Mr. James Hook
1956 – Present
James Hook studied Land Management at the Rural Agricultural College at Cirencester. After this he took a position at Moore Allen and Innocent as a livestock auctioneer at Cirencester Market and became well known amongst the agricultural community. At the same time James supported his Parents Pat and Joan Hook, running the breeder farms at Cote, in Oxfordshire. Pat Hook passed away suddenly in 1992 and James took on the position of Managing Director of P.D. Hook (Hatcheries) Ltd, helping his mother drive the business forward; he drove to all ends of the country to gain external chick sales, saying ‘yes’ to any customers and always being flexible. This approach led to a growth in external sales and a continuous extension at Cote Hatchery until production reached 1.0 million chicks a week.
With investment in breeders being extremely expensive, James bought second hand incubators from hatcheries that were closing down and put them into Cote; some of these machines are still in operation today. Cote went on to become the largest hatchery in Europe, hatching 2.0 million chicks a week. P.D. Hook now hatches 10 million chicks a week and continues to be the largest independent hatchery company in the UK and is known across the world for its top quality breeder performance and its reputation for being a solid well-run business with farming at the heart of the operation.
James has served on the National NFU Poultry Board, Branch and County Chairman for the NFU, British Poultry Council, has chaired EPIC and was involved in Brussels with AVEC, ELPHA and Copa Cogeca. James was a founding member of the team that started Assured Chicken Production (ACP), now known as Red Tractor and this assurance scheme was set up by the industry to promote British poultry through the British Chicken Marketing Campaign and to protect the UK industry from cheap inferior imports. James still sits on the Technical Advisory Committee today.
James has worked with Ranjit Singh and 2Sisters Food group for over 25 years and has supported the business by being the company’s main agricultural partner and supplier. James is still Managing Director of Hook2Sisters, which produces nearly 7.0 million broilers a week, supplying major retailers and food service companies. James has excellent relations with retailers, always ensuring we move with the market, whilst getting a fair return for the chickens.
At home the family farm has grown significantly over the last 25 years with 1400 breeding ewes, 200 Aberdeen Angus and a large arable enterprise. So when James is not making decisions in the board room at Cote, he is often seen in his John Deere boiler suit topping the fields or moving 500 sheep on the road from farm to farm, with grandchildren acting as gate stoppers!
James runs P.D. Hook very much as a family business with a flat structure, meaning James, the family and the senior team know the business and its people. The 5 children have all worked up the ranks, starting with egg packing at 5 years of age, because as James said, they had small hands which meant egg packing was easier, and then being promoted to the hatchery when they were 10, by which time they were tall enough to reach the grading line! In addition, there are 9 grand children and counting, which means there are another generation of egg packers and chick graders at the ready!
From the Edwina Curry salmonella crisis, availability of labour, Brexit, avian influenza, flood and fire; in the face of adversity James maintains an optimistic and decisive nature that enables the business to tackle any challenge that it faces with success.
James has dedicated his life to P.D. Hook and the poultry industry, and has been a leading entrepreneurial pioneer of his time.