A giant straw bale turkey alongside a main road

The firm is seeking to extend the scheme through making it easier for farmers and smallholders with no experience of processing poultry to take part.

“We’ve lots of interest in becoming a KellyBronze Farmer — not just from established farmers but many with a small acreage around a country home who’d like to develop a profitable seasonal enterprise,” says managing director Paul Kelly.

“Some find the need to set up their own plucking and processing from the start rather daunting — so we’re introducing a new format where they rear the birds and we arrange for the plucking and processing and then provide the turkeys all boxed, packaged and ready to go.”

The scheme targets producers within 20 minutes of a minimum 30,000 population and ideally with premises alongside a main road for displaying the giant straw bale turkey that has become associated with the KellyBronze product.

It was devised to increase local production of KellyBronze turkeys — the product that last autumn scooped the industry’s ‘Best Premium Christmas’ award for the third year running. As well as attracting retail consumers, franchisees have also gained customers among their top local restaurants.

Members of the Kelly family and several of the KellyBronze farmers will be at the show to explain the new format.