Former Poultry World Editor John Farrant passes away

John grew up in Northiam, East Sussex, on the family farm alongside many cousins. Holidays were spent harvesting, hay making, taking fruit and vegetables to market and taking timber to the mill, along with riding ponies.

Losing both his parents before the age of 20 meant that John had to set out on his way from the family farm partnership that his father Bernard had grown into a 2,000-acre enterprise of 7 farms. With a BSc in agriculture from Wye College, University of London, he used his inheritance to set up an egg farm on a greenfield site. After marrying Janet Sutton, they set about selling ‘Farmer John’ eggs to local pubs and shops and training point-to-pointers.

An aspiring man

Although the business earned him £1,600 a year, it was not enough to support the lifestyle he aspired to, so he employed a manager for £1,000 a year and joined Poultry World in 1967, which was then based in Fleet Street, London. Just 3 years later he became the magazine’s editor and under his leadership it became highly successful, receiving several accolades, including Agricultural Business Publication of the Year. He also won prizes for his own journalism including a Department of Trade and Industry award for writing about innovations in business on an article about human slaughter of chickens.

“He was always willing to share his time and his considerable poultry expertise.”

Despite his busy schedule, he found time to work on several committees for the poultry industry and agricultural colleges. The unquestioning time and energy devoted to this work contributed to his nomination for an MBE.

A very calm and amenable man it took a lot to ruffle his feathers – but they were well and truly ruffled by the Edwina Currie and Salmonella in eggs controversy in 1988 when he was named and quoted in Wikipedia.

A love for racehorses

In an interview celebrating his 30 years as editor of Poultry World, John said: “The only thing I ever wanted to do was ride racehorses, which I did as an amateur for 30 years.” He was proud to reach over 100 National Hunt winners as a rider, trainer and owner. After his retirement his efforts were directed into local point-to-points as a steward and clerk of the course for the East Sussex and Romney Marsh. He continued to ride his beloved racehorse Quarrymount (Q) until he was 84.

“…meticulous, dedicated and kind – a true gentlemen and a servant of the poultry sector.”

Agricultural journalist Philip Clarke paid tribute to John: “I had the pleasure of meeting John Farrant on a number of occasions when we worked in the same office in Sutton, and then when I became editor of Poultry World. I particularly recall his regular “egg round” when he would distribute boxes of his own flock’s eggs throughout the office block, stopping for a chat as he went about his business. He was always willing to share his time and his considerable poultry expertise.

“If I could choose any word to sum him up it would be “unflappable”, though I would also describe him as meticulous, dedicated and kind – a true gentlemen and a servant of the poultry sector. The MBE he received for his services to the industry could not have been more deserved.”