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Ep 33: Better Chicken Commitment Exit, Cage Ban Consultation, and Farm Tech Grants
104 Plays1 month ago
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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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).
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Transcript
Introduction to Poultry Network Resources
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The Poultry Network podcast is brought to you by Poultry Network, the UK's digital resource for the poultry sector. Alongside the podcast, we of course have our website and our new look newsletter, delivering a weekly digest of news, market insight, technical features and industry analysis straight to your inbox, whatever part of the poultry sector you work in, whether you're a producer, an integrator, egg packer or a business within the supply chain across the UK.
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Speaker
Poultry Network. Unrivaled insights into commercial poultry production.
Hosts' Introduction and Leisure Activities
00:01:21
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to the Poultry Network podcast. My name is Tom Willings. And my name is Tom Woolman. Tom, I see you're in a hotel this week. I certainly am. I am in a i'm in a cell um in in in the in the beautiful town of Wrexham in North Wales.
00:01:40
Speaker
with ah with with Ryan and Rob Mack or whatever he's calling himself now. You've gone to the football, have you? Well, idea I did. I looked. Is there any football on tonight? There wasn't. There was a there was a match last night and Wrexham beat Portsmouth. So um that would have been a good one to go along. Although probably being a southern um ah southerner, I would have needed to have supported Portsmouth
Spring and NFU Conference as Seasonal Indicators
00:02:00
Speaker
for that. um But...
00:02:03
Speaker
Anyway, yeah. So, but it's nice. We've had a couple of sunny days and and I've been speaking to people on the phone and you can just tell everyone's spirits have lifted a little bit. Yeah.
00:02:14
Speaker
So it's it's yeah it's nice to get a good bit of bit of good cheer and and and and spring joy. i was going to say, it's too early to say that spring has sprung, but it feels like we we're on the way. With the with it with the NFU conference um as well this week, that's always like a little bellwether that that the seasons are ah moving
Challenges with the Better Chicken Commitment
00:02:33
Speaker
moving around. Yes.
00:02:34
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and We'll come back to the conference in a moment, but it's been quite a busy news week. um let Let's start with chicken, why don't we? the the The better chicken commitment, there's been some pretty significant developments on that. Why don't you unpack that for us? Yeah, so so what's happened is that... um The Better Chicken Commitments, which which hopefully most people are up to speed with, which is a ah commitment to to down stock um sheds and to use a slower growing breed, has sort of hit the rocks a little bit. There are some retailers which have which have signed up and ah and are doing it, like Waitrose and M&S.
00:03:13
Speaker
But there were a whole raft of um hospitality and food service companies which signed up a couple of years ago. um And at the time, a lot of people were saying, They appear to just be um saying they're going to do this without really thinking through the implications and how they're going to deliver it.
00:03:28
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And to an extent, it looks like the chickens have come home to Ruth, if you pardon the pun. Have been working on This week, UK Hospitality, which is a trade body for for for for hospitality, um came out with a statement. And there are and there are various businesses, 18 different brands that that people would know, including KFC and Nando's. which came out and and and said that they're going to have to step away from the Better Chicken Commitment for for a whole raft of reasons. um They're citing ah reasons such as sustainability concerns and the fact that if um if they go down the Better Chicken Commitment route, they're going to be using more water and more feed, etc. um
00:04:12
Speaker
But I know there's also problems, which I think in the industry we've known about for for quite a while, and it's certainly been what people have been discussing when I've been meeting up with people and chatting with them, but the fact that a lot of these businesses are quite small and they use very specific cuts of very specific weights.
00:04:28
Speaker
And it's really, really hard for these individual businesses to balance the carcass and to actually ensure that they've got this continuity of supply. um So i think this is really recognition ah from the hospitality sector and from a lot of the big businesses there that are saying, look, this we we wanted to go down this route, but actually it's difficult. And I think i think it's...
00:04:49
Speaker
It's good that they've come together and they come out as one because ah if we cast our minds back, KFC, let slip. Maybe that's the politest way of putting it at a conference that that they didn't think they were going to be able to achieve the the better chicken commitment. That was quite a while ago now, wasn't it? It was sort of 2024 that they came out and said, we're not so sure. But this they' they're still involved in the news this week as a complete sort of removal from the... They are. But I suppose what's positive now is that is that they've they've come out and they've justified their position and it's and it's and and they've been able to provide a rationale, really. And what they've said they're going to do as well is they're going to create a sustainable chicken forum, which is going to look at how to produce chicken more sustainably.
00:05:34
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as an alternative to the to the Better Chicken commitment. So it's not that they're just stepping away from it and saying, you know, we can't do anything. They are saying, right, we're not going to go down the BCC route, but this is this is what we're going to do instead. so And there were a if number of people that that came out and and and publicly supported what was was being done.
00:05:53
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um People like like Reg Smith, who's a poultry consultant and has worked in the industry for for many, many years. Vets, um Dr. Louise Manning, or Professor Louise Manning, actually, I believe, from um from the University of Lincoln, who's an incredibly knowledgeable person when it comes to chicken and and chicken's place within food systems. So...
00:06:15
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Yes, I think it's certainly a ah ah ah ah step. Well, it's not a step forward, is it? it's It's a sidestep. But I think probably some of these businesses have done it as well as they could do um without getting too much egg on their face.
00:06:30
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And do you think the 18 brand names, the eight food conglomerates or you know umbrella organisations, is that the end of it? Or would you expect there to be more that that come out in time?
00:06:43
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um I would have thought this probably gives license for various other people to to to back away from things. I mean, I wonder whether it was connected that um Unilever had an announcement this week as well, didn't they? That they weren't they were they were goingnna weren't going to be able to commit to sourcing cage-free eggs in in their whole global operation. They're still committed to it in the UK and in Europe. But the fact those two things came out in the same week, are they related? Are they not?
00:07:12
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Yeah. So I think it definitely gives people a little bit more license to face up to some some difficult home truths that that probably people have been stewing over and and and talking about potentially for a couple of years in terms of some of these businesses.
UK Government's Cage Ban Consultation
00:07:26
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It slightly points to organisations making forward-looking commitments without having fully worked through what the ramifications are going to be or understanding some of the ramifications and then you know blithely carrying on, believing that they can be you know resolved with just a little bit of pressure here or a bit more money there.
00:07:49
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Which almost... politely brings us on to the government's consultation on on the banning of the use of cages in in in laying hens, doesn't it?
00:08:00
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Yeah, what's what's interesting though, when when you compare these two topics, is is the environmental aspect of it. You've got you've got the um rowing back might not be quite the right word, because as you say, there is still sustainability progress, there's still welfare progress being made by um by by not being part of the Better Chicken Commitment, but by being part of the sustainable... um What was it, the SFC, is that right? Was that the... I'm sure that was the right the right term.
00:08:32
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um And, yeah, the the association with with environmental measures, you know, slower-growing chicken does not equal... a better for the planet or a planet planetary solution. Yet the environmental aspect doesn't come into the cage baton at all no no on X when you'd think that there would equally be um you know quite quite ah quite a strong argument there or certainly ah an angle on the environmental aspect whereas instead that that just seems to be well wherever the pressure is coming from that that pressure remains and you know uk government are plowing on and uh and apparently with a five-year time frame so yeah you know i was i was gonna say i've i've filled out two government consultations this week one of which was the um was the proposed ban on colony cages the other one
00:09:24
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is a consultation on castration and tail docking in sheep which obviously as a as a big time sheep farmer myself with with 10 ewes i'd almost say shepherd tom i'm a chef well i am a wool man aren't i so very good if you if you cut me open there's something white and springy inside i don't know maybe not maybe that's probably an image that people don't want but they were remarkably different these consultations so the one that was looking at lamb welfare had a huge amount of information that was based on the latest scientific research and they were saying this is what the position has been historically and and this is what the latest scientific research is and this is why we think it's appropriate to look at changing what we're doing around welfare in contrast the laying hen consultation had absolutely nothing to do with the latest scientific research
00:10:17
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In terms of justification and and the background, what there was was ah was a long list of surveys and of petitions that represented what the general public think about cage production. and And so clearly it is public perception as opposed to facts about um you know of welfare that that is driving the government at this time. you know the government are struggling when it in the polls, aren't they? and And they desperately need some things that that are going to land and are going to be things that they can point to and say, well, look at this good thing that we've done. um
00:11:01
Speaker
But i think i I don't think really they've thought through the consequences. When you look at five years, I mean, five years is absolutely nothing. If you're going to if you're going to pull the rug out from 14% of UK egg production, which is what colony cages are in five years. Yeah, and but the five year time frame is only one part of the equation. the The other part is what's happening abroad, what's happening in the rest of our market. And and you know the egg market is arguably a global one. Certainly for us, and you know what goes on in Europe is is know going to directly affect what goes on on these shores.
00:11:37
Speaker
And um as far as we can make out, the same five year timeframe does not exist in Europe. Yes, there are moves to ban cages there, but the the inside line is that their timeframe is sort of 10 years or even 15 years. So uk farmers, uk even UK consumers face being bamboozled by you know one rule for us and one rule for for another part of the market. And if the cages are banned,
00:12:05
Speaker
to the five year timeframe on the UK or in the UK, um you know that's gonna be 15 to 20% of our production numbers gone. And that vacuum is only gonna be filled by one source, i.e.
00:12:19
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European production. So you know we're back to having the same old discussion about the lack of a level playing field and ah making regulation for this country that simply um you know undermines our um our farmers, our food producers, and opens the door and to production standards from abroad that that are no longer legal here. It's it's nonsensical. So let let me let me cut to the chase here, because this is this is why we're talking about it. The British Egg Industry Council this week has sent sent a letter out to every stakeholder they can imploring them and we do the same to you dear listener please and get involved with this consultation there are three actions the firstly is first one's writing to your MP and the BEIC have produced some template assistance there if if you if you need the help um write to your MP explain your perspective on the on the situation secondly reply to the government's formal consultation
00:13:25
Speaker
And then thirdly, if you wouldn't mind, let the BIC know the action that you've taken so that they've got a decent decent handle on on the number of people that have got involved. But time here is tight. The consultation for the government ends on the ninth of March so what is that a little over two weeks sorry under two weeks as we are recording today to get to took to get that consultation back um but yeah anybody that is involved with poultry please do you know get involved with this consultation.
Free-Range Benefits and Production Systems
00:14:01
Speaker
Brilliant. I mean, just to, guess, play devil's advocate, if if I'm a free range farmer, and this is playing devil's advocate, so please take this comment with ah with a pinch of salt. If I'm a free range farmer, and I'm thinking, well, this is going to create loads more demand for for my product, what are free range a farmers motivations for engaging with this? What what is the value in having different systems of production in the UK? Because I know there is one in terms of having different tiers, but could you just unpack that and explain that to me a little bit? Yeah, I think i think if you're a a a free range producer right now, then you are sort of mid tier as far as the welfare hierarchy goes. And you've got um some comfort of knowing that if if there's going to be a spotlight shown on on animal welfare, in all likelihood, it's going to be directed at at the birds that are housed indoors, either in in the enriched colony cage or and if that were no more, then into the barn system. and Barn hasn't really taken off as a production system, certainly from my perspective, If I cast my mind back a decade ago when the supermarket started with their kind of voluntary move um away from cages or signposting that by 2025 they would be coming out of cages, the expectation was that there would be close to an equivalent volume transition from from cage in into barn. And if anything, a concern that there would be an overlap.
00:15:31
Speaker
you know As we saw when um the the legislative change took place in 2012, there were still old battery cages in production right the way up to the last hour um of of of the law change, and that that brought about some surplus. In this instance, there hasn't been a commitment through the line from the from the the buyers, whether that's supermarket or food service,
00:15:55
Speaker
um to support you a massive investment necessary to convert to convert um you know large numbers of of of birds from enriched colony into into barn. So barn is um at as it stands at the moment, and maybe this legislative change will will be the the catalyst for more investment into barn. But barn feels as though it could go down the route of being...
00:16:21
Speaker
supplied by European sources. So free-range farmers stand being potentially almost the lowest common denominator in the market. And I'm not sure that that's quite where anybody who's involved with free-range or has been involved with free-range production over the last 30, 40 years would ever have seen what ostensibly started out as the highest welfare standard with greatest respect to the organic
Consumer Behavior vs. Welfare Standards
00:16:49
Speaker
farms out there. But um yeah, a hierarchy, the option or or the ability to give a consumer and choice and and and that hierarchy of of product value, I'd i'd say is a is a very positive thing. yeah and and and and And the reverse, actually, Tom, you know, the removal of that choice, you know, i think quite ah quite a difficult thing to get to grips with. We are we're forcing inflation on
00:17:18
Speaker
um a group of consumers that, you know, arguably say one thing that and that they do want higher welfare, but the evidence that that they they actually ah are primarily motivated by price is is ah is all too evident. And I'm going to refer to the NFU conference that, um you know, there's a very, very impressive lady speaking from um from the the poultry working group in Brussels called AVEC and they're sort of an umbrella organisation for all things all things poultry out there and and she referred to ah a survey that um the European Commission had undertaken with a whole host of consumers asking them would they value
00:17:59
Speaker
um higher standards of animal welfare? And of course, the violent response is yes, yes, 83% that was quoted kind come back favourable. Yes, we want higher welfare. Asked when um you how many of those people have actually been on a farm or or seen a farm, only 6% say that they've had any direct contact with with a farm. So you've got a huge disparity between people having a perception that welfare really ought to be higher, but the knowledge of what it actually looks like is is is is fractional. When when when a similar survey asked them, you know would you be prepared to pay more
00:18:39
Speaker
To support this welfare, 65% said that the maximum amount of increase that they would tolerate to to support any investment required to deliver better animal welfare, the maximum investment was only 5% more on on price. Well, 5% more on price doesn't get you very far. you know And that's the position for two thirds of the people that are being asked. So, ah you know, that the the point that um that um this lady, Berta Steinberg, was making from AVOC was, you know, a lot of these pressures that we're facing are not consumer pressures. that They are positioned as being consumer pressures, but actually they are NGO demands and incredibly well invested.
00:19:27
Speaker
um organizations very well resourced organizations are um you know exerting influence in in kind of corporate life and presenting that influence as though it is the will of people the will of consumers well the will of consumers is what we see every day in the supermarket shelves is what yeah what people pick up and value matters
Impact of Cage Ban on Prices and Inflation
00:19:48
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. and And the government have been talking just this week about inflation and Keir Starmer has been talking about how inflation is coming down and how that's a sign that the economy is getting back on its feet, whatever that means. um
00:20:02
Speaker
And food inflation has been a real key key part of that, hasn't it? And Egg prices at the moment have been going up and up and up. And goodness knows what would happen if all of a sudden you said, right, let's just pull colony production and and see what happens to food prices.
Funding for Agricultural Technology
00:20:18
Speaker
It would be mayhem, wouldn't it? It would. It would. It would. Yeah. But there was good news at the NFU conference as well, I believe, when it when it comes to funding and grants there was some yeah there was some good news because yeah the secretary of state um emma reynolds has announced um kind of reopening or extension i don't know i don't know what the right word is but um for the for the farming equipment and technology fund so um everybody listening to this get onto um the the government website and and and look up funding available that this um
00:20:54
Speaker
yeah farming equipment and technology fund opens on on the 17th of March and it's and it's match funding. I know it's it's existed before and it's available to the majority of agriculture, but you know wonderfully, including poultry. um yeah If not for the first time, then you know being the extension, it's not very long that but that poultry farmers have have had the ability to support.
00:21:19
Speaker
access to public money but yeah we'll cover it in a great deal more detail in an upcoming Poultry Network newsletter so look out for that on in your inbox on ah on a Friday morning but 120 million quid I think 50 million quid towards the that that technology fund I've mentioned another 70 million quid towards the Farm Innovation Programme, but do look it up and see you know what you could be supported with by way of investment. And as I say, it covers everything from um you know welfare enhancements and technology and sensors and curtains and yeah split feeding bits and bobs. It's everything from a few hundred quid to, you know, 10 or 15,000 pounds worth of funding, depending on the project that you might have available. So it's worth investigating. yeah Please go and have a look online.
00:22:12
Speaker
Yeah. And certainly I've seen ah ah people invest in a whole range of things from drinkers and lights and and even egg packers. And it's a real opportunity to add further value to your business. And, and um well, I guess we could end where we were starting off talking about welfare. You know, some of these things can have a really positive impact on on welfare as well um compared to if you've got if you've got old and and broken down equipment on your farm at the moment.
00:22:40
Speaker
time absolutely speaking of cutting edge technology um there is the poultry netter news poultry network newsletter um which people will be seeing pinging into their um into their inboxes on a friday at about 9 30 um so do check it out if you're not already having a look good plug tom we should uh we should leave it there yes yeah yeah all right okay thank you for listening until next time