Pig and poultry farming sits at the high-output, high-pressure end of UK livestock production. Both sectors operate at significant scale, both are technically demanding, and both have faced sustained workforce challenges since Brexit accelerated the departure of EU workers. Finding the right people in pig and poultry is harder than it has ever been.
Agricultural Recruitment Specialists (AgriRS) has been placing people across pig and poultry for over 13 years. We recruit for pig farms, poultry units, integrators, processing businesses, genetics companies and the wider supply chain across the UK, connecting the right candidates to the right roles at every level.
This guide covers the jobs available across both sectors, the businesses we recruit for and how we can help, whether you are looking to hire or looking for work.
In Focus: The UK Pig & Poultry Sector
UK poultry meat production reached 2,031 thousand tonnes in 2024, a 2.9% increase on the previous year, driven by easing input costs and growing consumer demand, according to Defra's Total Factor Productivity statistics. The British Poultry Council reports that the sector supports around 100,000 jobs across farming, processing and the supply chain, and UK broiler production accounts for over £4.6 billion of economic output annually. On the egg side, the UK produced 936 million dozen eggs in 2023, with free-range production now representing nearly 60% of total output as the industry advances toward its cage-free commitments.
The UK pig sector slaughtered approximately 10.32 million head in 2024, with average carcase weights around 90kg. Average Farm Business Income for specialist pig farms in England rose 87% to £135,800 in 2023/24, reflecting higher throughputs and prices after several difficult years, according to Defra data published in November 2024. The UK breeding herd stands at approximately 330,000 sows. While margins have recovered from the crisis lows of 2022 and 2023, cost pressures from feed, energy and compliance remain real, and the sector continues to invest in genetics, biosecurity and automation to drive productivity.
Workforce pressure across both sectors is well-documented. Employment in the UK meat processing sector declined at an average annual rate of 3.5% between 2019 and 2024 as EU workers departed post-Brexit, according to AHDB's five-year review published in April 2025. Vacancy rates in the sector stood at 5.0% in early 2025, significantly above the wider manufacturing average of 2.7%. At farm level, skilled stockpersons and unit managers with strong biosecurity awareness and good stockmanship are consistently hard to find, particularly for integrated poultry operations and larger pig units.
Careers in Pig & Poultry: From the Unit to the Boardroom
Jobs across pig and poultry span hands-on stockmanship and unit management, technical and veterinary roles, commercial and sales positions and senior leadership. Here is a snapshot of what we place.
Farm, Unit and Production Roles
Poultry Unit Manager/Flock Manager (Broiler): Managing a broiler or turkey growing unit from chick placement to clearance, covering bird welfare, feed management, biosecurity and flock performance records.
Layer Farm Manager/Egg Production Manager: Overseeing a commercial laying flock, managing bird welfare, egg quality, biosecurity and production efficiency across a cage-free, barn or free-range operation.
Poultry Stockperson/Flock Supervisor: Hands-on care of poultry across broiler, layer or breeder units, including daily checks, feeding, biosecurity protocols and reporting.
Pig Unit Manager/Pig Farm Manager: Leading all operations on a breeding, weaner or finishing unit, covering sow management, piglet welfare, health programmes, feed management and team supervision.
Pig Stockperson/Assistant Unit Manager: Hands-on care of pigs across breeding, farrowing, nursery or finishing sections, with responsibility for welfare, feeding and health monitoring.
Hatchery Manager/Hatchery Technician: Managing chick hatching operations within a commercial hatchery, covering incubation, chick quality, vaccination and dispatch.
Poultry or Pig Production Director/Operations Manager: Senior operational leadership across multiple units within an integrated poultry or pig business, with P&L responsibility.
Technical, Commercial and Senior Roles
Poultry Vet/Pig Vet: Providing specialist veterinary health planning, disease investigation, biosecurity audits and flock or herd health programmes for commercial producers or within a veterinary practice.
Poultry or Pig Nutritionist: Designing and optimising feed programmes for broilers, layers, breeders, sows or finisher pigs, working with feed manufacturers, integrators or directly with producers.
Poultry or Pig Genetics Sales Specialist: Commercial role promoting breeding stock, parent flocks or genetic programmes from a genetics company to commercial producers and integrators.
Technical Sales Manager (Poultry or Pig): Selling health products, equipment, feed additives or specialist inputs to pig and poultry producers, with strong technical product knowledge.
Poultry or Pig Processing Manager: Leading production operations within a poultry or pig processing plant, covering throughput, yield, quality, compliance and team management.
Biosecurity and Welfare Specialist: Advisory or management role focused on biosecurity protocol development, welfare auditing and compliance across a farm or processing business.
Area or National Sales Manager (Pig or Poultry Inputs): Leading a commercial team selling into the pig or poultry supply chain, with responsibility for revenue, customer relationships and market development.
The Pig & Poultry Sector: What We Cover
Our recruitment spans the full pig and poultry supply chain, from primary production through to processing, genetics and the businesses that supply and service the sector.
Commercial Broiler Farming: Unit managers, flock supervisors and production directors across broiler growing operations of all sizes.
Egg Production (Free Range, Barn and Cage Free): Layer farm managers, egg production specialists and operations roles across commercial egg businesses.
Pig Breeding and Finishing: Pig unit managers, stockpersons and herd health specialists across breeding, weaner and finishing pig operations.
Turkey and Specialist Poultry: Unit management and stockperson roles on turkey, duck and other specialist poultry enterprises.
Poultry and Pig Genetics: Sales, technical and commercial roles within genetics companies supplying breeding stock to commercial producers.
Hatchery Operations: Hatchery managers, technicians and operations specialists within commercial hatcheries.
Poultry and Pig Processing: Production, quality, operations and management roles within poultry and pig processing and packing plants.
Animal Health and Veterinary (Pig and Poultry): Farm vets, vet nurses, health planners and technical advisers specialising in pig or poultry health programmes.
Pig and Poultry Nutrition: Nutritionists and technical advisers working with feed manufacturers, integrators and independent producers.
Equipment, Technology and Inputs: Sales, technical and commercial roles in housing systems, ventilation, lighting, automation and specialist feed additives for pig and poultry businesses.
For Employers
What to Expect from Pig & Poultry Recruitment
Recruiting across pig and poultry comes with some very specific constraints. The pool of experienced stockpersons and unit managers who have the right biosecurity knowledge, the right stockmanship instincts and the willingness to work the hours these roles demand is genuinely limited. Post-Brexit, the EU worker supply that sustained the sector for two decades has largely gone, and the domestic pipeline of trained replacements hasn’t filled the gap. On the commercial side, technical sales specialists who can have a credible conversation with a poultry integrator or a large pig unit about genetics, health management or feed performance are equally scarce.
We have been building relationships across pig and poultry for over 13 years, and our candidate database reflects the depth of those connections across both farm and commercial roles. We will give you an honest view of the market from the start: who is available, what package is competitive and how long a realistic search will take.
How We Work with Employers
Contingency search: Proactive candidate searches across our network, with targeted advertising where appropriate. No placement, no fee.
Executive search and headhunting: For senior, specialist or hard-to-fill roles where the right candidate needs to be approached directly. 100% success rate since 2012.
Contract and temporary placements: For harvest cover, maternity leave or short-term operational gaps.
Market intelligence: Salary benchmarking, candidate availability and competitor insight to inform your hiring approach.
Candidate profiling: Psychometric and skills assessments to support your final hiring decision.
Whether you are an experienced unit manager looking for your next operation, a poultry or pig vet considering a move into industry, a stockperson ready for more responsibility, or a commercial specialist looking for a new challenge in the sector, we work with businesses across pig and poultry that are actively looking for people like you. Many of the roles we fill are never publicly advertised.
What We Offer Candidates
Free and confidential service: No cost to register, and your details are handled with complete discretion.
Access to unadvertised roles: A significant proportion of the positions we fill never reach a job board.
CV and interview support: Practical guidance to help you present yourself well at every stage.
UK-wide coverage: Vacancies across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Career guidance: Whether you know exactly what you want or are still weighing up your options, we will give you an honest view of the market.
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Stay in the Loop with Pig & Poultry Sector Insights
Our AgriCulture Live podcast features conversations with people shaping UK livestock production and the wider agricultural supply chain. For sector news, career insight and hiring guidance, our blog covers the topics that matter most to people working in pig and poultry:
If you are a poultry integrator, pig farming business, genetics company, processing operation or supply chain business looking to fill a role, the first step is to tell us what you need. We know the candidate market in both sectors well and will give you a straight view from the start: how competitive the search is, what a realistic package looks like and how long the process is likely to take. You can submit a vacancy here and one of our Recruitment Specialists will get in touch.
If you are looking for your next pig or poultry role, get in touch with a brief outline of your background and what you are looking for. Email info@agriRS.co.uk or call 01905 345 155. Many of the roles we fill are never advertised, so talking to us directly is usually the fastest way to find out what is available.
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