NI poultry conference returns to Armagh in September

Published on : 27 Aug 2026

L-R: Poultry Business Manager Sharon Hazelton, Veterinary Surgeon Caroline M Hall MRCVS, Poultry Administrator Rebecca McKinley and Clinical Director (Poultry) Ian Stewart

Northern Ireland's poultry industry will gather at the Armagh City Hotel on 29th September 2026 for this year's Layer conference, "Cracking the Future of Layers", with a programme built around the challenges facing egg producers today, from emerging disease threats and Salmonella control to lighting, flock data and practical veterinary advice.

The event is chaired by Ian Stewart MRCVS of Parklands Veterinary Services, to the layer industry in Northern Ireland.

Facing Flu in a Changing World opens the speaker programme, with Dr Connor Bamford of Queen's University Belfast addressing a threat that continues to present a major challenge to poultry businesses. Dr Bamford is a virologist and lecturer at Queen's School of Biological Sciences and Institute for Global Food Security, whose research specialises in RNA viruses that cross between species and the way immune systems defend against viral disease, work that has taken in the MRC Centre for Virus Research at the University of Glasgow as well as Queen's itself.

Salmonella control remains fundamental to protecting flocks, businesses and the reputation of the UK egg industry, and Dr Josh Davison of Elanco will speak to that constant threat. Davison is Veterinary Technical Consultant and Marketing Lead for Elanco's UK and Ireland poultry portfolio and has been closely involved in the latest developments around Salmonella protection in laying hens, recently working with BFREPA and the wider egg industry on in-lay Salmonella vaccination as production cycles extend towards 100 weeks and beyond.

Lighting is far more than switching lights on and off, and Max Obers, CEO of HATO Agricultural Lighting, will set out eight key aspects of light and how, used effectively, it can influence bird behaviour, movement, stress, welfare and production performance. HATO is a second generation family business that has specialised in agricultural lighting since 1974, combining lighting technology with research into its effects on animal welfare and performance across installations worldwide.

A commercial layer farmer will bring the conference back to practical application with a session on using farm data to stay in control of the flock, looking at how information generated on farm can be used to track performance, identify emerging trends and support better day to day decisions, before a small change becomes a bigger problem.

The final session, Old and New Disease Challenges Facing Your Flocks, will be delivered by Caroline Hall MRCVS and Katie Kelly MRCVS of Parklands Veterinary. Caroline is part of the specialist commercial poultry team at Parklands and an experienced conference speaker, having previously given producers practical guidance on the relationship between water consumption, feed intake and flock performance, including the use of daily water monitoring as an early warning of potential problems. She will be joined by Katie Kelly for a practical look at established and emerging disease challenges and what producers should be watching for within their own flocks.

Around 30 trade stands are expected, drawn from veterinary and pharmaceutical companies, equipment suppliers, service providers, chick hatcheries and rearers, and feed companies, with stand space still available. The event is, in Ian Stewart’s own words, Parklands Vets, putting something back into the commercial egg laying industry, thanking farmers for their support with a meeting that is educational in focus.

An evening event will run alongside the main conference, aimed squarely at farmers, allowing meeting, networking, education and information sharing across six short presentations. The key take home messages are improving the health and wellbeing of flocks, improving performance, preventing disease, making management more efficient and keeping up to date with modern equipment and developments. A buffet will be provided.

Separately, an afternoon event tailored specifically for farm liaison and advisory officers will run alongside the main programme, delivering up to date training on current disease and management issues. That session will be led by Conor Sheehy MRCVS of MSD, Josh Davison MRCVS of Elanco, Christian Blake Dyke MRCVS of Hipra, and Alistair Chilcott MRCVS of Poultry Health Services.

Poultry production is changing quickly. Disease pressures are evolving, laying cycles are getting longer, technology is advancing and producers have access to more flock information than ever before, and this conference brings the science and the practical experience together in one room. Whether you produce eggs, rear pullets or work within the wider poultry industry, it is an opportunity to hear directly from specialists, challenge your own thinking, pick up practical ideas and meet other people facing the same issues on their own farms.

Last year's conference attracted more than 250 delegates, and organisers will be hoping for a similar turnout this time.

The event is free to attend, but tickets must be booked in advance by clicking here.