2 Sister Poultry

maen

Member
Location
S West
I am a bit supprised that there have been no replies bearing in mind all the talk about future American chicken imports into the UK. Is it a question of keep your head down?
 
I have worked for both on company and contract growing farms as long your Farm is reasonably new or up to Standards you will keep getting birds and keep being payed . If you want to know what I really think of them PM me. But good luck you will need it.

Daughter was part of a catching trial study for suppliers to Grampian at Thorne just prior to the 2001 F&M outbreak when all "unnecessary" farm visits were suspended.

She also relayed to management why so many producers were unhappy about changes to payment rates being made retrospectively ....
 

Fogg

Member
Livestock Farmer
I am a bit supprised that there have been no replies bearing in mind all the talk about future American chicken imports into the UK. Is it a question of keep your head down?

I don't get why we need to fear being flooded with US chicken any more than we do Brazilian, Thai, or EU chickens. If they can get a fresh product on Morrisons shelves from Louisiana, or wherever, chepaer than we can from Sleaford, or wherever, then good luck to them. I bought a load of fresh breast fillets from Costco for about £6 per kg a week or two and wasn't thinking "ah, if only there was a source of slightly cheaper chicken that smelt faintly of bleach instead, I'd be all over that."
 
They seem to have periods of expansion and contraction up here. They have a plant locally that is always getting worked on, or so it seems.
But then a few years ago some guys who put up new sheds had to change to egg production to keep going. Also a few sheds empty up here as well, although they are older sites. Wheat is more expensive up here so that obviously reduces margins a bit.
 

maen

Member
Location
S West
I think the business model needs to change. As do pig fattening and egg contracts. Far too much of the investment is being made by farmers with no guaranteed return. Most commercial storage would require entering a long term contract at fixed rates rewarding a fixed returns to owners of the property for no effort This would not require any commitment to operate the building (site) this would be by separate contractural arrangement. This would not come cheap. When lorry drivers are being paid upwards of £50k for fixed hours + holidays a poultry/pig site should be able to contract out its services at attractive rates. Additional item would be waste disposal. (Mortality, litter or slurry) All other services would be paid by operator (packer/processor)
In the southwest the farmer suppliers (Growers) have more money invested than the packer. And by default more risk. Times have changed and so must the way we interact with the market that ‘feeds’ off us.
 

Fogg

Member
Livestock Farmer
That's an interesting viewpoint.

I read Fast Food Nation a few years back and it goes into detail about how cartels in the US seem to thrive by getting independent producers into debt, then controlling the market, causing despair and despondency amongst those trapped in debt. The pessimist in me has long thought that our processors are striving to go the same way to get to a point where there's more floorspace out there than they need, at which point they're sitting pretty and can say "attention all growers: we're offering peanuts, take it or leave it." What seems to have happened is that renewal and expansion in the industry has grown broadly in line rising demand and that hasn't happened... Well, at least not yet, though the job obviously isn't a route to get rich quick like it might have been 40 odd years ago.

Anyway, as good as your idea is, I don't see any real incentive for processors to offer the arrangement you suggest. Why would they? If the investment was an obvious no brainer with near zero risk they'd be doing all the farming themselves. You're right though, reading the above I'm feeling inclined to stick no.1 son on an HGV driving course and keep him the hell away from ag college.
 

maen

Member
Location
S West
You are correct about America. Canada is different. Often when poultry houses are depreciated packers will drop the price because they can and paying more for a new build because the debt keeps the production flowing. In the worst case governments incentivise expansion in certain areas (Wales) by offering grants which moves production and disadvantages existing producers.
Where as commercial buildings will pay a return without the owner grafting away with a power hose at regular intervals. That responsibility should stay with the packer as should all the other costs of operation.
Time for change

B&b pigs would work well if all costs were really covered. Mortality disposal, wash down, weighing, loading out of hours etc. It’s a long list. Farmers are seriously under valuing their time. It’s basically pay for a bit of Labour, buildings and other services for free.
You do not buy a Ferrari at the same price as a Ford.
 

Barleymow

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Ipswich
You are correct about America. Canada is different. Often when poultry houses are depreciated packers will drop the price because they can and paying more for a new build because the debt keeps the production flowing. In the worst case governments incentivise expansion in certain areas (Wales) by offering grants which moves production and disadvantages existing producers.
Where as commercial buildings will pay a return without the owner grafting away with a power hose at regular intervals. That responsibility should stay with the packer as should all the other costs of operation.
Time for change

B&b pigs would work well if all costs were really covered. Mortality disposal, wash down, weighing, loading out of hours etc. It’s a long list. Farmers are seriously under valuing their time. It’s basically pay for a bit of Labour, buildings and other services for free.
You do not buy a Ferrari at the same price as a Ford.
Have dead bins provided and get washed out here,rarely load before 6am
 

SteveHants

Member
Livestock Farmer
I don't get why we need to fear being flooded with US chicken any more than we do Brazilian, Thai, or EU chickens. If they can get a fresh product on Morrisons shelves from Louisiana, or wherever, chepaer than we can from Sleaford, or wherever, then good luck to them. I bought a load of fresh breast fillets from Costco for about £6 per kg a week or two and wasn't thinking "ah, if only there was a source of slightly cheaper chicken that smelt faintly of bleach instead, I'd be all over that."

In informal conversations I've had with Tesco, they appear to be utterly uninterested in US poultry - they (probably rightly) think that their consumers don't want it.
Why would they want it? They already have preferred suppliers in the UK and overseas (Thailand etc) who produce to standards demanded of them by the supermarkets.
 

Big Eddy C

Member
Mixed Farmer
I can't see much American chicken coming over here, their carcase imbalance is the same as us, white breast meat is preferred.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

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  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 5 2.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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