Call for action on rising poultry feed costs

Recently released Government figures show that the cost of chicken feed has risen significantly, more than any other livestock feed.

According to those figures, average compound feed prices for livestock in Great Britain rose by 85.8% for cattle feed, 75.7% for pig feed, 101.4% for poultry feed and 92.7% for sheep feed.The statistics from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Office of National Statistics show the latest figures on the production of animal feed and the raw materials used in the process.

In response to the statistics, the British Poultry Council (BPC) has called for more feed to be made available to chicken farmers, including the use of insects as feed, which is being researched in the pig industry.

The British Poultry Council is the voice of the poultry industry and acts as a key link between members and the Government, regulators and other stakeholders.

Commenting on the data Andrew Large, BPC Chief Executive, said: “Poultry producers have seen the highest rise in feed since 2006 compared to other major livestock types.

The statistics also show for the month of August this year that British production of animal feed was down by 3.8%, compared with figures from August 2013.