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NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23

Members of the 2022/23 NFU Poultry Industry Panel gathered in a meeting room at NFU HQ

Get to know the 2022/23 PIP (Poultry Industry Programme) participants and read their accounts of their PIP experiences.

»Ê¼Ò»ªÈËPIP (Poultry Industry Programme) develops the skills and knowledge of young people in the poultry sector.

The PIP was initially started by the NFU in recognition of a need to develop young people already working within the poultry industry and broaden their knowledge.

Read more about the latest PIP intake.Ìý

The programme builds on the existing skills and knowledge of the young people that take part to help them develop their careers as future industry leaders.

It is made up of a series of events which give participants a unique insight into the industry as well as creating contacts with other poultry farmers and industry specialists.

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Accounts from 2022/2023 participants

Meet the 2022/23 PIP participants

Find out why they applied for the programme.

David Hewitson

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Broiler producer, North East

I came back to the farm in 2016, and traditionally it was arable, sheep and pigs but we were looking to expand the business and go into broilers.Ìý

I run the poultry side of the business with my dad, and it’s a great industry to be in. It’s really technology and data driven, so very interesting and quite different to the rest of the farm.

I went to Leeds University to study History and Politics and didn’t have any intention of coming back to the farm, but then my friends went to London and I decided an office job wasn’t for me.

I’m looking forward to meeting other farmers in the sector and industry experts.

Chris Harrison

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Free range egg producer, North East

I am a free range layer producer from a family farm in North Yorkshire. The business diversified into free range layers in 2010, but previously the farm focussed on arable and sheep.Ìý

We started with a 16,000 bird unit, which quickly developed to 32,000 and then 64,000.

Having arable and poultry on the same farm, it made sense to begin milling our own feed.

On the PIP, I’d like to build my network of contacts. You can never learn too much from people, there’s always somebody who’ll have a little gem in a conversation that can help you with the next thing you’re looking at, or help you change what you’re doing currently. It’s also great to put myself out there a bit more.Ìý 

Emily Hughes

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Poultry health specialist, North East

I’m originally from Shropshire, but currently live and work in East Yorkshire. I studied agri-food marketing and business at Harper Adams University, but I had no idea what path to go down.

I fell into poultry by accident when I got offered a scholarship by Moy Park and did my placement year with them and absolutely loved it.

I want more awareness of what’s going on in the wider industry and a bit more involvement with other young people in poultry on the PIP.

Franny Hook

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Hatchery management trainee, PD Hook, South East

I grew up within the family poultry business, packing eggs and grading chicks from a young age. I graduated from Harper Adams University in 2019 and came straight back home to work.

I am now based at Cote Hatchery as a management trainee and have broad role within the business.

I decided to apply for PIP as it looked like a great opportunity to meet new people and expand my knowledge within the poultry industry.

Henry Gibbs

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Free range egg producer, West Midlands

I’m from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and diversified the farm in 2019 to free-range laying unit. We supply to a packer and sell on-farm through our vending machine.

I’m looking forward to meeting like-minded people and developing my knowledge within the poultry industry.

With it being such a fast-moving environment, and technology advancing quicker then ever, I feel it’s crucial to stay at the forefront of the industry.

Isaac Green

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Feed agent, Noble Foods, North East

I grew up on a family farm near York and when my dad co-founded a poultry enterprise I naturally got involved in my school holidays etc. I worked various jobs in different sectors of agriculture which sandwiched some work in Australia.Ìý

I then ended up taking an opportunity as a feed sales agent with Noble Foods and have worked there for nine years.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, I also co-founded a poultry recruitment business.

Ivory Arden

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Free range egg producer, East Midlands

I’m a free-range egg producer from Lincolnshire, and I’ve been doing that for seven years now. It’s a family-run farm and we have 128,000 free-range hens.

I’ve been running the poultry enterprise from the beginning, after finishing college at 18, and I oversee the ten staff who work across all our sites.

Peter Mason

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Broiler producer, East Anglia

I’m the farm manager of a mixed agricultural business in West Norfolk, the main enterprise and priority being a 840,000 broiler site. I grew up on our family farm nearby which has a turkey breeders, however I knew nothing about broilers when I arrived here, so I have very much enjoyed learning about the industry from the ground up.Ìý

Doing so has made me really quite passionate about the poultry sector and keen to play a more active role in it. I am looking forward to meeting the other members of the PIP as no doubt we will be able to learn a lot from each other, which will be invaluable during these challenging times.

Ryan Dakin

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Free range egg producer, North West

I’m a free-range poultry farmer from Cheshire, and we’ve got 32,000 free-range birds. We’re a family farm –  we used to be dairy farmers, and then I diversified the business into poultry two years ago.Ìý

Last year we sold the dairy cows and we do poultry full time.

I’m hoping to get some development, new knowledge and to meet other like-minded people on the programme.

Steve Humphreys

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Broiler area manager, West Midlands

I’ve worked for Hay Farms since I graduated from Harper Adams University. I started knowing very little and they trained me up; I then became a farm manager for four years and later became area manager.Ìý

Currently I oversee two as-hatched farm and one sexed farm and I also oversee the ground-source renewables side of the business.  

Toby Kelly

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Free range turkey producer and product marketing, East Anglia

I grew up on a family farm but went to university and took a different path, studying Business management at Newcastle before working for the BMW Group. I rejoined the family business of Kelly Turkeys in Essex in January 2021.

I’d like to meet some new people on the programme and learn about other parts of the sector and the political side of the industry.Ìý

Laura Faller

NFU Poultry Industry Programme 2022/23, Poultry nutritionist, ABN, East Anglia

I am a poultry nutritionist working for ABN, where I am involved in nutrition for the broiler, organic and game sector. Coming from an academic background, I don’t have the lifelong connections or experience of the wider industry.Ìý

I’m excited to join the PIP to meet other people of a similar age from the different areas of the industry, so that we can network and hopefully create some good working relationships.

With many of the challenges and opportunities that the industry faces, it is important to be able to work with peers from all areas to solve challenges and support the industry in years to come and the PIP provides a great opportunity to do this.


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