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Industry session - Day 3 (10th September 2021)

Zoom and Discord links will be in your registration email.

Session times

  • Day 3 Friday 10th September 2021. 13:00-14:00 (BST/UTC+1)

About this session

This session will involve a discussion with industry partners about their views on combating Campylobacter and the role research can play.

Panel members include:

  • Keith Warner, representing Avara
  • Dr Aaron Mckenna, representing Moy Park

About Avara

Avara leads the way in healthy, versatile and great tasting food. Avara Foods is one of the UK’s largest food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to the nation’s most popular supermarkets and restaurants. We excel at what we do. You might not have heard of us but there’s a good chance you’ve enjoyed our products. We are one of the UK’s biggest food businesses, supplying great tasting chicken and turkey to some of the biggest supermarkets and restaurants in the country.We may only have been formed in 2018, but we have a history and heritage that dates back to the early 1960’s. Formed in a joint venture between Cargill’s UK fresh poultry business and Faccenda, we’ve been able to build on the experience and expertise gained from five decades industry service. We are a new, ambitious company with a forward-thinking mindset. You’ll find our dedicated teams all over the UK and whether it be our agricultural supply chain, processing operations or one of the many support functions that hold our operations together, our people all share a common set of values and a commitment to high quality food.

Keith Warner

Keith qualified from Edinburgh University in 1997 with 2 degrees, one in veterinary medicine and surgery, and one in veterinary pathology. He began working for The Minster Veterinary Practice in York, England, in June of that year. Originally, he was a mixed animal veterinary surgeon, dealing in all species of animal. Over time, he moved to 100% poultry work. Keith, along with a colleague, set up the Hereford branch of Minster Veterinary Practice (now PHS) in 2000, becoming partner in April 2003. Keith worked with all aspects of poultry medicine, including Broiler breeders, Broiler chickens, Broiler turkeys, Commercial egg laying chickens, ducks and game. He also worked at all levels of enterprise size, from back-yard pets to large multi-national integrations.

In September 2014, The Minster Veterinary Practice became part of Origin, and Keith became a director of that business, with responsibilities specifically in the intensive livestock areas of pig and poultry medicine, and the commercial aspects of the wider business. Keith left Origin in August 2017, taking a role as UK and Ireland Poultry Business Manager for Huvepharma, a fast-growing global pharmaceutical company. Keith was responsible for Coccidiostats, Cocci vaccines, probiotics and antibiotics in the poultry species.

In April 2019, Keith commenced a role at Avara Foods Ltd, across the turkey and chicken operation, and all generations, until the point of catch of commercial birds. The specific responsibilities cover Welfare, food safety, agriculture assurance and veterinary health, working with three nominated private poultry veterinary practices.

About Moy Park

Moy Park is one of the UK’s top 15 food companies, Northern Ireland’s largest private sector business and one of Europe’s leading poultry producers. Moy Park supplies branded and own label chicken products to leading retailers and foodservice providers throughout the UK, Ireland and Europe and is the industry leading manufacturer of organic, free-range and higher welfare chicken. Moy Park employs over 800 farmers, processes up to six million birds per week (approximately a third of the UK’s fresh poultry market), and has over 35 million chickens on the ground at any given time.

Aaron McKenna

Dr. Aaron McKenna, coming from a small family farm in Northern Ireland describes himself as a failed vet! Zoology at Queens University Belfast as opposed to Veterinary Sciences (once the ambition) ended up as Aaron’s undergraduate degree. From there he stepped into the commercial world of the food industry and joined Moy Parks graduate scheme in 2013. His roles within Moy Park have been varied but have largely revolved around agriculture. In particular he led Moy Parks Campylobacter work on farm through the mid 2010’s before using this as a foundation to step into the world of academia. Part-time, he has just finished his PhD entitled “Campylobacter within the UK Poultry Industry; Prevalence, Risk Factors and the Chicken Microbiome” which has seen some of his work published in both Microbiome and Frontiers journal. He currently holds the role of “Moy Park’s Head of Customer – Agriculture” working closely with key customer accounts on their agricultural strategy.