.Top chick salesman retires in Northern Ireland

One of Northern Ireland’s best known chick salesmen, Cecil Dorman, has retired
after 40 years but intends to retain his links with the egg industry.

Since he moved to chick suppliers R A Wright in 1972, he has been the
‘front man’ for the Warren / ISABROWN breed which has been the country’s
market leader for most of that period.

Now his son-in-law Roy Brown has taken over the sales role, Cecil will spend
more time on his family farm at Lisburn, County Down, where he rears pullets
for the country’s leading egg producers, but will also be able to pursue his
other interests, golf and music.

On behalf of Tom Barron ISA, Roy organised and hosted a retirement dinner at
the Armagh City Hotel where Cecil’s customers presented him with a gold watch.

Cecil recalls that when he began initially selling Shaver chicks in 1966, there
were around nine million layers and eight hatcheries in Northern Ireland with
95 per cent of production white eggs. With the demise of the Egg Marketing
Board production was scaled back and the market changed to brown eggs
in line with consumer demand.

R A Wright were the Northern Ireland distributors of the Warren Studler
Sex-Sal-Link layer for thirty five years, and the bird quickly became established
as a favourite with brown egg producers, as has the successor breed, the
ISABROWN. Just over a year ago, Tom Barron ISA Ltd, took over the
distribution rights for Ireland, and Roy Brown now works for them on a sole
agency basis in the north.

Commenting on other changes in the Northern Irish egg industry, Cecil says that
today’s layer flock is much better protected from disease through improved
bio-security and a growing proportion of the production, now around 25 per
cent, is coming from free range.

Roy Brown, who has an agricultural background, was introduced into
R.A. Wrights two years ago by Cecil, and has worked alongside him, enjoying
the benefit of Cecil’s long and invaluable experience in the poultry industry to
help prepare him for his current role, selling ISABROWN, Shaver and Warren
stock in Northern Ireland.

You can contact Roy Brown on 07802 660318.