A tour through the Houses of Parliament was first up, although I unfortunately arrived late thanks to a delayed rail replacement bus. However, my fellow PIP (Poultry Industry Programme) members went out of their way to console me with thoughtful comments such as 鈥渢he best tour I鈥檝e ever been on鈥� and 鈥測ou really missed out鈥� which was nice of them.
The consensus was that it was a fascinating insight into the history of parliament and that the Commons chamber was smaller than it looks on TV!
Stressing sector concerns to MPs
A couple of us then met their local MPs to really press home matters of importance to us, like inheritance tax, the SFI closure and the importance food production should play in future trade deals.
Next, Efra Committee Chair Alistair Carmichael took time to meet with us, which was appreciated by the group and my personal highlight.
Firstly, we gained an understanding of the political checks and balances that the committee can impose on government, which was informative.
However, I felt most useful was the chance for a Q&A session, which was keenly contested.
The Lib Dem MP explained his farming roots and while I certainly went into the meeting expecting to be preaching to the converted, his self-proclaimed limited poultry knowledge was evident.
The experience was certainly worthwhile if nothing more than to stress the sector鈥檚 pressing concerns such as the importance of protecting domestic food production in new trade deals and supply chain fairness, the latter of which it was encouraging to hear Alistair emphasis his focus on.
Meetings with Defra
A week is a long time in politics, but this day was flying by and before we knew it we returned to NFU London Office, to meet Gordon Hickman, Defra鈥檚 head of exotic diseases, who spoke about future risks for the sector posed by avian influenza, and explained the various potential long-term solutions, including research and exploring a potential vaccination strategy.
We also met with John Powell, Defra鈥檚 head of agriculture sectors to hear about how Defra is working on supply chain fairness and representing agriculture鈥檚 interests on issues like planning to other government departments.
We also bumped into Tom Bradshaw. 皇家华人President has been kind enough to chat to us at a couple of the PIP events this year and each time his knowledge depth for all sectors and their topical issues is impressive 鈥� no easy task in this fast-moving world.
鈥淭his year with the PIP is flying by and I鈥檇 like to thank the NFU and ABN for the opportunity to visit some great places, gain plenty of knowledge and, most of all, meet great people.鈥�
PIP 2024/25 member and free-range egg producer Ben Chilman
Oasis Farm
On day two, we started with a tour of 鈥極asis Farm鈥� located in the middle of London. This packed and frantic city that makes me feel like Stuart Little every time I visit suddenly opened to a quarter of an acre of peace, tranquillity and farming.
While certainly not conventional, Farm Manager Luke Rosier took time to explain the fantastic work they do in not only educating children from urban areas about food production, but also paving the way for potential careers in the sector, work I believe is as valuable now as it ever has been.
Insect production
Upon our return to the NFU office, Keiran Whitaker of Entocycle joined us to explain his vision for insect production and the opportunities it may present to the poultry sector.
As a great source of protein it certainly pricked the ears, but in my opinion, financial viability remains a stumbling block for wide-scale uptake in poultry feed.
Insight into farm assurance
Following this, Mike Tyers (Lion Code) and Jo Miller (Red Tractor) gave valuable insights into farm assurance and the direction both organisations see auditing and standards going. We were keen to take the opportunity to point out that farmers must remain at the core of their future focus for standards development.
This was another successful and insightful trip. This year with the PIP is flying by and I鈥檇 like to thank the NFU and ABN for the opportunity to visit some great places, gain plenty of knowledge and, most of all, meet great people.
