NFU 2009: Minister ‘taken aback’ at poultry industry
Farm minister Jane Kennedy has said she was taken aback at the sophistication of Britain’s poultry industry.
Ms Kennedy was addressing producers during a poultry commodity board breakout session at NFU Conference on Monday (16 February).
She recently completed a number of “walk the supply chain” visits following her appointment to DEFRA last year, including visits to different producers and a state-of-the-art poultry processing plant at Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.
Despite recent television programmes highlighting consumer concern about intensive production, Ms Kennedy praised the state of the industry.
In particular, she expressed surprise at the calm environment in which birds were reared and the short space of time to reach market.
“They weren’t Freedom Food [accredited] but for me I had no welfare issues,” she told farmers.
Ms Kennedy said supermarket visits had emphasised the way the same standard chicken was sold for a variety of prices, depending on how it was packaged.
“It has reinforced the way in which marketing plays such a huge role in the prices that the supermarkets charge and yet don’t necessarily mean better prices for producers.”
Producers faced a number of challenges, Ms Kennedy acknowledged.
This included potential changes to IPPC regulations, stocking density measures and regulations affecting caged birds.
Ms Kennedy said she was happy to take up issues of “gold-plating” with regulators where producers felt they were being unfairly treated.
And she expressed her bewilderment that IPPC rules were being applied to pig and poultry units, but not to dairy farmers or other livestock producers.
“I don’t think it can be a very sensible way forward,” said Ms Kennedy, adding that she had yet to receive an adequate explanation of the reasons for doing so.
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