As 2022 draws to a close, Arden Wood Shavings reflects on a busy year that has been packed with ‘live’ events, especially for the poultry industry.
Arden’s General Manager, Lee Byrne, talks us through the last 12 months.
Following the many virtual events during the height of the pandemic, it has been great to be participating in live conferences and exhibitions once again. Arden’s first live poultry event of 2022 was the South West Chicken Association’s Annual Conference and Trade Exhibition in Bristol in March, where we promoted our popular Safemix Poultry bedding, and for the first time, showcased a new poultry bedding product, Agribed; an innovative and effective dried paper crumb solution.
And then came the big one; the event we had all been looking forward to after a 4-year gap in the calendar – The British Pig & Poultry Fair at Stoneleigh Park which took place last May. (Incidentally, the Poultry Fair is moving to a new home in 2024 and is being held at the NEC Birmingham in 2024.) It is one of, if not the, flagship event for the commercial poultry sector, and an event Arden has exhibited at for many years. Our new stand location at this year’s event paid dividends and proved the perfect platform for promoting Safemix and Agribed, giving us the opportunity to interact with our many customers, colleagues and friends in the industry as we all came together under one roof.
Arden was once again an Associate Sponsor of the Poultry Network Live Conference held at Harper Adams University in September. Chris Stanford was a guest speaker, and his presentation focussed on how the poultry industry is becoming increasingly conscious of sustainability and reducing carbon emissions in pursuit of net zero goals. He also talked about challenges that poultry bedding suppliers such as Arden Wood Shavings face as we head into this winter, with a market shortage of wood residue and strong competition from biomass. This is resulting in steep increases in raw material costs for Arden, against a backdrop of high fuel and energy costs.
However, while there are challenges, Arden always has solutions which makes us the trusted supply partner to the industry. We always prioritise the needs of our poultry customers to ensure continuity of Safemix supplies, and with Agribed paper bedding, we also offer a very effective alternative option.
Chris also explained how poultry farmers need to access high quality bedding at affordable prices, and this is where Agribed dried paper bedding is providing an effective solution at many poultry farms. Sterile and hygienic, Agribed provides excellent absorbency and is also a highly effective insulator, with many other benefits to support bird health. Just like Safemix, we provide bio-secure deliveries to poultry farms nationwide.
And, it is also worth mentioning that Agribed, which is readily available, has excellent sustainability credentials. It’s a product that has three lives: as poultry bedding, as a fuel source after bedding use, and as fertiliser ash after burning. CO2 emissions from Arden products are currently being certified by the Carbon Trust.
Back to the event trail, we attended the Poultry Meat Conference in Lincolnshire in September, and most recently, EPIC which, as ever, was a highly informative and enjoyable event with some very interesting guest speakers. Arden once again was a Gold Sponsor of EPIC.
EPIC, as usual, was a great event that had been absent from the calendar due to the recent pandemic. Of course, avian influenza has once again dominated our concerns and conversations this year. This was highlighted by Christine Middlemiss, the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer, whose speech focussed on animal welfare, which is extremely important to Arden.
It has been distressing to witness the impact that avian influenza is having on many poultry farms, and Arden of course is supporting this in every possible way we can. We do this through fair pricing, reliable and trusted supplies, bio-secure deliveries and a specialist knowledge of how poultry farming works. And that is how we have supported the poultry industry for the last 40 years, and will continue to do so.
On behalf of the whole team at Arden, we send our warmest greetings for the festive season, and our very best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2023. It will, no doubt, be challenging but we are here to support our valued poultry customers every step of the way.