With NFU members facing significant challenges to the way they run their businesses over the last few years, the Union has launched its 2023 Poultry Production Intentions Survey.

It is poultry farmers to outline their production intentions over the next few years to assess the impact this will have on the sector.

NFU poultry board chair James Mottershead said: “As the NFU asks members to take part in this crucial survey, it is vital that we, as poultry farmers, seize this opportunity to make our voices heard. Your input to this survey will help shape future policy to support an innovative, progressive and profitable poultry sector.

“Over recent years, significant events have impacted the way we run our businesses. I’m aware that as a result of this, some producers have reduced production or exited the industry altogether, while others have plans to expand in the future.”

The Intentions Survey will capture crucial data to inform NFU’s lobbying work. “The results will be instrumental in driving meaningful discussions with key stakeholders, from the government to representatives right across the supply chain,” James said.

“Whether you are a poultry meat or egg producer, it’s vital you complete the survey to help strengthen our voice and work towards a resilient future for the sector so that we can continue to produce the high-quality poultry products that we provide to the nation.”

Take part in the survey here: https://nfuonline.com/poultry-intentions-survey/

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The risk of HPAI H5 in wild birds has been reduced from high (event occurs very often) to medium (event occurs regularly).

Meanwhile, the risk of HPAI H5 remains low (event is rare but does occur) in poultry.

Since 1^st October 2023, there have been no cases of HPAI confirmed in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and one case in Scotland.

This is compared to 366 cases in the UK since October 2021, when the UK began battling its largest ever outbreak of avian flu.

While the risk in wild birds has reduced the virus is still circulating in wild birds in Great Britain and all bird keepers should remain vigilant for signs of disease, Defra said.

The risk is continually reviewed and may increase again as autumn migration continues.

The outbreak has hit poultry farmers hard, resulting in the loss of millions of birds and extended mandatory housing periods meaning eggs could no longer be labelled ‘free range’ in early 2022 and 2023.

One egg producer who shared his story at the BFREPA Live event this year, lost 192,000 hens to avian flu after a mandatory cull in January.

New insights in avian flu, from scientific consortium FluMap, recently revealed avian flu can travel less than 10m through the air, so airborne travel between farms is very unlikely. They also found Northern Gannets and Shag are showing signs of developing immunity to AI, though AI viruses are prone to change and antibody levels will likely decline over time.

Defra has launched an interactive map of reporting wild bird mortality, and findings of avian flu in wild birds and mammals.

There is also an avian flu in wild birds interactive dashboard, updated weekly, which shows results from APHA’s surveillance programme.

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Confusion over government guidelines is preventing UK poultry keepers from complying with avian flu rules, according new research from the University of Nottingham.

The study, published in the journal Heliyon, follows the UK’s largest avian flu outbreak to date, which began in 2021.

Systems for dealing with the issue tend to be focused on large commercial poultry flocks and do not consider small-scale (backyard) poultry keepers, who have made up 18% of the recent outbreaks, scientists said.

Over 1,500 poultry keepers volunteered to take part in the study, and although 99% were aware of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) regulations, many of them said that government communication has been unclear, with some participants believing that the measures were only achievable for commercial set ups.

The study highlights a failure by Defra and APHA to connect with small-scale keepers; especially those who see their birds as pets, researchers say.

Key findings

Climate and geography influenced the effectiveness of housing measures and small-scale keepers’ ability to comply, the study revealed.

Some keepers mentioned taking extreme measures to comply by culling birds when they ran out of enough housing or runs that could stand up to strong winds in certain exposed areas.

Available space and household characteristics were also an influence. Common problems included an inability to cover or change existing runs and a lack of advance warning before ‘flockdown’. This is particularly the case for those keeping ducks and geese who may not have enough indoor space to house them and their access to water.

Cost is a key barrier for some individual keepers, with some having to spend thousands of pounds to keep their birds housed adequately without compromising animal welfare.

Participants expressed confusion about the term ‘biosecurity’ and how to use disinfection measures like foot dips. Regulations on the recording of vehicles entering the premises, and the movement or sale of poultry and eggs, were viewed as overly bureaucratic and unachievable.

Vaccination, which is not yet available for birds in the UK, has strong support from keepers as an alternative to culling and confinement.

“Pressing need” for new approach  

Sol Elliott, a recently graduated veterinary student at the University of Nottingham, initiated the study. She said it was inspired by a backyard keeper who had interpreted the Housing Order to mean keeping their birds inside their home.

Lead author Dr Rachael Tarlinton, an associate professor in veterinary virology, added: “Official government communications on avian flu were developed with large commercial flocks in mind and caused considerable confusion with small holder flocks, this project explored their issues and concerns, developing more accessible resources for helping them protect their flocks.”

Dr Emma McClaughlin, linguistics research fellow, added: “Effective communication around biosecurity and poultry health has a vital role to play in efforts to control avian influenza in the UK. Our findings highlight a pressing need to move away from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach and develop tailored messaging that addresses the specific challenges that small-scale and non-commercial keepers face.”

Recommendations for small-scale poultry keepers

The research team has made several key recommendations, aimed at improving communication between policy makers and small-scale poultry keepers.

These include:

• Clear, simple targeted messaging for small-scale keepers, along with better communication about the risks and benefits of adhering to biosecurity and housing measures. This involves practical illustrations of how to implement the measures, such as photographs, infographics and videos
• Providing affordable suggestions for achieving compliance and considering vaccination as an alternative to housing measures
• Risk assessments to reflect the current UK situation, along with geographically- and time-specific responses that account for varying risk levels
• Dissemination of targeted guidance via online poultry communities, along with additional community-based communication routes for keepers who don’t belong to online or in-person poultry communities (e.g. at vets or feed suppliers).

As part of the project, the research teams created an animation to clearly explain HPAI measures; why they’re needed, who they’re for and how they can be implemented. The animation is being shared with poultry keeper communities and is available to watch online.

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The review, announced by the government today (31^st October), will seek input from industry stakeholders on issues such as transparency, clarity of contractual terms and conditions, and data from the supply chain.

Announcing the review, food and farming secretary Thérèse Coffey said: “Producers should be paid a fair price for their high-quality produce, which is why we are committed to ensure there is fairness across food supply chains.

“At the Farm to Fork summit in May, the government pledged to support the farmers by undertaking a review into the egg sector to ensure fairness moving forward. I would now encourage all stakeholders from across the industry to take part in this review to ensure their voices are heard.”

The move has been welcomed by industry groups including the British Egg Industry Council. Deputy chief executive Gary Ford said:

“The review will focus on understanding how the contractual arrangements within the sector currently function, and whether there is the need for further legislation to oversee the relationship between producers and buys where necessary and facilitate a fairer and more transparent supply chain.”

Meanwhile, Robert Gooch, CEO of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association said: “BFREPA has been calling for a review of egg supply agreements for producers for some time and welcomes this consultation on fairness in the egg supply chain.

“The consultation on the workings of the egg supply chain is needed to provide further stability for the sector and to ensure that there is no repeat of egg shortages in the future”.

The views of egg producers, packers, processors, retailers and other stakeholders involved in the egg supply chain will be considered as part of the review, which will run until 22nd December.

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British cooked poultry meat products will soon be exported to Japan thanks to a new market access deal.

The industry estimates this market could be worth over £10 million in the next five years.

UK poultry meat has been exported to Japan since a market access deal for fresh and cooked poultry was secured in 2021, but avian influenza outbreaks in the UK have led to restrictions on the trade.

The new agreement enables smoother trade of cooked poultry meat, meaning that additional high value exports to Japan can be made.

Moy Park, one of the UK’s largest poultry meat producers, is the first to be officially registered to export cooked poultry to Japan under this agreement from one of its facilities in Grantham, Lincolnshire.

Negotiations were led by Defra and their Agriculture Attaché and colleagues based at the British Embassy in Tokyo, with support from the British Poultry Council (BPC), South Kesteven District Council and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Dr Jorge Martin-Almagro, UK deputy chief veterinary officer, commented: “This market access agreement is one more positive step forward for the UK poultry industry and is testament to the quality of their meat.

“In the face of ongoing challenges posed by avian influenza, it is a real achievement to have secured a deal which allows the exports of these valuable UK poultry products.”

British Poultry Council chief executive, Richard Griffiths welcomed the news.

“Industry has worked closely with Government over the years to open doors for businesses producing world class standards of safe, affordable, nutritious food and high value poultry breeding stock,” he said.

“Following today’s announcement, we thank the Defra market access team and all Government officials involved for securing exciting opportunities for BPC members, putting food on every table round the world despite the big challenges at hand, including successful negotiations of regionalisation for highly pathogenic avian influenza.

“We look forward to continuing our work building, maintaining and enhancing crucial markets and relationships – both existing and new.”

Japan is also a valuable market for high quality UK breeding poultry, with a further market access agreement secured in recent weeks. The agreement streamlines regionalisation for exports of breeding chicks, ensuring that any future avian influenza outbreaks only lead to temporary restrictions on exports from affected regions, rather than a countrywide ban.

The UK are world leaders in the supply of poultry genetics, and this deal will allow Japanese poultry companies to continue access to UK high-grade stock.

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Top scientists have discovered that avian influenza can only travel short distances (less than 10m) through the air, and airborne travel between farms is therefore very unlikely. 

This is according to the findings of a major, eight-strong research consortium, FluMap, which was announced last year. Preliminary investigations on a small sample of some seabird species revealed specific immunity to H5N1, showing exposure and recovery in a proportion of birds. 

However, avian influenza viruses are prone to change so antibody levels will likely decline over time, with next year’s offspring not guaranteed to be immune – suggesting there are no great population level benefits yet.

Scientists hope to look at the effect of antibodies on infection, to better predict the emergence of new viruses with different protein combinations in the future, allowing experts to stay one step ahead to safeguard animal and human health.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza is a significant burden on animal health, with over 350 infected premises detected between 2020 and 2023. 

Wild bird populations have also suffered significant mortalities across multiple species and wild mammals that have scavenged dead bird carcasses have also been infected.

The consortium also identified several genetic characteristics that explain the ability of the current H5N1 viruses to spread fast and infect a greater range of species. Research found that multiple virus genes have switched and evolved to act together to enhance fitness to infect, transmit and persist in birds, but remain un-adapted to humans.

The consortium has received £3.3 million in additional funding, to continue its research into the evolution of the virus and the ability to predict new strains. 

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Mr Baxter, who farms near Stranraer and is also the chairman of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA), has been confirmed as one of the keynote speakers at Europe’s largest free range egg show, taking place on Wednesday 15th November at the Telford International Centre.

His honest and open talk will cover his avian influenza journey, from losing an entire flock, to how he sees his business recovering, as well as the lessons learnt.

Mr Baxter’s talk will be just one of several discussions throughout the day, including a panel on AI vaccination, hosted by BFREPA CEO Robert Gooch with APHA’s Gordon Hickman, Dave Hodson from Rosehill Poultry, and Crowshall’s vet Ian Lowery joining as panellists.

A debate will also be held on whether there should be a Great Britain-wide vaccination programme, the pros and cons of having one, and how it might work if it became a reality.

The afternoon programme includes a series of technical presentations, with AD Harvey’s Oliver Harvey giving practical advice on preparing for end of lay, alongside Premier Nutrition’s Ralph Bishop talking about nutritional strategies for extending the laying cycle.

The day will conclude with a talk by Nick Bailey from Joice & Hill, covering the latest in genetics and breeding developments, as well as the benefits of breeding white hens.

Kate Dickinson, BFREPA events manager, said: “BFREPA Live’s speakers will offer an insight from all aspects of the free range egg sector, from the producer in the shed, to the officials making decisions on behalf of the whole industry.

“We believe that we’ve struck a great balance between the two, and that those in attendance will learn something valuable to take back to their farms.”

BFREPA Live 23 has been reformatted into a one-day show featuring a sold-out exhibition and the Free Range Awards dinner taking place on the same evening.

The awards dinner, which will be hosted by comedian Al Murray, will have a record number of attendees, with over 600 people already booked to attend the evening.

Tickets are on sale at www.bfrepa.co.uk and are open to anyone with an interest in egg production.

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Image: Google maps

The facility, which will be the UK’s largest state-of-the-art feed mill, is set to be built on land owned by British Sugar Plc, off Compiegne Way on the A143 at the edge of Bury St Edmunds.

Proposals for the site include ancillary offices, silos, a warehouse, improved access route and parking. It will produce feed for pigs and poultry, predominantly made from wheat, barley, pulses and rapeseed.

The new facility will replace the existing AB Agri feed mill on Eastern Way in Bury St Edmunds and will create 70 new jobs, according to AB Agri and British Sugar.

Making the case for the new building in the planning application, it was noted that by 2050, forecasts suggest the UK population will reach 77 million, increasing the demand for protein. Pig and poultry feed manufacturing is at capacity and already struggling to keep pace with this growing demand.

The facility will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, producing up to 950,000 net tonnes of pig and poultry feed per annum.

Despite concerns raised by the local planning authority that the mill could have a significant adverse impact on the wider landscape, councillors unanimously approved the planning application, according to East Anglian Daily Times.

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A new study from researchers in China and Nottingham has discovered that a subtype of avian flu virus, endemic in poultry farms in China, is undergoing adaptive changes making it transmissible by the airborne route between animals.

Researchers also say the findings raise concerns of a potential epidemic or pandemic in the making and that coordinated research is necessary to closely monitor such viruses in poultry and humans.

The study, which has been published in the scientific journal Cell, reports on the characterisation of a human isolate – from a human patient – of the H3N8 avian influenza virus (AIV). Using laboratory mice and ferrets as models for human infection, the results show the virus has undergone several mutational changes to cause severe animal infections.

In humans, avian H3N8 virus infection has been found to cause acute respiratory distress syndrome and can even be fatal. The virus is widespread in chicken flocks; however, until now, the features of how it might be transmitted from animals to humans have been poorly understood.

“We demonstrate that an avian H3N8 virus isolated from a patient with severe pneumonia replicated efficiently in human bronchial and lung epithelial cells, was extremely harmful in its effects in laboratory mammalian hosts and could be passed on through respiratory droplets,” explained Professor Kin-Chow Chang from the University of Nottingham.

Professor Jinhua Liu from the China Agricultural University in Beijing added: “Importantly, we discovered that the virus had acquired human receptor binding preference and amino acid substitution PB2-E627K, which are necessary for airborne transmission.

“Human populations, even when vaccinated against human H3N2 virus, appear immunologically naïve to emerging mammalian-adapted H3N8 AIVs and could be vulnerable to infection at epidemic or pandemic proportion.”

The study, titled ‘Airborne transmission of human-isolated avian H3N8 influenza virus between ferrets’ was a collaboration between the University of Nottingham, China Agricultural University in Beijing, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

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According to Elanco’s 2023 interim HTSi report, which collates data from 3,137 post-mortem bird examinations across 175 UK broiler farms, Intestinal Integrity (I²) scores are on the up, rising back to pre-2022 levels.

Explaining the findings, Louise Ashworth, Elanco’s HTSi lead, said: “In 2022, there was a steady decline in I², which was particularly apparent over the summer, in contrast to previous years.

“Producers often consider the summer to be a ‘safe’ time to make changes to their anticoccidial programme or loosen biosecurity protocols. Whereas, over the winter, everyone tends to ‘buckle up’ when it comes to disease prevention,” she noted.

Despite this, the I² data is looking far more stable in 2023, tracking similar to that of 2021.

“The average coccidiosis prevalence for July 2023 is lower than what was seen in 2022, for the three common strains seen, which has helped drive an increase in I²,” she says.

“However, it’s important to note that while an initial reduction in both E. maxima and E. tenella has been seen, the prevalence of these strains hasn’t returned to the levels noted in winter and spring of 2021/22 and is still higher than we’d like to see.”

Ms Ashworth said these results indicate that once intestinal stability has been disrupted, it takes several crops to recuperate.

The report data highlights that last year’s disease levels were particularly high, and although I² is on the rise this year, coccidiosis levels are taking some time to reduce back to pre-2022 levels.

“It’s important to be aware that an increased coccidial population can have long-term impacts,” Ms Ashworth warned.

“If a coccidial challenge becomes out of control, it will take multiple crops to return to a manageable level, and producers will need to undertake additional cleanout and disinfection protocols to achieve good coccidial population control in the winter months.”

Choosing the right plan for your farm

Elanco’s poultry technical consultant, Dr James Bishop, added that ionophore anticoccidials have proven to be a useful tool for fighting this costly disease, acting directly on the coccidia parasite in a bird’s intestines.

However, not all ionophores offer the same benefits, and he recommended choosing wisely when establishing a coccidiosis control plan.

“There are a few main factors to consider when choosing an appropriate ionophore, including the stability of coccidial population control provided and its impact on the bird,” he said.

“There is some variance in the efficacy, potency and consistency of different ionophores.”

For example, the production benefits of using narasin for stabilising coccidial populations has been trusted for over 20 years, and was also reinforced in recent studies.

A field-scale evaluation was conducted on a European farm to compare two anticoccidial programmes. This included comparing a full narasin programme against a full salinomycin programme, under commercial conditions.

“The narasin commercial trial reflected the findings of a recent pen study, with differences of 2.7g average daily gain and 113g final body weight. In addition, a significant improvement in feed efficiency was seen in the narasin group,” added Dr Bishop.

For more information on coccidiosis control, visit https://www.myelanco.co.uk/brand/htsi-coccidiosis-control.

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