Joint memorandum submitted by R E J &
R Smaldon (X04)
We are farming two units of Broiler Breeders
with a combined total of 45,000 birds. Our family started keeping
poultry in 1951 and have been keeping Broiler Breeders since 1982.
They are housed in modern houses with up-to-date
equipment. The family farms some 650 acres of farmland. The farms
are three miles apart and managed as separate units. We are fully
committed to the continued improvement of our product, the health
and hygiene of the birds as well as the well-being of those who
work in the units.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain
profit due to the downward pressure on our prices and the rising
costs of running the units and the increasing demands of our customers.
Notwithstanding the commercial pressures, we
have to cope with increasing legislation on every aspect of the
enterprise.
ASPECTS WHERE
WE ARE
AFFECTED
Fuel Costs
The climate levy has impacted in various ways.
The cost of fuel for all of the services we use—the delivery
of young stock, the delivery of food (2,000 tonnes approx.), the
collection of our eggs, the heating of our houses and the staff
transport.
Buildings
The cost of planning for one house costs £3,000.00
for a straight-forward application with no problem and the aggregate
levy adds approximately another £1,000.00. The tax allowance
for capital buildings at 5% is not encouraging.
Wages
There are few Poultry contracts for small producers,
therefore when the unit is larger than the owner can cope with,
a whole raft of regulations come to bear.
The wages board, the national minimum wage,
sick pay commitments, maternity and paternity commitments and
holidays for part-timers as well as tax collection, contracts
of employment etc, etc.
Fallen Stock
We cannot bury fallen stock. This has never
caused any problems in the past. We have purchased two incinerators
(£3,200 each). They will burn fuel to burn birds and will
produce fumes and smells.
Management
Time which needs to be spent on stock husbandry
has to be used to keep the paperwork up-to-date. Paperwork which
has now become vital but a short time ago was non-existent.
Disease Risk
We take great care on our farms not to transmit
diseases. How can we protect our industry from diseases which
might come from any part of the world? We are not permitted to
vaccinate against salmonella, we also fear avian influenza; to
mention just two.
Litter Disposal
This has worked satisfactorily in the past without
regulation. If buildings have to be erected to store then costs
will be added. Practical farmers will realise the value of litter
disposal if used properly. There is no need for blanket-regulation.
When grain to the mills had to be supplied at
14.5% moisture instead of 16% it had an immediate effect of rising
costs to all. This made the rations more dusty, it also was less
palatable. Therefore the birds drank more water, the floors became
wetter and more heat had to be used.
Meat and Bone
The banning of meat and bone meal has added
to our costs. Not only was this a by-product with value; but since
its banning there has been more cannibalism and a greater interest
in feather-eating in the houses.
SUMMARY
As an industry we feel that every regulation
that springs to the minds of official bodies is adopted and then
thrown at us and EEC rules are taken past the point of intention.
We feel that the standards of our poultry farms are used to promote
the sales of poultry products and then the sellers obtain supplies
from other sources. We are concerned that if we are in a competitive
market then those who compete with us should strictly observe
the same rules and not exploit "cheap labour, banned substances,
lower fuel taxes, etc" at our expense.
R E J Smaldon and D J Smaldon
8 April 2003
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