News
Moy Park farmer breaks record
Moy Park farmer Brian Dickey has attained an EPEF score of 485.66 – to put this into context, few farms worldwide hit above the 480 mark.
The poultry producer also saw two other growers – Millar Adair from Antrim and John McAuley from Ballymoney – achieving high EPEF marks, with 483.49 and 483.07 respectively.
EPEF is a calculation based on average daily weight gain, mortality and feed conversion, and it is used world-wide by farmers and producers to measure farm performance.
Throughout 2023, Moy Park had 138 flocks from 83 individual farms score more than 440 EPEF. This means they qualify for the ‘Ross 440 Club’, an initiative by poultry breeding company Aviagen that recognises the top 1% of growers within the UK.
For his score, Dickey will receive a ‘Ross 440 Club Gold Award’ and joins fellow Moy Park growers, Karl Rainey, Lesie Gordon, James Anderson and Ciaran McNaughton, all of whom have achieved three consecutive flocks of more than 440 which also qualifies them for the accolade.
“Our Ross 440 Club celebrates the best in the industry, and to get one crop with an EPEF of 440+ is an amazing achievement but to be awarded our prestigious Gold Award, which includes 3 consecutive crops in a row or a single EPEF 485+, is truly outstanding,” commented Kieron Daniels, broiler technical services manager at Aviagen.
Daniels continued: “The award is held by just 9 farms in the UK to date, so to have many of these from Moy Park and Northern Ireland in particular, is a testament of the great work, relationships, and commitment the farmers and Moy Park have with each other.”
Offering further praise, Moy Park’s broiler operations lead for the UK, Aaron McKenna, said: “Our farmers have a long and successful history of scoring over 440 EPEF and Brian’s result of 485 is a stand-out achievement.
“The award is a testament to the level of hard work, care, and attention to detail provided at every level of Brian’s flock management.”
The awards were presented at the Tullyglass Hotel in Ballymena last week.
Meanwhile, in other news, Food Manufacture gets an expert opinion on how further Not for EU rules could be especially problematic. Read our latest feature here.
