Poultry industry mourns the loss of Janey Barnard, UK chicken breeding pioneer
Barnard's work included developing the Cobb500 broiler breeder
29 April 2026
1 minute read
By: Janey Barnard, who pioneered the development of the Cobb500 broiler breeder leading to its success across the global poultry industry, has died in Essex, UK, after a short illness. She was 75.
After studying poultry at college in Northern Ireland she joined the Cobb Breeding Company in 1970 and worked at its research and development centre near Braintree. Her arrival coincided with the importation of breeding lines from the Cobb Inc headquarters in Concord, Massachusetts.
Chickens then typically had a high keel bone and limited breast meat. During the next three decades, she was devoted to breeding a chicken with higher meat yield and improved broiler characteristics that would open the door to a wide range of added-value products.
The Cobb 500 became a revolutionary, industry changing breed that was initially a success across Europe and countries as far as Australia and Japan, which was recognised by the company gaining three Queen’s Awards for Exports in the 1990s. After its introduction to the Unites States through the 1980s, the Cobb500 quickly gained market share across North and South America and then globally.
Janey had become well known and highly respected among Cobb customers in Europe, Africa and further afield. She had the ability to combine the science of poultry genetics with incredible hands-on skill to develop a real vision of how she wanted the Cobb 500 to be bred.
After she left Cobb in 2001, she worked for a number of years for Riverland Poultry, one of Cobb’s customers in New Zealand with whom she had developed a close association for many years.
Among her colleagues at Cobb and customers in many countries worldwide, Janey was known for her generosity, kindness, humour and concern for others. Janey contributed massively to the career development of many of her colleagues who have expressed their gratitude for the positive contribution she made in their lives.
In recent years, Janey had been living at Bocking, near Braintree. She died after a short illness surrounded by her family and friends.
