March 19, 2015

Scotland sees sharpest decline of poultry flock in 10 years

Scotland's poultry flock has suffered its biggest drop in a decade, data from a December agricultural survey showed.

At 11.91 million birds, the figure reflects a 16% slump, or 2.28 million lower.

The downslide is attributed to a significantly reduced number of broilers after the 2 Sisters Food Group took over Vion in 2013 and cut down operations in order to remove unprofitable activities. In a 12-month period, broiler numbers dived by 31% to 5.3 million birds.

However, despite lower numbers for the country's poultry, Scotland has witnessed a 9.3% rise in the egg-laying flock which reached 5.47 million last year. The figure is about 1.47 million, or 37%, higher than a decade ago.

Meanwhile, the Scottish government has pointed out the inherent variability in the annual poultry data as local flocks may not always reflect in every set of figures available due to cyclical depletions.

It added that the broiler decline may be the result of massive closures of poultry holdings across the country.

"The fall in the number of broilers follows a drop of 980,000 in December 2013 and significant restructuring over the period", an official statement said.