The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Representing egg producers
Eggs: The new chairman of Sepra is now striving to give a voice to independent Scottish producers
The new chairman of the Scottish Egg Producer Retailers Association (Sepra) is well-placed to know the potential of free-range hens.
Ian Niven, along with wife Alison, has developed his multi-faceted business at Gloagburn Farm near Perth from six free-range hens given to son Fergus 20 years ago to a flock of 4,600 today.
The award-winning restaurant and farm shop, based at the farm at Tibbermore, has trebled its seating capacity and doubled its retail space since it opened in 2003.
It now has between 2,500 and 3,500 people through its doors every week, and employs 42 full and part-time staff.
Since finishing university, Fergus has worked in the business with his parents, which has freed up some of Ian’s time to allow him to concentrate on the farm and the hens.
There are 900 acres of arable land growing cereals and oilseed rape with some rented out for potatoes and peas, but it is the 4,600 hens which are still the core of the business.
Ian said: “We are the third generation of Nivens to have hens here, but the first to develop the free-range enterprise, which started when we gave Fergus six hens when he was still in primary school.
“Gradually we built up the enterprise and started selling eggs at Perth farmers market, which we still do today – in fact we have never missed one since it started 17 years ago.
“Now Gloagburn free-range eggs are sold in outlets from Pitlochry to Stirling and Perth to Cupar.”
Around half of the eggs produced are sold or used in the farm shop, which has grown organically from when Alison sold eggs from the garden shed.
Ian said: “We still have customers who come in at the same time every week to buy their eggs, but at least now they can enjoy a coffee or lunch too.”
Egg sales account for around 5% of the shop business and Ian pointed out that they tend to ride out any market price fluctuations and keep their prices fairly static at £2.40 per dozen large size eggs.
He said: “We find people to be quite price sensitive to eggs but we are lucky they are not a seasonal product and sales are steady throughout the year.”
There is also now a demand from people for hens for their gardens and a relatively new part of the business for the Nivens is selling about 200 pullets per year.
Recently Ian held his first “chicken chat” at Gloagburn for hobby hen keepers which went down well.
Sepra was resurrected at the end of last year from the original organisation formed in the 1970s following the demise of the egg board, with new officials, a new committee and a new constitution.
Ian was elected chairman and said: “The new committee is made up of both producers and members of the trade and the aim is to be a voice for independent Scottish egg producers with representation at NFU Scotland and the British Egg Industry Council in London.”
A weekly market report is emailed to members showing trends, prices and the supply/demand situation.
Ian pointed out that many producers were working on their own and he hopes that by becoming members of Sepra for £25 per year, they will be united and keep getting the message across that eggs from Sepra producers have quality and freshness guaranteed.
He added: “There is constant downward pressure on price from the supermarkets which is probably the main challenge the 60 to 80 independent producers face, but with the support of the feed and breeding trades, we hope to be able to carry out some egg promotions in the near future.”