Toby is a turkey farmer from Essex, returning to the family business three years ago following a stint in the automotive industry with BMW and Volkswagen. The business is now in its third generation and today produces two million day old turkey poults for seasonal producers as well as rearing 35,000 KellyBronze turkeys for the UK Christmas market.
As part of the 2022-23 PIP, Toby says he originally joined the programme to meet other like-minded individuals in the sector, gain an insight into other businesses and also forge a closer relationship with the NFU.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so easy to sit at your desk or stay on the farm, but getting out and seeing, hearing and experiencing new ways of doing things and how other businesses work is invaluable.鈥�
Toby takes over from previous chair James Porter, who was PIP chair for the 2022-23 programme.
Supporting the next generation
Toby says he was driven to apply for the PIP to help the next group of participants get the best out of the programme.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity to keep working alongside the NFU and to meet the individuals that will join the next programme.
鈥淏eing a part of their journey and helping ensure they get the most out of their programme will be fantastic. You really do learn an awful lot from the experience.鈥�
Looking to the future
Toby acknowledges that the next group of PIP participants may be facing some significant challenges within their businesses.
鈥淚 think the biggest challenge any business faces at the moment is volatility. We鈥檝e had five prime ministers since 2016, a global pandemic and unprecedented inflation, as well as the largest avian influenza outbreak in history.鈥�
As PIP chair, Toby hopes to help equip the next group of participants with skills and experiences that will help them tackle the challenges ahead.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy for poultry producers at the moment, but initiatives such as the NFU PIP are a fantastic way of providing young people in the sector with knowledge and training to help them thrive, and I鈥檓 excited to play my part in that as the next chair of the programme鈥�.