POWYS poultry farmers who have trampolines for their free range chickens to play on, have been named regional winners of this year’s ‘Welfare Excellence Award’ in the annual M&S Select Farm Awards.

Andrew and Jackie Powell, who farm near Knighton, have been named winners for the England and Wales region, and were invited to receive their award during the M&S Select Farm Awards ceremony on the retailer’s stand at this year’s Royal Welsh Show, held in Llanelwedd last month.

The judges congratulated them for going above and beyond in providing their chickens with excellent conditions and enabling high welfare standards.

Andrew and Jackie, alongside their children Llewellyn and Ceri, farm on the Wales-England border just outside Knighton and their enterprises include beef, sheep and corn-fed, RSPCA Assured, free-range poultry across three barns, two of which are heated using renewable energy.

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They encourage their chickens to roam outside – but not necessarily in the most conventional of ways.

“We use a variety of objects to create cover for the chickens, so they feel safe when roaming outside,” said Jackie.

“We have trampolines, wooden picnic benches, fallen trees and, more ordinarily, we have planted trees to create a canopy.

“The ranges also have plenty of hedges under which they enjoy sheltering.”

The couple monitor temperature, ventilation and their feeding regime carefully, and provide extensive enrichment for the chickens – which includes using traffic cones, buckets and even footballs, as well as plenty of perching space.

“If you’re doing something, it’s good to be proud of it, not just doing it for the sake of it,” added Jackie.

“We want to make the conditions for our chickens as nice as possible and do it right.”

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Steve McLean, head of agriculture and fisheries at M&S, said: “Every day, our select farmers go to extraordinary lengths to deliver great quality M&S food to our customers, producing lower carbon, high welfare conditions, while protecting natural resources and driving innovation.

“As a retailer, we prioritise animal welfare and applaud the efforts of farmers like Andrew and Jackie. They have demonstrated what can be achieved to ensure better conditions for their chickens, and they thoroughly deserve this award.”

As regional winners, Andrew and Jackie received a certificate and M&S voucher during a supplier reception at the Royal Welsh Show.