The Lakes Free Range Egg Company has been handed accolades in prestigious industry awards.
The firm was presented with two titles at the British Free Range Egg Producers Association annual awards.
The first was in recognition of their strong environmental sustainability record, and the second in the break through category for their innovative BirdBox communication software.
The Environmental Sustainability Award is presented to producers who are outstanding in the field.
Most free range egg producers plant trees on their hen ranges, but David and Helen Brass, of The Lakes Free Range Egg Company, who pioneered the way some 25 years ago.
They set a standard which was later adopted by the producers who supply The Lakes, and crucially, they helped set the standard for the whole industry
Many of the trees and shrubs are now maturing, absorbing carbon and reducing shed ammonia emissions, and becoming part of their circular environmental economy, with tree thinning’s used to fuel biomass boilers. Renewable energy plays a big part, with solar panels, battery storage and ground source heat pumps.
One of the latest innovations introduced to the business comes as a result of millions of pounds invested in data technology to improve sustainability, enhance efficiencies and enrich hen welfare further. The Lakes was announced as winners of the Breakthrough of the Year Award.
The system, BirdBox, is unique – the only one of its kind in the world. David and the team at The Lakes honed their idea over a number of years and developed the practical farm system in conjunction with FAI Research Institute.
David said: “We always keep pushing forward with environmental benefits for our hens and our landscape.
“Right now, is an exciting time because we are seeing the real benefits of decades of planting, it’s delivering a cleaner environment and expansive biodiversity on our farms. It was an honour to be recognised by our free range egg producing peers, they understand what we have achieved and how it has made a difference to egg production across the UK.
“We were very surprised to win two awards at the same event. The Breakthrough of the Year Award comes after many years developing a system that can monitor numerous data variables, from feed and water and temperature levels, to alerting producers to any changes in the flocks very early on.
“We are already at a stage where we can take the research to another level, looking at how we can interpret and develop the data to better understand bird calls. We will have more exciting news on that in the new year.”
Earlier in the year they won the Royal Agricultural Society of England Farm of the Future Award, then the Farmers Weekly Environmental Champion Award, and they end the year with a double yolk win at the BFREPA Awards.
