After a period of 27 years using a third-party distributor, Hy-Line UK, which operates from the Millennium Hatchery in Warwickshire, is to commence supplying customers directly to the island of Ireland, according to a news release from the British Free Range Egg Producers Association.

The original supply agreement was announced at the Pig & Poultry Fair back in 1997 so it is apt that the new announcement has been timed to coincide with this year’s fair, with the new trading arrangement commencing on 1st July 2024.

Currently Hy-Line sells in excess of 1.5 million chicks in the region and hopes to build on this figure. For customers, the main change they will see is in the ordering and administration of those orders, which will all be done through the Hy-Line offices in Warwickshire, where Claire Hobbis, who has 24 years under her belt, is well versed with processing orders to the region. Producers will also now have direct access to the UK’s experienced team of technical advisors who will be on hand to help customers maximise performance from their Hy-Line flocks.

Hy-Line UK’s managing director Omead Serati comments: “We are very excited by this development and we look forward to being able to work with customers in a way that hasn’t been possible in the past. We are currently seeing some great results from both our brown and white egg layer varieties in Britain and we are confident we can increase sales of all strains in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.”

Mr Serati is particularly enthused about the latest strain of Hy-Line to be introduced to the UK market, the Hy-Line Brown Plus Next Generation. “We knew this bird had potential, particularly as it was the clear-cut winner in the respected alternative systems Czech 2022 layer trial, and it hasn’t disappointed on farm,” says Mr Serati. The bird was developed by Hy-Line geneticists to demonstrate a strong nesting instinct, an important trait when it comes to alternative production systems, whilst maintaining the qualities for which Hy-Line brown birds have become renowned.