This year’s BFREPA conference seems set to be bigger than ever, despite recent difficulties in the free range egg market.
More than 600 delegates are expected to attend the conference this year, which takes place on December 2 at Stoneleigh.
That number would be a record for the event. The number of exhibitors is also up on previous years. A total of 63 exhibition stands have been taken at this year’s event – and all the available exhibition space was sold out well ahead of the conference. Interest in the conference has confounded those who thought that recent difficulties could have had a detrimental effect on the event.
"Given the market background, we expected that exhibitors may be lower this year and the companies that did wish to exhibit slower to book," said John Cessford, marketing manager of BOCM Pauls, hosts and organisers of the event.
"Not a bit of it. Linda Falkingham, one of our BFREPA conference planning team, allocated all the stand spaces in less than six weeks - proving yet again the interest and resilience in free range."
John said that free range was going through a tough year. Producers have seen prices for their eggs cut because of oversupply in the market and feed prices rising largely because of huge hikes in the price of wheat.
John said the problems were a huge challenge and concern, but he said he was still optimistic about the future.
"I look at these things as a marketer myself and really believe that consumers know what they want. The product is a very good one, the free range egg category is well positioned, well understood by consumers," said John.
"It is for these and other related reasons that the long term future is very good. There is no question about that."
He said that it was in times of great change and challenges to the industry that producers and other members of the supply chain wanted to be at the conference to network with other producers and hear what the prospects were for the industry going forwards.
"It is because of this that we are gearing up for another record turn-out in excess of 600 delegates."
John said, "The conference is the highlight of the free range year and in less than five years has become the biggest livestock event of its type in the UK and one of the very biggest in Europe. My team and I in BOCM Pauls are proud to be the hosts and main organisers of this prestigious event for the fourth year."
Speakers at this year’s conference will include the UKIP MEP for East Anglia, Stuart Agnew, who is also a free range egg producer. He has been vocal in his criticism of the European Commission’s handling of the forthcoming ban on conventional laying cages.
A number of member states seem set to miss the 2012 deadline for the ban and Stuart has been pressing the Commission to deal with what could be an impending crisis.
Another speaker will be David Tromans, egg producer and former managing director of Deans Foods. His talk will be entitled, ’Free range farming – my way.’
The third speaker will be Amanda Cryer, director of the British Egg Information Service. She will talk about ’Promoting the great British egg.’
Mike Youney, sales director of BOCM Pauls, will welcome delegates to the conference and BFREPA deputy chairman Tom Vesey will act as conference chairman. Tom will also announce the winners of this year’s BFREPA awards, which are now widely recognised as the leading national awards for the free range egg industry.
Last year’s winners included Roger and Nickie Tudge from Market Drayton in Shropshire, who took the Producer of the Year award for those who had been producing free range eggs for less than five years, and David Maughan from Darlington in County Durham, who took the award for more experience producers.
The award for Retailer of the Year went to Morrisons. The winner of the Food Business of the Year category was the fast food chain McDonald’s and the award for the Marketing Initiative of the Year went to ASDA.
The names of this year’s winners will remain a closely guarded secret until the announcement at the conference on December 2.
BFREPA’s annual meeting will be held in conjunction with the annual conference. The annual meeting is where members will be elected to the BFREPA council for the forthcoming year and where the association’s officers will disclose latest membership figures, which have been steadily growing in recent years. It also provides an opportunity for members to raise any issues of concern.
