Award winner Alex shows others the route to success

Poultry production courses are helping the booming industry meet demand

The UK poultry industry is a competitive and dynamic one with an annual retail turnover of approximately £3.4 billion.

It is one of the most successful UK food production industries and SRUC’s HNC in Poultry Production, available by distance learning, can not only prepare students for employment but provide a stepping stone for further vocational training.

Topics covered include commercial egg production, poultry meat production, and poultry health, ensuring students have the skills to manage a healthy stock of laying or breeding birds.

This includes knowledge of control measures and legislative requirements, as well as an understanding of biosecurity measures to protect against future disease epidemics.

The course is delivered by online distance learning, but induction days offer the chance to meet fellow students and their instructors.

Among recent graduates of the course is Alex Lee, pictured, a Pembrokeshire-based organic poultry manager who won the young producer category for England and Wales in this year’s Marks and Spencer Select Farm awards.

Alex was recognised at the official M&S awards presentation at the Royal Welsh show, where he was commended for his ambition and dedication to helping rear high-quality organic chickens and turkeys.

Based in Haverfordwest, Capestone Organic Poultry employs around 200 people and specialises in producing organic turkeys and chickens.

In 2014 Alex joined the company in a junior job role but his enthusiasm and dedication saw him quickly move on to a series of more senior positions, culminating in his current appointment as poultry manager at Capestone.

“Since joining the company, Alex has displayed an eagerness to learn and has seized any opportunity that he has been given to develop his knowledge and understanding of the poultry industry,” said Viran Abeysena, from Capestone, who nominated Alex for the award.

“Alex excelled while working as part of our broiler rearing team and was subsequently moved into a management position in 2017 and started an HNC qualification in Poultry Production at Scotland’s Rural College, where he graduated in 2019.

“Alex is now our poultry manager where, as well as being responsible for rearing thousands of birds each year, he helps manage a large team of Capestone employees, guiding colleagues with great empathy and motivating them to develop their own skills.

“Alex has come a long way in five years and has a great future ahead of him in the poultry industry.”

In conjunction with Edinburgh University, SRUC also offers an online Master of Science (MSc) programme in Applied Poultry Science.

The programme offers a wealth of courses covering all aspects of commercial poultry production.

It attracts people working for feed manufacturers or managing poultry farms – laying hens, broilers, breeding poultry, ducks or gamebirds – vets, back yard poultry keepers, pharmaceutical industry staff, laboratory-based scientists, slaughterhouse managers, welfare charity staff, and government agency staff.

Visit www.sruc.ac.uk/study to find out more.

Alex Lee is now poultry manager at Capestone.