The RX-8

Better life for the chicken
With the explosion in food quality
awareness across the UK, we take a look
at what “locally produced food” really
means. Starting in this issue, we talk to
local poultry producers Sue & Paul
Brownrigg from Godshill about their
“locally produced” poultry.
Farming poultry, like any other
type of farming, starts with a big
decision: whether to be a small
producer (raising around 10,000
chickens a year), or a mass market
supplier (100,000 chickens a year)
which involves big-scale
investment, high staff levels and
huge premises.
Sue & Paul opted for being small
producers. Currently on their farm
in Sheepwash Lane, they stay
within the 10,000 a year quota.
Says Sue: “It makes it a
manageable-sized business, one in
which we can ensure the quality,
and well-being of our chickens”
The couple buy in their chicks at
just a day old from the mainland.
As Sue explains: “Incubating and
hatching the eggs on the Island is
an extreme science, and if you
have not got the perfect conditions
it becomes an almost impossible
task. The fall- out rate becomes
extremely high, so
it makes better
business sense to
buy the chicks in”.
The chicks are then
introduced into the
farm, where in the
first 4 weeks of
their lives they are
kept in heated
sheds, until they are ready to venture
outside.
Once outside, they are completely free to
roam during the day, hence the term freerange.
The chickens have a normal
healthy existence for their lifetime,
Island Life - www.islandlifemagazine.net
- and the consumer
unlike battery hens which are kept in
extremely compact conditions, and never
see daylight throughout the whole of
their existence.
Most supermarket chickens are processed
at the age of 6 weeks, whereas Sue’s
chickens are processed at
around 10 weeks. So they
have not only a better
quality of life, they have a longer one.
Apart from selling their chickens to
members of public, the Brownriggs also
supply local catering businesses.
Another good outlet for them is the
farmers market in Newport Square
Sponsored by NFU Mutual - FARMING
every Friday.
Sue commented: “Customers love coming
to the market, as they are able to talk to
the farmers who actually produce the
food, and ask the farmers how the food
was raised or grown. Customers know
what they are buying, and they are
supporting local farmers.
“This is important, as 40 years
ago there were over 240
producing farms on the Island -
now there are no more than 24.”
If you would like to try one of
Sue’s tasty chickens they do
offer a free Island-wide delivery
service, or alternatively, pop
down to the farmers’ market on
a Friday.
Tel: 01983 840978
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