Prince of Wales visits Duchy farm in NI

Prince Charles has visited a farm in Northern Ireland producing organic broiler birds for the Duchy Originals brand he launched in the early 1990s.

The Prince visited Bessvale Farm in Upper Ballinderry, County Antrim, with Nigel Dunlop, CEO of Moy Park. Moy Park contract producers produce all the organic chicken for the Duchy Originals Range sold in Waitrose supermarkets.

“We are delighted to welcome The Prince of Wales to visit Bessvale Farm to see the standards to which these free range, organic chickens are reared,” Mr Dunlop said.

“Northern Ireland has a proud food heritage. We have a history and a reputation for producing good food and we are very pleased that chicken produced in Northern Ireland has been selected for the Duchy Originals range.”

During the visit His Royal Highness met with farmer John Tuft and his family, who have been rearing organic chicken since 2001, and toured the their 17th century thatched farmhouse and the 230-acre farm.

“Our emphasis is on bird health, wellbeing and welfare. The birds are produced on this and other farms so that they have plenty of space to roam. All our Duchy Originals Organic brood chicken houses have double-glazed windows so from an early age the birds can enjoy natural light,” Mr Tuft said.

The temperature in the brood houses is controlled as the birds grow so they become acclimatised for their life roaming outdoors and we enrich the environment for the birds with perches and bales of straw.

All feed is organic and once the birds are old enough to roam outdoors, trees, hedges and fences provide shelter and give the bird a sense of security.”