The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) will hold a poultry conference to address the current avian influenza (bird flu) crisis, market trends and energy costs.
The conference will be hosted at CAFRE’s Greenmount campus in Co. Antrim on Monday, December 5.
Poultry farmers and producers have been urged to attend the event by CAFRE’s senior poultry advisor Claire Anderson.
“This CAFRE and UFU joint initiative will address key issues affecting poultry farmers in Northern Ireland at present including market trends, avian influenza and energy costs,” Anderson said.
“It will be an informative event relevant to both poultry meat and commercial egg producers and will provide a forum for discussion to share knowledge and solutions.
“The event is free but places are limited and booking is encouraged as soon as possible,” she said.
Poultry sector issues
Speakers at the event will include John Kirkpatrick, agricultural manager for poultry and eggs at Tesco; Robert Huey, chief veterinary officer for NI; and Richard Bell, founder and past managing director of Solmatix Renewables.
David Ramsay, chair of UFU’s poultry committee, said the event will address the pressing issues of the poultry sector.
“John will give us an understanding of the poultry products consumers are currently buying and predicted buying patterns as the cost-of-living crisis continues,” he said.
“Also, with retailers working towards becoming zero-carbon businesses, what this will mean to us as producers?
“Avian influenza has already been confirmed in Northern Ireland in captive birds. Does that now mean that the disease is endemic? We are delighted to have Robert Huey to cover this topic.
“Energy costs are crippling most farm businesses. Richard Bell will help us understand how energy audits can help us identify appropriate renewable technologies for our businesses,” Ramsay concluded.
