Farmers Weekly Awards 2026: Poultry Farmer of the Year
Mark Gorton © Jason Bye Mark Gorton, of Traditional Norfolk Poultry, Shropham, Norfolk, is the winner of Farmers Weekly Awards 2026 Poultry Farmer of the year.
Mark is a poultry farmer on a mission – to produce the highest welfare and best-quality birds available to occupy the top end of the market.
See also: FW Awards: Meet the 2026 Poultry Farmer of the Year finalists
Having started with just 12 turkeys and a farming dream as a teenager, the fact he is now achieving that is a testament to the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit that has driven him along the way.
From supplying a few local butchers, Traditional Norfolk Poultry (TNP) has grown into a £55m-turnover business encompassing production, processing and product development for top restaurants and several major retailers.
Mark has grown with the business too, taking on various roles in the wider industry.
Farm facts
- Free-range chicken and seasonal turkey production spread across 55 different sites in East Anglia
- Production in mobile sheds for broilers and polytunnels for turkeys, mostly on rented sites
- Slow-growing breeds of chicken, plus rare breeds of turkey
- 100,000 broilers a week processed in own slaughterhouse, including 10,000 Norfolk Black chickens
- Range and shed enrichments at all sites, with turkeys having access to woodland
- 400 additional workers employed for Christmas turkey processing
Business
TNP may have started out in seasonal turkey production, but the bulk of revenue – about 80% – now comes from slow-growing, free-range chickens.
Combined with seasonal turkey production – involving about 350,000 birds for the Christmas market – the firm has over 90 growing sites on 55 farms, mostly in Norfolk and Suffolk. These are typically located on rented ground, with a combination of static sheds, mobile units and polytunnels.
Mark has also developed a contract growing operation, allowing other farmers to invest in their own infrastructure, with TNP supplying the birds and feed.
The company has developed strong relationships with most of the big retailers, providing them with high-end chicken and turkey. “I have a policy of not having more than 30% of our business with any one retailer, to limit exposure,” says Mark.
Product development is another key focus, with a range of novel poultry dishes developed in the firm’s own kitchen.
Technical
TNP operates two basic systems for free-range chicken production – a “whole life cycle” model, where the birds use the same shed from chick to finishing at 56-63 days old, and a “brood and move” system.
“This may mean ‘double-handling’, but they have even higher welfare once they get to the mobile sheds or polytunnels,” says Mark.
Being free-range and slow-growing, stocking rates are generally below 20kg/sq m when the birds are inside. Mortality is low – about 3-4% for chickens and less than 2% for turkeys. “Most of the estates we rent ground from have gamekeepers, so foxes are well controlled.”
The turkeys are mainly grown in polytunnels, typically housing 10,000 birds, grown to Red Tractor and RSPCA standards.
Having lost nine separate farms to avian influenza in 2022 – including 300,000 chickens and 50,000 turkeys – the business pays close attention to biosecurity.
Mark has also been closely involved in avian influenza vaccine development, hosting trials for the Animal and Plant Health Agency – a world first.
He is also involved with the renowned John Innes Centre in Norwich, developing a new protein crop as a potential replacement for soya in poultry diets.
Winning ways
- Close involvement with on-farm production
- Proactive approach to innovation, especially with avian influenza vaccination trials
- Strong emphasis on high bird welfare in free-range systems
- Involvement in the wider industry, helping to set the standard
- Entrepreneurial spirit with a commitment to future growth
What the judges say
Mark retains a real involvement in the business while also aiming to ‘put something back’ with his various roles in the wider industry.
The other finalists
- Will and Kate Martin, Treway Farm, Coombe, Cornwall
- Robert Parker, Park Farm, Thorington, SuffolkT
The Farmers Weekly 2026 Poultry Farmer of the Year Award is sponsored by Livetec Systems
The Farmers Weekly Awards celebrate the very best of British agriculture by recognising hard-working and innovative farmers across the UK.
Find out more about the Awards, the categories and sponsorship opportunities on the Farmers Weekly Awards website.