Free range egg production tour applications

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is offering commercial egg producers the opportunity to travel to Cumbria and Yorkshire on October 24 and 25 to assess and learn from the latest innovations and innovators in the industry.

The tour will include visits to high welfare farms operated by The Lakes Free Range Eggs Company Ltd in Cumbria. This company has a strong environmental and animal welfare ethos aiming to provide the best habitats for free-range hens with an emphasis on optimising tree planting for ammonia recapture from its units.

Applications are invited from one member or employee of the farm business in Northern Ireland who has a commercial egg contract with an egg packer for a minimum of 6000 birds, who is over 18 years old on the application closing date and not in full-time education.

Participants will be expected to meet any additional costs, including farm relief and travel insurance. More details and an online application at www.cafre.ac.uk/industry-support/farm-innovation-visits. Applications close at 4pm on Wednesday, October 2.