Boost efficiencies at the Pig & Poultry Fair
Adding value, protecting against disease threats, and boosting efficiencies are at the top of many pig and poultry producers’ agendas. And such topics will be firmly in the spotlight at this year’s British Pig & Poultry Fair, with expert speakers taking to the stage to explore how farmers can make the most of their pig, broiler and laying units.
In the specialist pig and poultry forums, visitors can hear about the market outlook for eggs, poultry meat and pork, including national and global trends. Ralph Bishop at Premier Nutrition, who will be chairing the poultry outlook, says: “With favourable consumer trends alongside the industry’s most damaging disease challenges in recent times, this forum will be a fantastic opportunity to hear from different parts of the supply chain and gain their perspectives on the road ahead.”
Disease threats are front-of-mind right now, and there will be two sessions on African Swine Fever (ASF), encompassing both practical, on-farm measures and wider supply chain approaches to protect against the disease, including lessons learned from the recent outbreak in Spain.
Learning lessons will also be part of the avian influenza (AI) session, with an opportunity to hear from Gordon Hickman, exotic disease policy lead at DEFRA. And in the Innovation Forum, producers can hear more about steps to reduce the risk of AI and ASF year-round. “Farmers are under increasing pressure to strengthen biosecurity, improve preparedness and make more data-driven decisions,” explains Julian Sparrey, Technical Director at Livetec.
“This panel brings together vets, producers and biosecurity specialists to explore practical, year-round approaches to managing disease threats, covering cross-sector learnings and improvements in predictive modelling.”
When it comes to efficiencies, Phileo by Lesaffre will be leading a session on how managing the gut microbiome can help maintain animal health, productivity and profitability as part of the ‘new normal’ — with fewer traditional inputs available to farmers. “The gut microbiome is a central driver of immunity, reproduction and lifetime performance,” says Georgina Phillips, monogastric specialist at Phileo UK & Ireland. Using recent research, the session will highlight management tips and new tools to improve growth rates, feed conversion ratio and CO2 emissions.
Animal health is also intrinsically linked to the housed environment, and a team of experts will consider how to both design new buildings and retrofit existing sheds, to improve air quality, energy efficiency and animal welfare. “With buildings being a primary source of emissions and a major capital expense, producers need a net zero roadmap and an understanding of the latest low emission technologies,” says Fair organiser Alice Bell at RASE.
Renewable energy is a key part of achieving this, and producers can learn all about the economic viability of pairing solar panels with battery storage. “By walking through live case studies, we’ll highlight the scenarios where battery storage delivers the strongest financial returns, from managing peak demand to improving resilience during outages,” says Jack Gawthrop, commercial manager at East Green Energy.
With more than 340 exhibitors set to attend, the Fair will give visitors the chance to explore the latest thinking, technology and practical solutions, says Jonny Lester, general manager at event partner ABN. “The whole industry will be under one roof, making it a great chance to exchange ideas, explore new opportunities and take-home insights that could make a real difference to your business.”
- The British Pig and Poultry Fair is free to attend and takes place on 13-14 May at the NEC, Birmingham. For more information and to register for your FREE ticket visit pigandpoultry.org.uk.
Notes for editors:
The British Pig & Poultry Fair is a biennial, free to attend event organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) and partnered by ABN.
ABN is a leading British manufacturer of pig and poultry compound feed providing both products and complementary solutions to the pig and poultry industries. ABN provides excellence in terms of nutrition, feed formulation and livestock production advice and has an industry leading team of procurement specialists.
For further details, or to access event photos and 2026 Fair logo please go to http://www.pigandpoultry.org.uk/press
Further information: Alice Bell, Head of Technical Events, Royal Agricultural Society of England, aliceb@rase.org.uk or 07977 499 420.