The 2024 Fair will host three forum theatres – the Pig Forum Theatre, located in hall 11, stand no 11-570; the Poultry Forum Theatre located in hall 12, stand no 12-840 and the new Innovation Theatre located in hall 10, stand no 10-530. The forums are free to attend and seating is allocated on a first come first served basis. The programmes run both days, unless otherwise stated.
2026 Poultry Forum Theatre Programme
10:00
Egg Outlook – helping you plan ahead
Get the low down from industry experts from different parts of the supply chain, on their predictions for the challenges and opportunities ahead for eggs. Chaired by Aimee Mahony, NFU Chief Poultry Advisor the Outlook forum will provide valuable insight for everyone in the egg sector.
The communications battle – how should the poultry sector respond to activism?
Can we build trust with consumers through greater transparency and openness and how do we protect people and businesses in the process? Chaired by Chloe Ryan, this session is set to be a very interesting panel discussion, with the views of both communications specialists and producers.
Poultry Meat Outlook – expert insight for the year ahead
What should you be planning for? Industry experts share their outlooks for the year ahead. Hear what they see as the challenges and opportunities ahead for the poultry meat sector.
Fairness in the egg supply chain – what it means for producers. Plus meeting the environmental challenge – BFREPA
Hear what fairness in the supply chain will really mean for producers and how it will strengthen BFREPA members’ position in the supply chain. Plus new guidance to help free range producers meet their environmental requirements.
Sustainable farms need sustainable people – Women in Agriculture
Join the Women in Agriculture network for a panel discussion on how to make sure talent is retained on farm, highlighting the importance of supporting the people who work across pig and poultry production, followed by a casual networking session after with drinks and nibbles’
Protecting pigs and livelihoods: industry approaches to ASF prevention and preparedness – AHDB
Learn about the work to prevent an ASF outbreak and how to be prepared should it happen. Hear first-hand from experiences in Spain and understand what you need to do.
The communications battle – how should the pig sector respond?
We often find ourselves under fire in the media. How can the industry tip the balance in our favour to ensure consumers receive a fair and balanced picture?
Beyond the Sunday Roast: The recipes transforming perceptions of Pork – AHDB
Find out how recipe inspiration is transforming the way Britain cooks pork and how consumer behaviours present opportunities for producers and processors.
What’s new with the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway?
Learn about the consultation on new mandatory proposals for pig keepers and funded vet visits currently available to improve your animal health and welfare.
Rethinking pig and poultry sheds – optimising efficiency and reducing emissions
Pig & Poultry
Are your sheds a passive drain or a high-performance asset? This fast-paced session tackles the critical "Rebuild or Retrofit" dilemma. Discover how to slash energy costs by up to 50% and ammonia by 30% through smarter heat recovery and slurry innovation. Join our experts to gain a clear financial roadmap for future-proofing your unit for a profitable, Net Zero future.
The growing role of battery storage in strengthening solar performance for pig & poultry units
Pig & Poultry
This session explores the economic viability of pairing battery storage with solar on pig and poultry sites, using real case studies to show how payback, ROI and operational costs play out in practice. We’ll look at the scenarios where battery systems deliver the strongest returns, how they support on site resilience, and the wider benefits they bring to the grid.
What’s your farm telling you that you’re not seeing? AI in Poultry Innovation shows how real time data helps farmers catch problems earlier, cut losses and improve flock performance. Discover how AI uncovers hidden issues in egg flow, bird movement, house conditions and egg production metrics long before they appear in aggregated data.
Rethinking performance without traditional inputs: A gut health-first approach in a ‘New Normal’
Pig & Poultry
As traditional inputs become more limited, gut health and microbiome management are taking centre stage as a critical production lever. In this session, Phileo by Lesaffre UK & Ireland share the latest research, practical management tips and innovative tools to help pig and poultry producers safeguard health, drive performance and protect profitability in today’s ‘New Normal’.
This cross-sector panel explores how pig and poultry producers can strengthen year-round biosecurity in an evolving disease landscape. Combining veterinary insight, practical farm experience and data-driven tools, the discussion will highlight transferable lessons, predictive approaches and simple on-farm improvements that support continuous risk management and stronger protection for herds and flocks alike.
Smarter Temperature Control in Straw-Based Finishing: Performance, Welfare and Labour Efficiency
Pig
Attendees will gain practical insight into how daily temperature swings reduce liveweight gain and feed efficiency, why draught control and pig-level heat retention are vital in straw-based systems, and how automated micro-climate control stabilises pen conditions without sacrificing air quality. On-farm results and practical guidance will help producers improve feed conversion, daily liveweight gain performance, labour efficiency and finishing outcomes.
There is something in the water: new insights into cost-effective approaches to ammonia reduction
Poultry
Update your knowledge of site permitting and on‑farm ammonia measurement. Discover new research showing how targeted microbial management can help create more favourable housing conditions, support a positive bird environment, and reduce ammonia emissions. This session outlines a practical, evidence‑led approach to help producers reduce ammonia emissions and where feasible, house more birds within their existing permitted emissions envelope.
Control Pathogens to Feed the Bank Balance – The Next Precision Nutrition Revolution
Pig & Poultry
The use of expensive supplements in our diets such as essential oils and organic acids, often interact with other components reducing efficacy. Advanced micro-encapsulation for ‘Precision Nutrition’, will protect these to improve pig & poultry health, performance and productivity and control pathogens. This leads to better gut integrity and a healthier bank balance. Demonstrated with case studies.
Making the invisible, visible – how biomarkers and data driven insights can optimise on-farm productivity
Pig & Poultry
This presentation will share examples of: “How utilizing blood biomarkers, combined with on-farm data, can provide insights into the nutritional, health and welfare status of pigs and poultry. Example: by linking sow biomarker signatures, parity and performance, with offspring health and growth outcomes, and associating biomarkers and poultry health and performance, data driven models can allow for a predictive approach to optimise nutrition, management and health.”
White layers gaining ground: what the transition means for your flock
Poultry
White layers are becoming more common in commercial flocks, prompting egg producers to consider moving from brown birds. In this session, Premier Nutrition and Hendrix Genetics share practical insights on white layer performance in modern systems, comparing feed efficiency, flock management, and market considerations with a focus on what transitioning means for flock productivity, feeding strategy and how to transition with confidence.
Strengthening Red Tractor to support resilient UK pig and poultry industries
Pig & Poultry
Learn how Red Tractor is strengthening its approach to support the UK pig and poultry sectors. Including progress against the sector strategies, Red Tractor’s response to the Farm Assurance Review and work to improve audit efficiency and enhance the digital portal. Hear about developments in welfare standards, including early insights on the introduction of Red Tractor’s enhanced welfare module in pigs. Plus, an overview of work to consolidate standards for greater clarity, and a look ahead to the 2027 standards review process and opportunities for industry input.
