Speakers

Robert Lanning is a 1st generation farmer who has had an interest in Poultry since the age of 7. He started with 3 bantam chicken. The fact these bantams were killed by a fox did not deter and over the next 10 years he expanded to having 200 laying hens. He marketed these eggs from the panniers of his pushbike for 70p per dozen. 

From small beginnings, today the business operates over 8 farms covering Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire. Producing either Red Tractor Standard broiler chicken or the slower growing Freedom Food broiler chickens depending on demands. At Red Tractor standard the business as a whole produces over 1 million birds per cycle equaling around 7.5 million birds per annum. Robert stood down as Chairman of the South West Chicken Association in January 2024 but took up the role of Chair of the NFU Honiton Branch from the beginning of January 2025.