Poultry feed consumption in the UK has steadily increased in quantity year on year, said the AHDB team.
Poultry feed accounted for approximately 47% of all compound and integrated poultry unit (IPU) animal feed produced from July to September 2018 in the UK, according to that organization’s monthly cereal usage data release.
AHDB’s data for September 2018, showed that 4.7% more wheat and 11.5% less barley was used to produce GB animal feed, including integrated poultry units, than in September 2017.
Feed production was up 5.3% for cattle and calves, 2.1% for poultry, including integrated poultry units and down 4% for pigs in September 2018 compared to September 2017.
However, the analysts said that usage of maize within the poultry feed sector is unlikely to increase by the same proportion as for other species:
“One of the factors that broiler feed compounders have to consider is the impact that maize has on the coloration of meat when altering feed blends. This could limit the total amount of maize used by that sector.”
Record poultry placings
UK poultry placings – particularly broiler placings - hit record levels in October, said the AHDB, citing the latest statistics published by the UK’s Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) yesterday (November 22).
The number of eggs set or incubated each month indicates how many chicks are available for placing into poultry systems in future months. Once hatched, placed chicks give an indication of future poultry meat and egg production, with consumer demand strongly affecting broiler chick and turkey poult placings.
Placings for October 2018 also set a new record for the month, with total poultry placings reaching 107.1 million, up 2% from the previous record in October 2017. Year to date, broiler placings reached 927.2 million, up 4% from the same period in 2017.
However, there was a reduction in laying chick placings, indicating perhaps the pressure on UK egg producer margins, with the British Free Range Egg Association recently calling for UK retailers to offer contracts that linked the price of feed with the price of eggs.
UK poultry meat statistics
The key results in the latest monthly information on poultry statistics, including hatchery output, slaughtering and meat production volumes from DEFRA for October 2018 in comparison to October 2017 are:
- UK commercial layer chick placings were down 5.2% to 4.2 million chicks.
- UK broiler chick placings were up 2.3% at 101.3 million chicks.
- Turkey chick placings were up by 5.8% at 0.9 million chicks.
- Turkey slaughterings were up 0.4% at 1.7 million birds.
- UK broiler slaughterings were 5.4% higher at 108.4 million birds.
- Total UK poultry meat production was 199.2 thousand tons, up 2.6%.
