The Poultry Network Podcast

Tom Woolman and Tom Willings mark World Egg Day with a discussion of poultry catching, animal welfare and the week’s news. The Netherlands’ move towards upright catching prompts a look at what changing practices could mean for UK broiler and egg producers. Tom Willings shares his experience of trialling the method, including the practical challenges in multi-tier laying houses, while the pair cons...

Knowing how your flock compares with other farms is one thing. Understanding why it performs differently — and what to change — is another. Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are joined by Patrick Snodgrass and Iain Campbell from AgriFarm Data to explore how broiler growers can make better use of the information collected in their sheds. Patrick explains how frustration with benchmarking that showed dif...

Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Dr Pablo Alarcon and Dr Mat Hennessey from the Royal Veterinary College to discuss the pressures shaping poultry’s response to avian influenza — and why some of the biggest challenges cannot be addressed through farm biosecurity alone. As part of the Flu Trailmap project, the researchers have mapped poultry supply chains and spoken to people across the in...

Are broiler drinkers delivering more water than birds can actually drink? Ziggity Systems’ André van Rij made that case at this year’s Poultry Meat Conference, questioning whether recommended flow rates leave farms dealing with unnecessary spillage—and whether catch cups introduce more problems than they solve. Recorded at the event, Jake Davies and Tom Woolman discuss his argument for removing ca...

Could the sounds inside a poultry house help producers spot health and welfare problems before they develop? This week, Jake and Tom are joined by Carly Scott, FAI director and BirdBox project lead , and Professor Lucy Asher of Newcastle University to discuss the next generation of BirdBox and the research behind its flock-monitoring technology. The project began around a decade ago with a challen...

Recorded at Harper Adams immediately after Poultry Network Live, Tom Willings and Tom Woolman reflect on the biggest messages from a day of debate, technical insight and practical discussion across the egg and broiler sectors. And, before any of that, there is an overdue update on Tom’s increasingly determined escape-artist sheep. They discuss Patrick Hook’s candid account of the planning system,...

Imported eggs are under growing scrutiny following a UK Salmonella outbreak involving three genetically distinct clusters, around 470 cases and two deaths at the time this episode was recorded. Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Mark Williams, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council , to examine what is known about the outbreak and how the UK egg sector is responding. Mark explains wh...

After four years of tight supply and firm prices, the UK egg market has changed quickly this summer. More egg has reached the wholesale market just as seasonal demand has eased, bringing values down sharply and raising a difficult question: is this a temporary summer correction, or has the market turned? Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are joined by Barry Jackson, whose career spans shell egg, proces...

Feed markets are turning again. Black Sea disruption, drought across Europe and pressure on other crops are combining to push poultry ration costs higher, just as conditions in the egg market begin to look more challenging. With technical problems keeping Tom Willings off air, Tom Woolman is joined by Poultry Network editor-in-chief Jake Davies to discuss what is driving the renewed volatility and...

Tom Willings and Tom Woolman sit down together for a summer round-up of the stories shaping the poultry sector, from major changes in the feed industry to mounting pressure in the egg market. The episode begins with Tom Woolman’s family holiday to the Dordogne, where a search for a farm visit led to a foie gras producer offering public tours of its entire operation. The experience prompts a wider...

Portable blood testing is giving poultry nutritionists and vets a clearer view of how birds are actually responding to feed—not simply what a ration is expected to deliver. In this episode, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Aaron Cowieson, senior science fellow at DSM-Firmenich, to explore the emerging use of blood biomarkers in commercial poultry production. Aaron explains how rapid, por...

Campaign groups scrutinising food and farming have become more professional, coordinated and technologically capable. How should farmers and agricultural businesses respond—and where does the industry need to improve? Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Amy Jackson , founder of Oxtale Communications and a research fellow at the University of Nottingham . Drawing on her experience in agricul...

Water sanitation has become standard practice on many poultry farms—but does cleaner drinking water reliably translate into better bird performance? In the 50th episode of the Poultry Network podcast, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings speak to poultry vet Dr Ian Lowery , director of Crowshall Veterinary Services, about the findings of his doctoral research into broiler drinking-water hygiene. Ian’s stu...

Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are joined by Vera Bavinck , poultry veterinarian for Kipster , to discuss a radically different approach to egg production in the Netherlands. The conversation covers Kipster’s low-impact production model, the use of upcycled feed ingredients, welfare-led housing design, natural daylight, lower stocking densities, keel bone fracture monitoring, delayed onset of lay, a...

In this special episode of the Poultry Network podcast , Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by two younger voices from the UK poultry sector: Ed Lanning , representing the broiler industry, and Callum James , representing free-range egg production. The episode was inspired by a charity auction prize bought by Robert Lanning at the Southwest Chicken Association Christmas dinner, giving him the...

In this episode of the Poultry Network Podcast, Tom Woolman speaks with David Petrie-Dolphin of Drayton Animal Health about the behind-the-scenes work involved in bringing poultry vaccines, veterinary medicines and animal health products to market. David explains the role of a Contract Research Organisation, or CRO, and why pharmaceutical and animal health companies often use specialist external f...

This week on the Poultry Network podcast , Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Harrison Davies , technical manager at Aviagen , to discuss the launch of the Ross 308 505 Club . Harrison explains what EPEF — European Production Efficiency Factor — means, how it is calculated and why it provides a useful benchmark for broiler crop performance. The conversation covers the move from the 470 Clu...

In this episode, Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are joined by Greg Marsh, Poultry Sales Manager at ForFarmers, to discuss the launch of the Layer Academy , a BFREPA-backed initiative designed to help people working in the laying sector broaden their knowledge, build networks, and better understand the wider egg supply chain. Greg explains why the poultry sector needs more structured opportunities fo...

In this episode, Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are joined by Gary Ford for a wide-ranging discussion on the UK egg sector, covering organic production rules, environmental guidance, government price-cap speculation, chick and pullet supply pressures, and a new academy for young people in the egg industry. Episode overview The UK egg sector is enjoying strong consumer demand, but producers are facin...

Recorded the day after the Pig & Poultry Fair — with hosts Tom Woolman and Tom Willings admittedly feeling the effects of a busy few days — this episode features Claire Wright, managing director of Clive Soanes Broilers and finance director of Soanes Poultry. Claire joins the podcast to discuss how Soanes has remained a rare example of an independent, integrated poultry business, growing and p...

Tom Willings and Tom Woolman record a quick round-up live from the Pig & Poultry Fair at the NEC, reflecting on a busy first day at the show. They discuss the buoyant mood across the poultry sector, the energy around the stands, the value of catching up with people across the industry, and the importance of listener feedback for shaping future podcast episodes. The conversation also covers the...

Tom Willings and Tom Woolman are back for a host-only industry roundup, swapping Bank Holiday stories before turning to the upcoming British Pig & Poultry Fair. They discuss the sessions they are most looking forward to, including artificial intelligence, poultry meat market outlooks, egg market insight and retaining talent on farm. The episode also covers recent sector headlines, including th...

Episode summary In this episode, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings are joined by Rebecca Tierney , specialised poultry advisor at Teagasc , to discuss the current pressures facing Ireland’s egg sector. Rebecca explains how Irish egg consumption has risen sharply in recent years, moving from around 181 eggs per person to approximately 215–225 eggs per person . Despite strong consumer demand, production...

Imported eggs are moving into the UK in huge volumes — and Dr Lisa Ackerley believes the industry should be asking much harder questions about where they are going, how they are being checked, and whether buyers really understand the risks. In this episode of The Poultry Network Podcast, Tom Woolman and Tom Willings speak to Dr Lisa Ackerley, a public health and hygiene scientist and Chartered Env...

Longer laying cycles are changing the conversation around Salmonella protection in laying hens. In this episode, Tom Willings and Tom Woolman speak with Josh Davison about the new option of a fourth dose of AviPro Duo in lay, and why it matters for egg producers managing longer-lived flocks. Josh explains that the traditional three-dose AviPro Duo programme in rear was developed for shorter produc...