Brothers lay plans to expand egg business
Oct 31 2007 by Iain Laing, The Journal
POULTRY FARMERS Stephen and Richard Tulip are laying down plans to expand the region’s biggest egg production business.
The brothers, of Lintz Hall Farm, Burnopfield, already have more than 80,000 laying birds and the flock will be increased to around 100,000 birds in March 2008, when a new free-range laying unit comes online.
Producing more than 30 million eggs a year, which are sold to councils, schools, shops, hotels and supermarkets throughout the region, the business is expanding to meet the growing demand for locally-produced food, with a small carbon footprint and few food miles.
Father George Tulip said: “Although I am approaching retirement, my sons are running the business and have taken the decision to invest in its future. So far this decision is paying off.”
But the emphasis isn’t all on quantity. Quality is also important to the Tulip family. They have recently gained Lion code accreditation for every section of their egg business - which rears one-day-old chicks for the farm’s laying units and deals with the packaging, marketing and distribution of the eggs.
And the brothers are keen to continue their father’s work in protecting the environment. George Tulip was one of the first farmers to take part in the Government’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme, signing up on the day it opened, and his sons are members of Sainsbury’s Woodland Eggs scheme, planting more than 4,000 trees on their farm for the hens.
“Chickens are naturally jungle birds and we have planted all the extra trees to make them happier when they are foraging,” explained Richard.
Egg production is the core business at the 600-acre farm, which also supports cattle, sheep, arable and equestrian enterprises.
The business employs 20 people, as well as providing knock-on business for other local companies, and the brothers have four vans which they use to carry out deliveries.
The eggs are sold under the brands Derwent Valley Free Range Eggs from Lintz Hall Farm and Lintz Hall Farm Premier Quality Eggs, as well as under other supermarket labels.
It was George Tulip’s grandfather, also called George, who started the family’s interest in egg production. He initially worked for the Government during the war, encouraging people to produce their own eggs in their backyards and providing them with small henhouses and chickens.
His son, also called George, then went to work in a hatchery down in Surrey when he was 15 and subsequently worked for other hatcheries and poultry farms before eventually moving back up North to set up his own poultry business in partnership with his father.
The family’s first farm was in Sunniside and only consisted of one field, but by the time the family moved to Lintz Hall Farm 10 years later, the field was full of hen houses and supported 15,000 birds.
The family have been at Lintz Hall Farm for 45 years and they have seen their poultry business turn full circle, moving from a free-range system to an intensive system, back to a free-range system.
