Australians are choosing to put turkey on the dinner table year-round and not just at Christmas, according to free-range turkey producer John Holland.
On 20 hectares at Murray Bridge, Mr Holland operates Almond Grove Free Range Poultry, which is home to 5000 turkeys.
Since becoming Australia's first Humane Choice certified turkey farm in 2013, Mr Holland said demand for the low-in-fat protein has skyrocketed.
Supplying turkeys to every state, during the year about 120 turkeys are processed a week at an Allendale North poultry processor, but once December arrives in excess of 1000 turkeys are required for the month.
“Our production obviously reaches its peak this month but Christmas in July has become something we plan for, as well as Thanksgiving,” Mr Holland said.
“The demand has increased a lot and we are getting more requests for other turkey products to be made.
“It really is moving away from just a turkey at Christmas.”
Beginning with just 1000 turkeys in 2003, the business has experienced continued growth and is now supplying some of Australia's most high-end restaurants and butchers, including SkyCity Adelaide Casino and Feather and Bone, NSW.
“When we first started we were not even sure it was going to work because being organically certified we didn’t use antibiotics or medications, so we never even put the business’s phone number out to the public or created a website. Our business is what it is today because word of mouth and that is it,” Mr Holland said.
About 450 birds are run per hectare and are processed at about 15 weeks of age weighing five kilograms. Its free-range environment adds on growing time.
One-day-old turkeys are flown to Adelaide from Inghams, NSW, with the highest numbers arriving in August through to October.
“We do not breed on-farm because turkeys are very difficult to breed,” he said.
As consumers continued to be more health conscious, Mr Holland said they had also become ethically conscious.
“Australians are trying to eat healthy but as consumers move towards products that have a Humane Choice certification, that has undoubtedly pushed our production to the height it is,” he said.
“Customers care about low stocking rates and not having the birds’ toes or beaks trimmed. Our turkeys are as they would be if they were in the wild.
“We put a lot of effort into keeping the birds occupied in a free-range environment with lucerne bales and that way we do not need to trim.
“It is exciting for us that turkey has become an year-round product for Australians, so there is no doubt our production will change in the next few years.”
