Celebration of Cobb Centenary at British Pig & Poultry Fair

UK - The centenary of Cobb, the world’s oldest poultry breeding company, is being celebrated at the British Pig & Poultry Fair at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, on May 10 and 11.
calendar icon 10 May 2016
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The breed was founded by the Cobb family in Massachusetts in 1916 and came to the UK in the early 1960s when the Cobb Breeding Company was formed to develop the market not only in this country but across Europe and Africa.

The company also established a UK pedigree breeding programme using imported lines from the United States and leading to the launch of the Cobb500 in this country in 1974. When Tony Barnes

became president of Cobb-Vantress in 1983, the Cobb500 was introduced to the US market that had been demanding meat yield and feed efficiency.

Today Cobb is investing in ongoing expansion of its UK farm and hatchery facilities for supplying grandparent breeding stock to the global market, while the European research complex at Herveld in the Netherlands has just completed a £15 million expansion and redevelopment to double the capacity of this facility which runs alongside the five Cobb research centres across the US.

“100 years is an historic milestone, and the growth and success of the company since 1916 is something that everyone involved with Cobb past and present is very proud of,“ said Mark Sams, general manager of Cobb Europe. “To grow from such small beginnings to become a global supplier of genetic breeding stock is a remarkable achievement that has taken hard work, dedication and teamwork.

“A key part of this success has been the relationships we’ve developed with our distribution partners and customers over time. I would like to thank them for their loyalty and look forward to working with them in the future.

“The poultry industry continues to face challenges with passion and determination, and Cobb will continue to play a significant role in this by investing in the facilities and technology that will ensure our products meet the future challenges of feeding the world’s growing population.”

- There will be a drinks reception to mark the centenary on the Cobb stand (number 22) at 3.30 pm on Tuesday May 10.

Ludmila Starostina

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