April 26, 2006

Poultry, soy producers in north-eastern US join to promote chicken

Poultry and soybean producers in the US states of Delaware and Maryland have joined forces to promote chicken as a safe dinner choice.

The promotional campaign, announced Monday (Apr 24), is a collaboration between the Delaware Soybean Board, the Maryland Soybean Board and the Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc, a trade association representing broiler chicken producers on the Delmarva Peninsula.

The campaign's purpose is to convey to the public that eating chicken is safe during a time when bird flu concerns are rampant, DPI said in a press release. Signs with the slogan "Safe, delicious, nutritious ... eat chicken tonight" will be on display on farms, businesses and roadways, the groups said.

The highly pathogenic H5N1 Asian strain of bird flu is spreading rapidly in Asia, Europe and Africa, but so far has not been found in the Americas. US government officials say migratory birds are likely to bring the H5N1 virus to the US later this year. However, the US Department of Agriculture says proper cooking of poultry--to 74 deg C--will kill any viruses in poultry meat.

The soybean boards are supporting the region's poultry industry because soymeal is a primary component of chicken feed. The signs featuring the "safe, delicious, nutritious" slogan were paid for using soybean checkoff funds, the release said.

Through the checkoff, 0.5 percent of the net market value of soybeans is assessed at the first point of sale, and those checkoff funds are used for soybean research, marketing and education.

"We are very happy to be partners once again with America's and this region's soybean growers," said DPI President Roger Marino in the release. "They are an essential part of the three-legged stool that is needed to sustain Delmarva's chicken industry. Those three legs are the poultry growers, the poultry companies, and the farmers who grow the feed ingredients needed by our chickens."