On Sept. 29 at the Dunsilly Hotel in the historic farming town of Antrim, Northern Ireland, Aviagen® welcomed 55 Moy Park farmers into the Ross® 400 Club.

The awards event was organized collaboratively by the Aviagen U.K. team and Moy Park to commend the hard work and management excellence that enabled farmers to get exceptional performance results with their 75 winning flocks.

Tipping the scale on EPEF performance

Ross 400 Club membership has skyrocketed since its inception in 2009, growing from an original 3 to 215 today. Membership in the elite Club is reserved only for the best of the best poultry producers who, through perseverance and exceptional management skill, tip the scale on performance, scoring a Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) of 400 or more with their poultry flocks.

The EPEF measures production efficiency by taking into account a number of influences on performance, such as nutrition, feed efficiency, husbandry, and production management. Due to the careful flock management of Ross customers, as well as incremental improvements in the genetical aptitude of Ross broiler breeding stock, the EPEF scores have gradually risen throughout the years. The top-achieving Moy Park inductee for the 2016 entries scored an impressive 430.

Accolades to the new members

The celebration was opened by John Harrison, NI broiler manager for Moy Park, who introduced and congratulated the new 400 Club members.

“Moy Park farmers have a long and successful history of membership in the Ross 400 Club, and we feel privileged to be part of the initiative,” says Harrison. “The accomplishment is a testament to the commitment and hard work our farmers put into their flocks at every level of production, from the health and well-being of the birds, to operational efficiency. The impressive stockmanship of our growers, high-quality Ross 308 broiler breeding stock, and Moy Park’s industry-leading farming and operational facilities make for a winning combination.”

Aviagen Technical Service Manager Stuart Thomson also presented an overview of the Ross 400 Club, explaining its beginnings in the U.K., its expanding success and what it means to Aviagen and its customers. His presentation gave a glimpse into future plans for the club, including a steering group and an online forum on the 400 Club website for members to exchange ideas and experiences.
“We’d like to extend a warm welcome to the winning Moy Park farmers, and are proud of the proficiency they have demonstrated with their Ross flocks,” says Thomson. “It is this level of management skill and diligence that optimizes the full genetic potential of Ross birds and results in great performance and productivity for our customers.”

The winning Moy Park farmers were presented with certificates to recognize their achievements.
“It is great to be part of the Moy Park Group and to be here today with other growers who have achieved flock production efficiencies in the U.K.’s top 1 percent. The close relationship is obviously working well, and we will all strive to be here next year again,” said Moy Park Grower Cathal Duffy.

About Aviagen
Since 1923, Aviagen® has established itself as the world's leading poultry breeding company, developing pedigree lines for the production of commercial broiler chickens under the Arbor Acres®, Indian River®, and Ross® brand names. The Rowan Range® and Specialty Males® are specialty breeding stock from Aviagen that offer greater flexibility for customers to meet specific or niche market requirements. The company is based in Huntsville, Alabama, USA with a number of wholly-owned operations across the United Kingdom, Europe, Turkey, Latin America, India, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S., and joint ventures in Asia. Aviagen employs more than 3,900 people and has a distribution network serving customers in more than 100 countries.

For further information, please visit www.aviagen.com.