Eggsell News
January 2010
Freedom Foods Meeting
EggSell Producers welcomed guest speakers Alice Clark from RSPCA and Bob Waller from Freedom Foods to a meeting at The Bell Hotel Driffield on Thursday 14th January. The main topic for the evening was the new external stocking rates recently approved by Freedom Food.
Non EggSell producers were also welcomed to the meeting, which took the form of an outline to the changes given by the two speakers and a very active question and answers session.
August 2009
Newsletter 3
Welcome to our bi-monthly newsletters aimed to keep our EggSell members up to date with as much industry information as possible.
Market summary – July 2009 – Barry Jackson
The general market is still slow with sales and orders reported as being down as we come into the mid summer season.
This means that there is more surplus offered and little interest from packers to buy.
As a result returns are lower and there is a general lack of interest from potential buyers as it turns into their market. Feed prices are reported as lower too and this is seen by some to signal a potential producer price drop. However promotions planned for August may well give sales a much needed boost.
The holiday season presents more frustration as buyers and other decision-makers head off for their holidays, and as a result getting the decisions we have worked hard for becomes difficult.
Poor Egg Hygiene in UK Restaurants and Takeaways
An interesting news article was posted on the Health Protection Agency Website on 18/6/09, highlighting results of a recent study into egg hygiene in restaurants, takeaways, bakeries, cafes and sandwich bars.
Although the results showed low levels of Salmonella contamination in egg mix samples, the report indicated that poor egg handling practices in many catering establishments could be putting consumers at risk.
Click here to view the full report on line.
Food Hygiene Courses
You will be aware that it is part of BEIC requirements for all staff to have received training in Food Hygiene Awareness with ongoing refresher courses every 3 years. An OnLine version of this course is available at Virtual College Ltd, which enables you to study at a time and pace to suit you. This has been tried tested by a couple of us here and found to be comprehensive in content and easy to use! The Certificate is posted out within 2 days. If you wish to book on to one of these courses you can do so through EggSell at a reduced rate of £20+VAT. If you are interested please contact Gill at the EggSell Office for further details.
Feed Prices
Cereal prices have fallen and remain low, with wheat ex farm in the region of £90 - £95. Southern European harvest yields seem better than expected so we would expect wheat to stay at these levels or fall. Soya future prices have dropped of late with spot non GM soya trading around £300- £305 and May-October 2010 futures around £260 - £270. There are large plantings in Brazil and expected good harvest for 2009-2010 and therefore the signs are soya should fall. Many market analysts believe that China has large stocks of soya and release of these stocks could impact the global market. Minerals – in line with general economic world wide downturn minerals prices have steadily fallen over the last six months.
Signs are that feed price will fall. However, the above information is obtained from a variety of sources and EggSell accept no responsibility for the way the market actually turns.
White Eggs/Production Drops
Several producers are having problems with production drops and white eggs. Reminder, in conjunction with your vet we are recommending to vaccinate in lay to try and improve the problems. Also if you need to talk at any time we are available and will try to help in any way.
We are only a phone call away.
Thanks
A BIG THANK YOU to all those who joined us on the boat cruise but especially to John and Christine Jackson for offering their boat and time to take the Discussion Group up North Frodingham Canal. A good time was had by all, and after some days of fog, we were blessed with decent weather.
August 2009
Egg recording system proves invaluable for free range newcomers
As two newcomers to the free range egg industry come to the end of their first flock, they reflect on their experiences.
This time last year East Yorkshire riverboat captain John Jackson and his wife Chris decided to swap their life on the water for a new career as free range egg producers.
They invested in land and a shed to house 5,000 free range hens near Driffield after seeking advice from egg marketing co-operative EggSell.
I caught up with Chris as she was checking over her production records; a task that has been made much easier by their decision to invest in EggSell’s computerised egg recording programme. Chris explains how they had a great start to their new career; “Within a few weeks of having the birds in, we were nearly up to full production and continued to enjoy healthy birds and good sized eggs for several months. It was hard work as we had no previous experience with hens, although EggSell were always on hand to give us advice, but we couldn’t believe our good fortune.”
Thanks to the Egg Pro egg recording programme we were able to monitor and control our costs and to keep up to date figures on production, feed intake and mortality” she added.
The system also proved its worth from a trouble shooting viewpoint when we had failed to spot that our eggs were getting too big. As soon as we got the programme and input the data, it became apparent that the eggs were too large compared to the programme’s industry standard graphs and we were able to adjust the feed rations accordingly. The situation could have been much worse without Egg Pro Lite”
In addition to recording egg, the reports that Chris produced from the Egg Pro Lite system also proved useful when she took some sick birds to the vet; “I decided to run copies of the three main graphs showing production, mortality and egg size to take to the vet with me. He was able to just glance at the graphs to know the whole picture of what has been going on with the flock from day one. It helped a lot in the decision he made. It would have taken me ages to explain it all and I would probably have forgotten something important. It was really useful.”
Chris concludes; “Now we’ve got a year’s experience under our belt and are fully conversant with the programme, we’re confident that Egg Pro Lite will prove equally valuable in helping us to manage our second flock that is due in mid September.”
Designed as an easy to use egg recording system to replace endless form filling in and manual calculations, Egg Pro Lite produces a wide range of reports and comparisons to monitor performance and aid good flock management. All it takes is a couple of minutes to enter the weekly figures of egg numbers and feed deliveries and the reports are produced instantly. In addition weekly egg income and feed costs are recorded to enable reports to show margin over bird and feed at the end of the flock and a weekly comparison to be made at any time. At this time the records are stored and can easily be referred to at any point throughout the lives of subsequent flocks.
The Egg Pro System is also available in an Ultra version for multi house units and a Stockman version without the financial information. For more information about the Egg Pro range, call Gill Loftus on 01964 541828.
June 2009
All Aboard!
Over twenty members of the EggSell Discussion Group met for a cruise on from North Frodingham by kind invitation of John and Christine Jackson. Members enjoyed drinks and supper and a short eggy quiz by Barry Jackson. Thankfully after several days of foggy evenings, although chilly, the sun shone, and the evening was a good opportunity for members to chat informally and get to know each other. The evening was enjoyed by all and members kindly gave a donation to the Driffield Navigation Trust to show their appriecation.
June 2009
Free July workshops for South Eastern egg producers
ADAS has now arranged a second series of events for egg producers, as part of the ‘Livestock Health South East’ project. As before, this initiative is funded by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), through the Rural Development Programme for England. Please click here for more information.
May 2009
Newsletter
Welcome to the second of our bi-monthly newsletters aimed to keep our EggSell members up to date with as much industry information as possible.
- Current Egg Market Report – Barry Jackson
The market has seen lower prices recently as imported egg has impacted on the price of Intensive. However the free range market remains relatively firm even though there has been a little more surplus offered by packers.
The general feeling is cautiously optomistic as we look forward to planned promotions and packers still actively recruiting new producers.
End of Lay Processing
A reminder to ensure you book birds out well in advance with either HCF Poultry or Noble Foods Poultry. You will receive a form to complete re the flock about 2-3 weeks before depopulation and a confirmation of time of collection the week before. We would also recommend that you request catchers. Contact details for the two companies are:
Omead Serati
Procurement Manager
Noble Foods Poultry
Corringham Road
Gainsborough
Lincolnshire DN21 1QH
Tel: 01427 616667
Fax: 01427 616668
Or
HCF Poultry
Station Yard
Bradford
West Yorkshire BD13 5HP
Tel: 01535 273237
Fax: 01535 639273
- Pullets – WARNING!
Because many pullet rearers are returning to producing broilers there is a MAJOR shortage of pullet rearing space. We must encourage EggSell producers to order their next flock of pullets as early as possible to ensure they are not without. Whilst we can help, it is not our responsibility to do this for you. If you do not know which breed you want it is essential that you at least book the space. As at this point we are looking at next March at the earliest with some pullet suppliers. For larger flocks we could be looking at an 18 month wait and therefore ordering a year in advance may not be sufficient!
- Discussion Group - Boat Cruise –
John and Christine Jackson have kindly offered to take us up North Frodingham canal on their river boat which until entering the Free Range Industry was used regularly throughout the summer for boat cruises. The evening will be open to all discussion group and EggSell members. Supper and drinks will be served and Barry Jackson will hopefully be available to give us an insight into the marketing side of the industry. This will be a very informal evening, but numbers will be limited so if you are interested please let Gill know. The date scheduled is Thursday June 25th. Further details will be sent in due course.
- Raw Materials – Feed
Certain market analysts believe that raw materials will rise, whilst others do not. We are therefore unable to give concrete information in this section simply because the raw materials market is so volatile. However, soya has hit a six month high, and though there may be a levelling out of wheat at harvest indications are that it is likely to rise towards the backend of the year.
- BEIC Audit requirements
A successful afternoon was well attended by producers at the EggSell office on
Wednesday 20th when Malcolm Hassall kindly went through the requirements for the new BEIC code. Those members who were unable to attend will receive an e.mail from Gill with the highlighted points from Malcolm’s presentation. If any of you do have any queries please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to help. Gill has designed new visitors sheets to encompass the last three farms visited, with necessary phone numbers and if anyone would like one to include in their EggSell Flock folders please let her know.
- And Finally…
Gill is on well earned annual leave from 1st – 12th June. The office will be manned by the directors and relief staff, but should you call at any time and the answerphone is on please contact us direct on our mobiles and we will be happy to deal with your problem.
Stewart 07976 731070
Caroline 07717 511889
Ian 07932 691307
March 2009
Newsetter
Welcome to the first of our bi-monthly newsletters aimed to keep our EggSell members up to date with as much industry information as possible.
- Current Egg Market Report – Barry Jackson
Continued firm demand for free range and intensive has led to higher prices on the wholesale markets. Limited availability on all sizes adds to the frustration with many reports of short deliveries and long term supply arrangements discontinued. There have been signs appearing on the displays of at least one major supermarket apologizing for some shortfall of free range eggs and that they are working with their supply to rectify the situation. However, there must be a note of caution as this strong market is almost certainly due to a shortfall in supply as opposed to being sales and demand driven.
- BEIC Version 6
You should all have now received your packs enclosing the Version 6 of the Lion code. We have read through and note there are around 35 alterations and therefore it is essential you as the producer read through and bring your farms up to date to meet the criteria. Whilst we can support and give advice we can not do it for you!
On that note Malcolm Hassall, our current auditor for National Britannica has offered to come and speak to producers on how to reach these standards to ensure no non conformities on audit day. I will keep you posted when we have date and venue confirmed, but it is likely to be mid May. I felt this would be a good opportunity to discuss on an informal basis any questions you may have on the Code.
I cannot stress enough the importance of salmonella testing on the correct dates.
- Infectious Bronchitis
Several of our producers are experiencing problems resulting in white eggs/secondary infections/E.coli/peritonitis. We would advise all our producers to discuss with their vet the possibile need to vaccinate with an IB primer throughout the laying period starting as early as 19 weeks.
- Discussion Group
A reminder that the next Discussion Group is to be held at The Dacre Arms, Brandesburton on April 9th 7pm start, with pie and pea supper, Sara Perez from Minster Vet has kindly agreed to talk to us on a variety of poultry health topics. If you have not expressed an interest and wish to join us please let Gill know. The cost is £8.
- Co-operative discounts.
We are currently speaking to several companies to try and secure discount for EggSell Producers. As many of you are aware this arrangement is already in place with Biolink at Market Weighton – if you mention you are an EggSell producer you should get the product slightly cheaper.
Also for those wishing to purchase Neporex, once again if you say you are an EggSell producer at Farmway you will get reduced rates.
We have tried to secure bulk feed orders on numerous occasions but this is proving difficult to pull together due to size of orders and dispertion of farms but in the meantime continue to press for good prices to be offered to our producers.
- Insurance
Many of you have already arranged your insurance for salmonella, but if anyone is still interested contact Gill.
- Egg Pro Lite and Ultra
This egg recording programme is proving to be successful and after years of working results out manually it is a pleasure to press a button and it be there before your eyes.
We have been asked if we can produce a version without the financial details aimed for support to the stockman. This we are able to do at a cost of £100. The programme records production, mortality and egg number figures without the financial details.
Anyone interested please contact Gill at the office.
- Producer Base
Our producer base continues to expand and we have a new stream joining us come the Autumn. With the egg market as it is we receive several enquiries per week, but need to continue to be responsible to ensure we can sell the egg and increase margins to all our producers, as we move forward.
- BFREPA
I am sure that you all read your ‘Ranger’ with interest each month! Keith Wilde the editor is always looking for interesting news items so if any of our producers have any experiences on the hen front they would like to share, send them across to us and we will forward to Keith for publication. The Ranger is a really good little book but a considerable amount of work goes in each month to keep it up to date and interesting.
November 2008
EggSell Producers AGM
EggSell Producers Ltd held their AGM at their Head Office at Routh near Beverley on Thursday 6th November 2008.
The evening was well attended and commenced with the formal business part of the meeting at 7pm. A bonus of 1p per dozen on all large eggs was announced with immediate payment. Barry Jackson gave a short presentation on the current egg market and producers were then shown the workings of the Egg Pro Lite and Ultra computer programmes to make flock recording easier, followed by an explanation on the insurance deal agreed for Salmonella and Avian Flu. EggSell invited suggestions as to how we could improve our service to producers. All those present, were given the opportunity to ask questions.
A buffet supper and drinks were provided, which enabled producers to informally meet directors, staff and fellow producers.
November 2008
EggSell launches salmonella insurance for less than the cost of an egg
An innovative egg marketing co-operative has stolen a march on its competitors with its latest initiative.
In anticipation of the forthcoming changes to the National Control Programme, EggSell has launched what it believes to be the first industry wide policy against loss of income from salmonella and avian influenza
.
Although the UK benefits from some of the lowest incidences of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) and Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) in Europe, Salmonella is nonetheless a common cause of food poisoning and can cause serious illness in humans. The aim of National Control Programme is to reduce the levels of SE and ST by 10% per annum based on prior year over the next three years.
In order to achieve its objectives, the National Control Programme’s additional measures will become compulsory from January 2009 in the form of an amendment to Regulation (EC) 2160/2003. In premises where either type of salmonella is detected after this date, eggs from flocks confirmed to be infected will not be permitted to be sent for human consumption unless they have been heat-treated to guarantee the elimination of the strains of salmonella that pose the greatest threat to humans. The financial impact of this restriction of the sale of fresh shell eggs from infected flocks is a cause for great concern, especially for new producers.
The insurance that EggSell is offering from 5.5 pence per bird for salmonellosis and 4.5 pence per bird for avian influenza is underwritten within the Lloyds market that hold a Standard and Poors security rating of A+. It covers loss of income for up to 52 weeks coupled with a percentage of DEFRA testing costs up to an aggregate limit per farm.
EggSell founder Stewart Elliott is delighted to be able to offer the policy, not only to the members of its co-operative, but to all egg producers; “We’ve invested a lot of time researching the market and trying to find a policy that benefits the egg industry as a whole and we’re extremely pleased that leading farm insurance brokers Thompson and Richardson (Lincoln) Ltd. shared our vision and helped us to realise our goal of delivering a comprehensive policy for less than the cost of an egg per bird.”
September 2008
Plain sailing egg production for East Yorkshire husband and wife team
It’s Land Ahoy! for an East Yorkshire riverboat captain and his wife as they team up with the Routh Egg Marketing Co-operative EggSell to take their lives in a totally different direction.
John Jackson and his wife, Chris have recently invested in facilities to house 5,000 free range hens at Rosewood Farm in Hutton, near Driffield. They had previously been living on a riverboat but decided that they wanted to spend some time on dry land and take on a new challenge.
“We should have bought a bungalow and retired instead!” joked John Jackson.
“But EggSell have made it all so easy. We’ve not been free range egg producers for long but already we’re nearly up to full capacity in terms of the number of eggs we are producing. It’s been hard work because we had no previous experience in egg production, but EggSell have been absolutely wonderful.”
“They’ve helped us with keeping costs down as well as making sure we are operating within the law. There’s so much to do when you come into this with no grounding in farming, but EggSell have kept us on the straight-and-narrow and have provided excellent support”
John and Chris have not been able to totally leave life on the water behind. They’ve converted their riverboat and have adapted it … not for getting around in, but for living in! Mr Jackson said: “We’ve only just got hot water sorted. Until recently, I think the hens had it better than we did!”
“We’re hoping that after running the farm for a while, we will be given planning permission to build a house here. That idea is not without its problems though; we’ve been quoted £27,000 just for having a telephone line installed!”
John and Chris have also said that if they can acquire more land, they intend to extend their farm.
Stewart Elliot from Eggsell said: “This is proof that you don’t need a background in farming to be a successful free range egg producer. John and Chris have come from a totally different industry and they’re really making a go of it.”
“It goes to show what people can achieve with a little hard work and a helping hand”.
August 2008 The Grocer
EggSell's MD Barry Jackson was recently asked by the leading food retailing publication, The Grocer, to comment on alleged supermarket profiteering in relation to egg prices and producer returns. Here is Barry's comment in full;
In light of the recent dramatic increases in shopping bills there has been a great deal of interest in the margins made by the major multiple food retailers.
Many fresh food producers see their returns increasing but those increases are supposedly dwarfed by the increases of retailer prices. By implication those producers will see that the retailers are making huge profits that are disproportionate to the increase in costs. This has been particulaly highlighted by the egg industry, in particular free range and organic eggs.
We have seen producer returns increased but these in many cases have been swallowed up by the feed and fuel increases. This means that at a time when we have seen a consistently strong demand for free range value added products, we still see free range producers struggle to invest in their business.
This frustration from producers to meet their increased costs has been compounded. When they look at eggs for sale on the shelves of the major multiple retailers, the levels of prices can look out of step with their own returns.
It is easy to see why producers feel so very disillusioned when they see big increases at the retailers and yet so little of that increase passed back to the producer. That frustration is at the heart of why our producers started the EggSell Co-operative, that drive to achieve a better more relative share of the retail price is our business.
But this difference in price and the retailers’ strategy is one that we urge producers to consider carefully. When looked at in perspective and when we consider what our industry has achieved over recent years it becomes difficult to accuse the retailers of anything other than good business practice. The supermarkets are not profiteering but it can be seen why they are taking too much. It is understandable why some producers feel very aggrieved that their increases are not in line with the retailers. This however, is not necessarily the case.
Retailers use eggs as one of the major lines to be measured in comparison with each other, one of the products used to measure their competitiveness. As a result we have seen egg prices driven downwards, this has meant that egg marketeers have always had the most difficult task of adding value to our product and on occasion we have found it impossible to achieve price increases with our customers.
This has always led to the accusation from producers that egg marketeers are weak sellers and that we should stand firm in the face of aggressive buying. In the past we have had to contend with over supply and weaker declining sales. This with the policy of stocking own label and heavy promoting sometimes imposed without negotiation or notice to prepare. The case for selling our product has been undermined in so many different ways.
There, behind all the arguments from buyers was always the fact that eggs were not that important because they didn’t earn enough. I can remember one buyer from one of the majors stating in an open meeting with marketeers that:
“Egg sales didn’t make enough to wipe my glasses”.
A disheartening (and some would say contemptible)statement particularly when one considers how hard packers and producers had worked to make our industry world class, improving performance and quality.
That was some years ago but still over recent times we have seen our industry hit troubled waters with controversy over alleged wrongdoing that goes directly to our products provenance. Recent developments with changes to companies, investigations from official bodies and the threat of disease have all added to industry uncertainty and have acted as a catalyst for change.
Against this background we see new opportunities, the increase in demand for free range and the popularity of locally produced regional eggs has given us the chance of presenting our product in new innovative ways. New brands with value added messages are making new sales in a way that they have not done in the past.
These new lines are giving egg marketers new tools to make our product more important to the retailer. It is against this background that we should celebrate the fact that we can present eggs that are worth more money. For years we have said that we do not want to sell cheap eggs, we would rather sell an expensive egg that adds value to our industry and not devalues our case when selling the product.
We do have to keep the job in perspective, there can be no doubt that the recent problems that we have experienced with organic has got a lot to do with the fact that it is now a very expensive egg to buy. The bad news on the economic front will have a part to play in how we plan sales and marketing strategies going forward. But the ban on battery cages and the policy highlighted by nearly all the major multiples of stocking free range means that we are now able to make eggs an important earner for the retailers. We must now manage our supply, continue to be creative and add value, we must also support our retailers and safeguard our route to the market. If that means that they can achieve better margins on eggs then that can only be good for the industry.
Barry Jackson
August 2008 Producer Newsletter
Firstly, let me welcome those new producers who have recently joined EggSell and are just at the start of the free range experience! I wish you and existing members a long and successful business relationship with EggSell.
The egg market has proved interesting over the last year, with the predicated post Christmas drop in sales not materialising due to the Jamie and Hugh TV programmes, but more recently with a drop in sales due to media hype regarding the recession. Organic sales have been hit much harder than the free range sector. Currently sales are picking up because it is felt, that with the wet weather and credit crunch people are not going away and are staying at home and cooking for themselves. Let’s hope it lasts!
As you will be aware we are now fully established in our office at Routh which are being run very efficiently by Gill Loftus. If any of you have any problems, please contact Gill and she will do her utmost to help or find someone who can.
We ourselves have just gone through a DEFRA restriction for Avian Influenza – thankfully after a week the tests for both Newcastle Disease and Avian Flu proved negative but working with DEFRA was certainly most frustrating.
However, this and the prospect of the forthcoming challenges Salmonella testing brings to us has finally made us look at insurance against both diseases. We want to do this as a true co-operative and be able to offer the best deal to all of you. We therefore need to provide details of our producer base which, obviously, without your consent we most certainly would not do. Can I ask therefore if any of you would like us to obtain further details please contact Gill on 01964 541828 or Caroline on 07717511889 for more information. We will then submit the application as one enquiry and see what they can offer.
Egg Pro Lite and Egg Pro Ultra
At long last the egg recording programmes are ready. If anyone would like to try a demo disc please contact Gill and we will arrange despatch. For up to two houses the cost is £180 and for up to 5 houses £280. The programme quickly calculates egg production, mortality, feed and graphs the necessary figures for management purposes and we feel will be a useful addition to any free range producer.
Minster Vet Training
EggSell have agreed to work with Minster Vet Training and I also attach their programme for training up to Christmas. They are offering a good range of courses for the egg producer and many of the classroom based ones will be held at Routh. Full details are attached and booking is to be made direct through Minster Vet Training and not ourselves. I hope you will find the courses useful and am sure the practical ones will be beneficial to all producers.
Date for your diary –
EggSell Producers Ltd AGM
Provisional - AGM of EggSell Producers will be held at the Routh Office on 6th November 2008. Further details and agenda will be sent out nearer the time.
Stoneleigh Kenilworth Warwickshire
November 27th
Regards to you all
Stewart Elliott
Chairman
August 2008
York Farmer diversifies
As we enter a difficult economic period, the innovative East Yorkshire cooperative, EggSell is helping more farmers to diversify and make the most of what is available to them.
Organic farmer, Richard Hudson is the latest producer to branch out and join the EggSell project. He runs Green Farm at Barton-Le-Willows, a few miles outside York and has just invested in a shed to house 4,000 free range hens.
Until recently, he spent most of his time running Paradise Farm, an organic farm at nearby Howsham but he realised that free range egg production was too good an opportunity to miss.
Mr Husdon said: “It was a no-brainer really. Eggsell made it so easy to move into hen farming, the risk to Green Farm was virtually non-existent and I could only see the move being beneficial to us. I had lots of personal contact with them and they were there whenever I needed them, they really helped things along. ”
It’s only been a month since Green Farm began its free range set-up but after a few teething problems early on, it’s now beginning to pick up.
“I ran into a few difficulties at the beginning, the hens were laying far too many floor eggs but with the help and advice that EggSell gave, it meant that I was able to overcome the early challenges. They provided a real safety net”
Mr Hudson is now intending to diversify even further. Green Farm has just received planning permission to build a café, a children’s play area and a farm shop selling local produce from Paradise farm. It will be a welcome addition to Mr Hudson’s portfolio and he is relishing the chance to make further links with the local community.
“I love farming and I want to be able to bring it to the local community. It should provide me with the opportunity to show people what farming is all about”
Richard Hudson is the third generation of his family on the 260-acre Green Farm. He returned from living overseas four years ago and has been active at the farm ever since.
Stewart Elliot from Eggsell said: “We are very to happy to be able to welcome Mr Hudson to EggSell. What this shows is that in a difficult and unsure time economically, farmers still have options open to them.
"Diversification is one way that farms can make the most of what is available to them. We are always looking for new members and can offer guidance and support to anyone who wants to get involved."
July 2008
Farmer’s green plans for eggs
The innovative East Yorkshire egg marketing company EggSell has recruited an environmentally aware producer to its growing co-operative.
Matthew Green is a recent member of EggSell’s egg marketing co-operative and has announced plans to extend his flock whilst reducing his carbon footprint.
Matthew keeps 20,000 free range hens at Watton Carrs in East Yorkshire and intends to double his flock in the Autumn and house them in mobile sheds that are powered by renewable energy. “It’s an innovative approach that has been driven by environmental concerns coupled with rising fuel costs” explains 45 year old Matthew.
EggSell’s Ian Sinkler applauds Matthew’s plans, “We welcome members with Matthew’s drive and vision. He is our first producer with plans to run the sheds using renewable energy and we hope that other members will follow his lead.”
Matthew concludes; “I joined EggSell because I know and trust the founders and their payback strategy is favourable. I’m very pleased with the outcome so far and am looking forward to the next exciting phase.”
EggSell welcomes enquiries from producers who already keep hens or from farmers who may be thinking about diversification (a free advice service is all part of the co-operative’s commitment to its members). Please call Ian Sinkler on 07932 691307 or Stewart Elliott on 07976 731070 for more information about EggSell Producers Ltd or Barry Jackson on 07743 877971for EggSell Ltd Sales and Marketing.
May 2008
New sibling venture joins East Yorkshire egg co-operative
EggSell has recruited a new East Yorkshire family business to its growing co-operative.
Fourth generation farmers and new free range egg producers Claire and brother Robert Hunt have just invested significantly in a shed to house 12,000 birds at their Seaton Ross farm. Claire, 24, explains why they decided to keep hens “Robert and I were looking for a business that we could run together after I graduated and it was our 
bank manager who suggested free range eggs. Given that consumers are more ethically and welfare aware than ever before, we knew that it was a good idea and have spent the last year researching and planning the business.”
The Hunts are now six weeks into their venture and are very pleased with the progress that they have made. 26 year old Robert continues “Thanks to all of the support and advice that we’ve had from EggSell, the shed’s up and the birds are housed, happy and healthy and we’re on track to reach our egg projections.”
EggSell Producers Ltd is an enthusiastic co-operative of egg producers that aims to build a new relationship between the farmer and the retailer whilst reducing food miles and ensuring a good return for everyone and providing the public with wholesome and tasty eggs from chickens that are free to roam. EggSell’s Stewart Elliott welcomes the keen and knowledgeable pair to the growing egg marketing co-operative, “The industry needs people like Claire and Robert. They have been a delight to work with and we look forward to helping them to grow their business.”
May 2008
EggSell announces non exec appointment
Growing farmer’s co-operative EggSell has strengthened its team with a key appointment.
Former Central Egg Agency chief John Battell has been appointed as a non executive director to the board of EggSell Ltd.
John, who joins founders Ian Sinkler and Stewart Elliott and Managing Director Barry Jackson on the board, is delighted with the appointment “I’ve got many years of egg industry experience and I look forward to advising the team on policy and direction. It’s a very exciting time to be joining a young and dynamic company that has achieved great success in a very short space of time.”
EggSell Producers Ltd is an enthusiastic co-operative of egg producers that aims to build a new relationship between the farmer and the retailer whilst reducing food miles, ensuring a good return for everyone and providing the public with wholesome and tasty eggs from chickens that are free to roam. Sister company EggSell Ltd is the sales and marketing arm of the co-operative.
EggSell welcomes enquiries from producers who already keep hens or from farmers who may be thinking about diversification (a free advice service is all part of the co-operative’s commitment to its members). Please call Ian Sinkler on 07932 691307 or Stewart Elliott on 07976 731070 for more information about EggSell Producers Ltd or Barry Jackson on 07743 877971for EggSell Ltd Sales and Marketing
February 2008
East Yorkshire egg co-operative helps North Yorkshire farmer’s wife raise thousands for Yorkshire Cancer Research
The innovative East Yorkshire egg marketing co-operative EggSell lent its support to a North Yorkshire charity fundraiser that raised over £4000 during Farmhouse Breakfast Week.
EggSell Producers Ltd delivered 30 dozen of its best free range eggs to Patricia Knox at Mill Close Farm near Bedale for a 2 day fundraising event that saw 140 people tuck into a hearty farmhouse breakfast in aid of Yorkshire Cancer Research.
Caroline Elliott from Bewholme is one of the founders of EggSell Producers Ltd and is delighted with the outcome; “We have all been touched by cancer in some way and it’s great to be able to reward an initiative for cancer treatment in our region and support Yorkshire’s farming community at the same time.”
EggSell Producers Ltd is a new and enthusiastic co-operative of egg producers that aims to build a new relationship between the farmer and the retailer whilst reducing food miles and ensuring a good return for everyone and providing the public with wholesome and tasty eggs from chickens that are free to roam.
Egg co-operative seeks new members
An innovative egg marketing co-operative is seeking new members throughout the UK.
EggSell Ltd is the brainchild of two Yorkshire farming families who became disillusioned by supplying free range eggs to a major packer for dwindling returns.
One of the founders, Ian Sinkler explains “We set up EggSell Producers Ltd because we want to see an egg industry where producers and retailers work together in order to sustain our livelihoods and satisfy the consumer’s desire for local produce with exemplary welfare credentials.”
It’s a refreshing back to basics approach where producers pay just £1 for a share with full voting rights. EggSell Ltd Sales and Marketing will market and sell the egg and will make payments to the co-operative. Ian continues “Not only do we intend to be able to pay producers a better price all year round, but we will make an annual additional payment relative to production of flocks and to the type and number of large eggs sent to our packers. A lean and mean approach to cost control will mean that producers will benefit from the best possible returns”
EggSell welcomes enquiries from producers who already keep hens or from farmers or small holders who may be thinking about diversification (a free advice service is all part of the co-operative’s commitment to its members). Please call Ian Sinkler on 07932 691307 or Stewart Elliott on 07976 731070 or more information about EggSell Producers Ltd or Barry Jackson on 07743 877971for Eggsell Ltd Sales and Marketing.