Socio-economic drivers for UK organic pullet rearers and the implications for poultry health

1. Certified organic pullet producers were surveyed to gain a better understanding of the production environment, to identify the key constraints to organic pullet rearing and to identify factors that affected bird health.

2. Pullet rearers had been involved in organic production for between 1 and 12 years.

3. The number of pullets reared per annum ranged from 6 to 12000 and the number of birds housed per unit from 50 to 1000.

4. The primary reason for being involved in organic production was given as 'commercial' with 'environmental' and 'welfare' being the next most popular categories.

5. Fewer than 50% of the respondents vaccinated their flocks and, for those that were protected, the diseases vaccinated against frequently were Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis and Marek's disease. Annual mortality ranged from 2 to 7% with smothering accounting for 25% of all mortality.

6. Approximately 40% of respondents saw no constraints to rearing organic pullets while others identified a range of factors including capital, availability of land and inadequate margins as being the primary constraint.