At the end of April 2026, we hit a major milestone on site: construction of poultry sheds 5–8 was completed, and the first birds have now moved in.
These new buildings are seriously high spec—high tech, high welfare, and designed with day-to-day practicality in mind. With sheds 5–8 now live, the unit’s overall capacity has increased to 390,000 birds, and it’s fair to say no expense has been spared to make sure bird comfort, health and welfare are right at the top of the list.
Built around bird health and biosecurity (from the ground up)
One of the things we’re most proud of is the thinking behind the layout and design. The full 390,000-bird housing has been developed to bring together proven practices from Scandinavia, alongside IEC Poultry’s own designs and research, to create a genuinely secure unit where bird health and biosecurity sit at the heart of the farm, not as an afterthought.
And you can see that philosophy in almost every design decision.
A smart layout that keeps people (and risk) where they should be
Set within a large arable complex, the eight poultry houses are arranged around a central secure corridor. In plain terms, that means staff can move between houses without going outdoors.
It might sound like a small detail, but it makes a huge difference:
- Fewer trips in and out of “clean” and “dirty” zones
- A big reduction in the need for multiple footwear changes
- Less reliance on harsh chemical foot dips
- And, most importantly, far less chance of bringing anything unwanted into the bird areas
It’s a cleaner, calmer, more controlled way to work, and it’s better for the birds and the team.
High-tech monitoring
Inside the growing and staff areas, the sheds are equipped with high-tech monitoring equipment plus state-of-the-art heating and ventilation systems. The goal here is simple: keep conditions stable, and make it easy to react quickly when birds need it.
Because staff can monitor key conditions and respond remotely and rapidly, the flock gets more consistent care, without delays, guesswork, or unnecessary disturbance.
Keeping traffic out of the biosecure zone
Another big win is how the site handles deliveries and external traffic. The layout is designed so that vehicle movement stays outside the biosecure area, reducing risk and keeping the unit calmer.
Even feed logistics have been thought through carefully: feed deliveries can be made outside of the secure compound, then the feed can be moved below ground to the poultry sheds on demand. That means fewer vehicles near the sheds, fewer entry points to manage, and a more secure day-to-day routine overall.
Infrastructure separated to protect birds at sensitive stages
The supporting utilities and infrastructure are also set apart from the core bird areas. This helps wider support staff and services do what they need to do—maintenance, checks, ongoing site support—without worrying about crossing into sensitive areas, impacting biosecurity, or disrupting the birds at key growth stages.
A big step forward
Completing sheds 5–8 is a huge step forward for the unit, not just in capacity, but in the way the farm can operate: efficiently, securely, and with welfare built into the design.
We’re excited to see the new sheds in full flow over the coming months, and even more excited about what this means for the future of the site.
