GROWTH OF UNITED KINGDOM BROILER INDUSTRY

Press, Volume C, Issue 29466, 18 March 1961, Page 4

GROWTH OF UNITED KINGDOM BROILER INDUSTRY

The official agricultural returns for December, 1960. indicate that there has been an increase of 60 per cent, to six million birds, in the number of broiler chickens on agricultural holdings in England and Wales, as compared with December, 1959, says the Meat Board’s London report for February. The consumption pattern per capita for all poultry meat, including birds other than chickens, has shown a steady increase in recent years and estimates for 1961 are in keeping, with this trend. Per caput consumption of poultry meat in the United Kingdom is given in the following table:

In January supplies of poultry to Smithfield have been 25 per cent, higher than for the same period in 1960. a significant increase, as it follows immediately after the Christmas period when supplied of poultry reach their peak. Retail prices in this period, however, have shown a sudden decrease and many retailers are advertising eviscerated broiler chickens at greatly reduced prices. Wholesale prices in January for both eviscerated and uneviscerated chickens have fallen between Id and 5d per lb, the greatest reductions being for eviscerated ovenready birds. At the time of writing, wholesale prices are at levels 8d to lOd per lb below those in the first week of September. 1960. Producers are having to reduce their profit margins from last year’s levels of 9d to Is per bird to a figure of

somewhere between 7d and 8d per bird and it is expected that before the end of the year the margins will fall still further to between 6d and 7d per bird. Small producers and processors are finding these reduced margins uneconomic and it is likely that intensive broiler production will be centred in the hands of a few largescale producers and processors or producer co-opera-tives. who can work at these lower margins. Credit Offered It is not suggested, however, that this will necessarily reduce the quantities produced. Large-scale operators have already .taken precautions in having planned for just such an eventuality by providing special credit facilities for producers and building processing plants with a potential capacity of a 50 to 100 per cent, increase in output above their present level, the report concludes.

'ina t; 1938 able:— .. 5.11b 1956 .. 7.21b 1957 .. 7.9!b 1958 .. 9.41b 1939 .. 11.41b 1960 est. .. 13.01b 1961 Mt .. 14.5lb