Farmers Weekly Awards 2025: Poultry Farmer of the Year

Hugh Carter, of East House Farm, County Durham, is the winner of Farmers Weekly Awards 2025 Poultry Farmer of the year.

The free-range hen unit run by Hugh and his team at Trimdon in County Durham really can be viewed as the future of egg production in the UK.

The system combines scale and efficiency with an emphasis on bird welfare, delivering for the environment through regenerative farming practices and extensive tree planting.

See also: FW Awards: Meet the 2025 Poultry Farmer of the Year finalists

Hugh’s first hen house for 16,000 birds went up in 2007, followed by another in 2009, and a third in 2013.

But the big step up came in 2024, when he invested over £1m in a new multi-tier shed for 64,000 birds, complete with an integrated feed mill and a muck drying system, doubling the farm’s capacity.

Production

Set within 450ha of arable ground, all crops produced on the farm – mainly wheat, oats and beans – are fed to the 124,000 hens after processing through the state of the art feed mill.

Premier Nutrition helps devise the ration for each stage of the flock cycle, with other raw materials such as sunflower and maize gluten bought in.

Overall, Hugh estimates he makes a £15-£40/t saving through mixing his own feed.

Bird performance has held up well, with egg production consistently exceeding breed standards, while consuming just 115-118g of feed a bird a day.

The manure, which is dried in the new shed to 89% dry matter and then mixed with wetter material from the older sheds, is applied to the land providing, good levels of organic nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.

“This closed-loop system significantly reduces our carbon footprint,” says Hugh.

One flock of 32,000 hens has now achieved the BSI “carbon neutral” kitemark – in part due to the phasing out of soya from the ration, but also from installing 350kW of solar panels and using home-grown feed and fertiliser to reduce transport emissions.

“By treating the farm as an interconnected system rather than separate enterprises, we have created a business model that is both profitable and future proofed, balancing productivity with sustainability,” says Hugh.

Marketing 

All eggs produced at East House Farm are sold to Myton Food Group – parent company to Chippendale Food.

The carbon neutral eggs are destined for Morrison’s “Better For Our Planet” brand, capturing a 20p/doz price premium.

Hugh has a close relationship with both the packer and the retailer, one example being when he took part in trials feeding black soldier fly larvae to the hens – a joint initiative with Chippendale, Morrisons and start-up company Better Origin.

To optimise egg quality, Hugh has installed a camera controlled egg belt and photographic grading technology in his newest shed.

Passionate about sharing his farming story, Hugh has also appeared on a farming panel at the Great Yorkshire Show to talk about sustainability.

He is considering moving into pullet rearing to reduce reliance on external suppliers, and investing in a pelletiser for the manure dryer, to extract additional value.

What the judges say

“Hugh has developed a profitable business, exercising tight control of costs with good knowledge of data and a willingness to invest.

“An emphasis on sustainability has provided a strong foundation for the business to flourish.”