Aviagen^® UK has announced the 2019 Flock Award winners, who have brought Ross^® 308 breeder performance to new heights.

According to Head of UK Sales and Technical Stuart Thomson, this year’s recipients represent a “story of success”. “We congratulate our stellar performers and are delighted by their remarkable achievements, which have again exceeded our Ross Parent Stock performance standards. This level of success is possible only through hard work, coupled with great dedication and expert stockmanship.”

Due to the effort of these farmers and hatchery teams, 2019 saw across-the-board improvement in UK Ross 308 breeder performance:

• An increase of 5.1 chicks/HH
• 4 more total eggs/HH
• 3.7 extra hatching eggs/HH
• A 1% rise in hatchability
• 135 flocks that exceeded 150 chicks/HH
• 17 flocks that surpassed 160 chicks/HH

Originally scheduled for April, the award ceremony was unfortunately canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, the 2019 winners be invited to join in next year’s event, and will receive their individual awards from their UK Commercial and Technical Manager (in compliance with COVID-19 regulations).

Hats off to the winners

The 27 2019 performance stars include breeder (rear and lay) and hatchery managers – of which eight were first-time achievers. One producer reached a notable landmark: an eighth flock award. The winners had an average of 26 years’ poultry experience and a range of 2 to 44 years of service to the industry.

P D Hook’s Andy Whiting, Mark Potter, Stephen Deerness and their team earned the Top 2019 Flock Award with an impressive 167.79 chicks per hen housed.

“A big congratulations to our 2019 winners. You truly are the backbone of the industry. With dedication, management excellence and a passion for the birds, you are an inspiration to breeder farmers worldwide,” emphasized Stuart.

Blake Williamson, General Manager of Aviagen UK Limited, added that his team and their customers share the mission to put #FoodOnEveryTable of families in the UK and beyond. “Our customers have been incredibly resilient in the currently challenging situation, yet they continue exceeding excellence. We applaud these #FoodHeroes for their dedication and amazing results, and look forward to being part of their continued success.”

20-year trend – from strength to strength

This year’s recipients share in a special milestone – the 20^th anniversary of the annual recognition, marking two decades of year-on-year improvement for Ross customers. Noteworthy breeder performance gains have been:

• An addition of 29 extra chicks per hen housed in 20 years, with an extra five chicks per year for the past three years
• A 3% increase in hatchability (.2% per year)
• 1.4 extra total eggs per year