Joice & Hill hatchery restriction lifted following salmonella investigation

Published on : 28 Apr 2026

With restrictions now lifted, the hatchery has resumed operations using eggs already in the system

Restrictions placed on Joice & Hill Poultry Ltd’s hatchery at Eye, Peterborough have now been lifted, bringing an end to a two week period of disruption following the detection of salmonella.

The company confirmed that the official restriction notice, imposed on 14 April, was removed at 6pm on 27 April after extensive testing found no further presence of the organism.

The issue was first identified after salmonella was detected on hatcher basket liners from a hatch on 26 March, with APHA later confirming the strain as S. typhimurium on 13 April.

In response, Joice & Hill halted all chick deliveries from 13 April and removed two weeks of production from its incubators to allow for a full clean down and disinfection of the site. The work was carried out under veterinary supervision and completed on 20 April.

Sampling was then stepped up significantly, with 125 swabs taken by the company’s veterinary team followed by a further 300 samples collected by APHA officials. All 425 samples have since tested negative for salmonella, including those analysed at the Weybridge laboratory.

Further reassurance came from testing across all parent stock supply farms, which also returned negative results, supporting the hatchery findings.

With restrictions now lifted, the hatchery has resumed operations using eggs already in the system, although the company has warned that supply will take time to return to normal. Priority is being given to back orders and replacement chicks, with some customers likely to face short delays while the backlog is cleared.

Joice & Hill said no hatching eggs had been destroyed beyond those removed from incubation during the clean down period, and additional sampling will continue on all hatch days for the foreseeable future as a precaution.

Customers who received chicks since 26 March have been contacted directly and advised to maintain strict biosecurity and consult their veterinary advisers on any necessary next steps.

Managing director Nick Bailey described the situation as unprecedented and apologised to customers affected by the disruption.