September 18th - 6:30pm - Zoom

Sponsored by:

 
Recently, we have seen in the news how seriously the government takes responsibility for the rivers and the environment. The issue of manure management for poultry farmers is a ticking timebomb for egg producers in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. We must stay updated with these regulatory changes to be responsible and proactive in our industry. We must know what the relevant regulations egg producers are required to comply with, so we can be prepared for any farm inspection by the enforcing bodies.
 
BFREPA organised a speaker lineup that gives farms a unique opportunity to hear directly from the leaders in this field. This includes the competent authority responsible for implementing and upholding the law of the land. As the statute book adapts, so must we. This webinar is an unmissable opportunity to gain the latest insights and pose questions to these experts.
 
The webinar, which aired on September 18th at 6.30pm, was open to all poultry producers, regardless of their BFREPA membership status.
 
This webinar is not just for those close to a river or in the River Wye catchment area; it is for all.
 
It is about understanding the nutrient value of your manure, and where your legal responsibility starts and stops, the reasons for complying and the penalties for not doing so. 
 
It took months of organising to get these experts in their field to come directly into your home via this webinar to explain their work in more detail. 
 

 

Reference Material

 

 

 

Speakers

 

18:30: Welcome and Introduction

Tom Willings
Host

Tom has spent 15 years in the egg industry, holding senior positions for major packers and a leading retailer. Today, he combines a variety of roles for poultry businesses including Eggbase, Newquip and his own consultancy, Stockwell Agri. Tom has worked closely with BFREPA behind the scenes in recent months, particularly in researching available techniques for manure processing. This and his good understanding of the supply chain mean he is well placed to chair this event.

 

 

18:35

     

Sharon Chisholm, Senior Environmental Officer with the Environment Agency & Nichola Salter, Natural Resources Wales
 

The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales ensure farmers follow the rules. This joint presentation will combine information and highlight these differences as we go through the components of nutrient management. We will address the legislative requirements, best practices, and financial advantages of good nutrient planning and manure management. We can also signpost to grants and government incentive schemes in England and Wales that can support farmers producing manure and nutrient plans. 

 

 

19:00

Bridie Whittle
Senior Catchment Adviser, Wye and Usk Foundation

The Wye and Usk Foundation are a Rivers Trust working with farmers and land managers to help protect and restore the rivers.  Bridie is a senior catchment advisor with a passion for poultry and works with farmers and agri-supply chain businesses in the catchments, supporting them to understand their impact and manage their businesses to benefit the river.  Much of the focus of the work with the free-range sector in the Wye catchment is on managing manure and nutrient load at farm scale and at catchment scale.  Managing this precious resource can be a burden on farmers and dealing with excess and exports requires collaboration and innovation across the sector.  Bridie will talk about efforts in the catchment to reduce ‘nutrient load’ and the role of farmers and poultry businesses in supporting this work.
 
 

 

19:15

Glenn Evans
Noble Foods

Glenn Evans is the Head of Sustainability for Noble Foods and has been with the business, in the egg industry, for over 10 years.  Glenn has over 20 years experience in environmental compliance and sustainability, and has been working to develop Noble’s understanding of the issues in the Wye and Usk catchment.  Glenn will be telling the webinar more about the work that Noble are doing with stakeholders to improve their understanding of good Nutrient Management, and how this can benefit both the poultry industry and the environment.

 

 

19:30

Charles Macleod
St Davids Veterinary Poultry Team

Charles spent over a decade managing pullet production at Humphreys, before joining St David’s Poultry Team as Commercial Manager Layers in 2022. Using his depth of knowledge on bird husbandry, combined with his commercial acumen, Charles supports the St David’s drive to help clients to be more efficient, and to improve the health, welfare and performance of their flocks, in a way that is economically balanced.

Update on the Faecal Dry Matter Study

•  Brief introduction explaining what BFREPA requested.

•  Method (why we did it the way we did)

•  Response (just to touch on the size of the sample and engagement)

•  Results (from both the core 4 and those that returned samples!)

•  Conclusion (based on sample results and site visits)

•  Options for further investigation (Environmental & Nutritional manipulation)

 

 

19:45

Patrick Lewis
MD of Gamber Poultry Litter Ltd

Gamber buys and sells poultry litter throughout the country and has been instrumental in helping poultry and egg producers manage their poultry manure according to regulations and in an environmentally friendly way.

Gamber announced that they signed a new contract pledging to ensure that no poultry litter produced by AVARAs’ farms in the river Wye catchment area will be sold as fertiliser in the Wye catchment as from January 2024.
 
“Patrick Lewis, Managing Director, Gamber, said: “We are pleased to play an important role delivering actions that can help improve the health of a national treasure. While this is a significant step, it is only one small piece of a much larger puzzle, and we need to see similar action elsewhere. We hope that Avara’s actions set a strong precedent for others in the catchment to act, and that we see long-term sustainable solutions in place, that tackle the wide range of root causes.”
 
 

Timetable

 

•   18:30: Welcome and Introduction

•   18:35: Sharon Chisholm, Senior Environmental Officer with the Environment Agency & Nichola Salter, Natural Resources Wales

•   19:00: Bridie Whittle, Senior Catchment Adviser, Wye and Usk Foundation

•   19:15: Glenn Evans, Noble Foods

•   19:30: Charles Macleod, St Davids Veterinary Poultry Team

•   19:45: Patrick Lewis, MD of Gamber Poultry Litter Ltd

•   20:00: Q & A, followed by closing remarks and thanks chaired by Tom Willings

 

 

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