Monmouthshire poultry farmers Richard Williams, NFU Cymru Poultry Chairman and a broiler producer, and Victoria Shervington-Jones, a free-range egg producer, were joined by NFU Cymru Deputy President Abi Reader for the meeting at Mr Davies’ Usk constituency office.
Soaring inflation
The meeting gave the NFU Cymru group the opportunity to highlight to David Davies MP, who also sits around the UK Government Cabinet table as Secretary of State for Wales, the impact of soaring inflation and Avian Influenza on Welsh poultry businesses.
Speaking after the meeting, NFU Cymru Poultry Chairman Richard Williams said “We are grateful to David Davies MP for making the time in his schedule to discuss the current crisis in the poultry sector.
Fairness in supply chains
"The sector has seen unprecedented input cost increases across the board with feed and energy costs, in particular, impacting on business viability. We emphasised to Mr Davies how essential it is to have fairness in our supply chains to ensure the long-term sustainable supply of Welsh produce.
“The Welsh poultry sector contributes significantly to the Welsh rural economy while providing highly nutritious poultry meat and eggs to consumers. The sector has attracted new entrants to the industry over recent years, many of whom are now extremely concerned as to how rising inflation, interest rates and input costs are affecting their ability to pay back the large capital investment required to set up this diversified element of their businesses.
Regulation
"The industry is highly regulated and the cost of that regulation is set to substantially increase again with Natural Resources Wales proposals to increase its regulatory charges.
“During the meeting we highlighted the impact Avian Influenza is having on poultry farms and the devastation it causes to any business affected. Thankfully, case numbers in commercial poultry have been low in Wales so far. Nevertheless, it is absolutely essential that all poultry keepers remain vigilant and practise good biosecurity. This is particularly important due to the level of the H5N1 virus in wild birds. The recently announced Welsh Government housing order will help with separation of wild birds from commercial and domestic poultry and is something NFU Cymru has welcomed.”
