Farmhouse the top free-range producer

Thirsk-based Yorkshire Farmhouse was officially listed by the British Egg Industry Council as the UK’s largest producer and packer of free range only eggs.

The family business, founded more than 30 years ago, was the second business in the country to begin farming free range eggs and today supplies the large supermarkets and catering trade with eggs from its 200,000 hens spread across its two Yorkshire farms.

In all, the company has seen the volume of free range eggs it handles increase by 250 per cent in the past five years.

Adrian Potter, sales and marketing director, told the Yorkshire Post: “We are delighted to be named the UK’s largest producer and packer of free range only eggs.

“I think a lot of it is down to hard work and a strong relationship with customers and retailers.”

Mr Potter also pointed to a recent £6m investment in a new shed system for the hens which have allowed them to improve further the welfare conditions for the birds.

At night the hens are housed in multi-level barn style sheds furnished with nesting boxes to provide the preferred environment for the hens to lay.

Further significant investment was made into a state-of-the-art crack detection system, which can monitor 130,000 eggs per hour.

The company has only ever produced free range eggs and continues to focus on producing the highest quality free range eggs by combining traditional animal husbandry with continued innovation.

Mr Potter said that while the market for eggs was tighter at present following European-wide drops in production levels, the market remained strong.

Mr Potter said: “The increase in sales goes to show that even in hard times, consumers are prepared to pay that little extra for local eggs produced to higher welfare standards.

“Our continued investment allows us to keep building on our high welfare standards, while keeping the end cost down for the consumer.

“Free range eggs only recently overtook caged eggs in terms of sales. The market is so tight at the moment meaning there have been no real promotions but I am sure as these come back they will continue to grow.”

Yorkshire Farmhouse supplies large supermarket chains Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons as well as restaurants and the catering trade.

It employs a total of 60 people and also has two further bases in East Sussex and Bedfordshire.

The business started out with a small free range flock in 1980, apparently due to Mr Potter’s mother, who still works in the business, wanting to farm eggs that were “the way they used to taste”.

However the Potter family’s involvement with poultry dates back to the 1920s when granddad George Potter would often win top prize with his Rhode Island Red and Light Sussex hens in the National Laying Trials.

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