Poultry housing underinvestment threatens food security

Poultry housing in the UK needs urgent upgrades and investment if producers are going to meet animal welfare and environmental commitments, according to a recent NFU poultry shed survey.

The survey, which captured data from more than 5,000 poultry houses, highlights that the average UK broiler house is 31 years old, and 15% of broiler houses currently in production are at least 50 years old.

“With the average broiler house now more than 30 years old and refurbishment rates low, producers are being asked to meet higher welfare and environmental standards without any support for investment in infrastructure,” said NFU Poultry Board members Richard Williams and Matthew Donald.  

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“We’ve seen a huge drop-off in broiler house building over the past five years, which correlates with a dip in producer confidence.

“If left to fester, this will significantly impact food security,” they added.

Key findings

The survey also found that poultry houses used to grow broilers are newer than those used to keep breeding stock.

Within the UK, Northern Ireland has the newest houses, while houses in Scotland are the oldest, by far.

Within England, there was little difference between the age of houses in the Midlands, the North and the South.

However, houses in the east of England were substantially older.

Overall only 17.4% of houses have undergone refurbishment at some point in their lifetime and 7% of used broiler houses have not had a major refurbishment since they were built at least 50 years ago.

Poultry support

“If the government is serious about strengthening food security, it must back British poultry with targeted investment and planning reform,” they added.

“Fairness across the supply chain is also essential to rebuilding farmer confidence, enabling growers to invest in their businesses to ensure the continued production of high-quality, nutritious and sustainably produced poultry meat for the nation.”