Different parts of the country come with their own unique ‘soilscape’, or soil composition profile. Surrounding our base in Lincolnshire, for example, we have a mixture of loamy, clay-rich soils with a naturally high groundwater level around the coast, and more acidic, seasonally wet clay soils further inland. Elsewhere in the country, soils are quite different. Much of Wales and the south-west of England have sandy soils rich in lime that do not retain much surface water, whereas south-central England has a band of shallow chalk-rich soils. Each soilscape comes with a distinct profile that affects how farmers plant and rear crops.

Chickens hold a special place in the nation’s heart. Brits munch their way through a staggering 2.2 million chickens every day of the year. This makes chicken the most commonly consumed meat animal in the country, accounting for more than 50% of the UK’s total meat consumption.

Then let’s talk about eggs. In 2015, the British public ate an average of 33 million chicken eggs per day. That’s 189 eggs for every man, woman and child in the country - adding up to a total of 12.2 billion chicken eggs consumed per year.