:56
Kelly
not for what it covers.
00:15:58
Emily Neate-Wynne
It's just, it you know, we we have the support from our sponsors and it's just about making it as accessible as possible. That's all it is. And, you know, if you want to join, um
00:16:07
Jake Davies
Thank you.
00:16:09
Emily Neate-Wynne
Kelly, can you remind me what the email is, please?
00:16:12
Kelly
Yeah, sure. It's it best to reach out to our secretary. That's the secretary at ywpp.co.uk.
00:16:21
Emily Neate-Wynne
So you can email or you can contact on via our social media. We've got Facebook and Instagram.
00:16:25
Kelly
Yeah.
00:16:27
Emily Neate-Wynne
You can um quite happily message there and someone will get back to you. And please do as well. know, we'd love to hear from you and We've got some really exciting stuff that we're looking into for next year for some collaboration projects.
00:16:40
Emily Neate-Wynne
But also, you know, Kelly mentioned the WhatsApp group and it's exactly that. You you get the odd inquiry and it's such a safe space. So you can just say, does anyone know somebody who might do this?
00:16:51
Emily Neate-Wynne
And we'll say, oh yeah, I've got a contact or anywhere that I can get this. Like, yeah, try here. First hand experience. They're really great. So there's a lot of that, which is fabulous. And, um but yeah, it just, it would be great.
00:17:03
Emily Neate-Wynne
Anyone who's thinking about it, Just dip your toe, test the water, come along to an event. You you can try before you buy. you
00:17:10
Kelly
Yeah. And I should perhaps um drop into conversation here as well. If anyone would would like to sponsor us in the future, then please don't hesitate to to get in touch.
00:17:21
Kelly
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank
00:17:25
Jake Davies
We should mention Hannah's.
00:17:25
Tom Woolman
Yeah, no, well I'm sure there's, I'm sure there's, I was gonna say we should, yeah, you're quite right.
00:17:29
Jake Davies
We should mention Hannah's.
00:17:32
Kelly
you.
00:17:32
Jake Davies
Go on, Tom.
00:17:35
Tom Woolman
We keep talking over each other.
00:17:35
Jake Davies
Go on, Tom.
00:17:36
Tom Woolman
and we should We should mention Hannah Cargill's award at the ah at the the EPIC conference.
00:17:37
Emily Neate-Wynne
It.
00:17:43
Tom Woolman
and she She won Young Poultry Person of the Year, didn't she? so that um I mean, I know her personally, so I think that's that's fantastic because she's a real live wire and I think she's done so much for the sexer in the time that I've known her and and she's really passionate not only about poultry but ah and and the technical aspects of of poultry, but she's just she's just really passionate about people as well.
00:18:07
Emily Neate-Wynne
she's a real inspiration and she is absolutely the right person to be our chairwoman and um she is yeah she is our oracle
00:18:09
Kelly
ye
00:18:15
Emily Neate-Wynne
here
00:18:17
Jake Davies
Thank you.
00:18:19
Kelly
Absolutely.
00:18:19
Emily Neate-Wynne
so it's um yeah she is and she she cares and um Hannah more than anybody is is yeah it really is living with with many
Celebrating Young Talent
00:18:28
Emily Neate-Wynne
hats to wear at different times of the day um with with family and work and then she does this pretty much full-time as well so Yeah, she's a real inspiration, very much so.
00:18:38
Kelly
Very motivating. Yeah.
00:18:39
Tom Woolman
Yeah.
00:18:40
Emily Neate-Wynne
Yeah, so we're we're really lucky to have her and and work with her.
00:18:40
Tom Woolman
Yeah.
00:18:45
Tom Woolman
Well, well done, Hannah. And if you're listening, as I know you are, I hope you're suitably embarrassed now that we've've we've sent you up and passed you on the back.
00:18:54
Jake Davies
well i think if if it's all right it's all right if it's right with you tom i if like if i could wrap up uh as i'm not i'm not on every week um just say you know and anything we can do to support as poultry network um happy to do so and we'd love to have um various members back on uh as the weeks and months go on particularly we can talk about your
00:18:55
Tom Woolman
and Brilliant.
00:19:14
Jake Davies
ah your your schedule of events next year and help promote promote things. So, yeah, fairly inspiring, actually, to see how how this movement's grown and grown and looks like it's only going to grow more in the in the coming months and years. so yeah, thank you both both for coming on. And, um yeah, remember to subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already.
00:19:33
Jake Davies
And, yeah, we'll see you all next time.
00:19:38
Kelly
That's great. Thank you, Jake, Tom, Emily.
00:19:39
Emily Neate-Wynne
Thank you having us.
00:19:40
Kelly
Yep.
00:19:40
Tom Woolman
Bye-bye.
00:19:41
Jake Davies
Cheers.
00:19:42
Emily Neate-Wynne
Thanks both.
00:19:42
Kelly
See you.
00:19:43
Emily Neate-Wynne
Bye bye.