June 23, 2014
UAE poultry production to rise in 2014 despite challenges
The poultry meat production in the United Arab Emirates is expected to reach 43,000 tonnes, an increase of 5% compared to 41,000 tonnes in 2013.
The county's poultry sector faces serious challenges, with diseases being the greatest threat. With old strains mutating to new ones, migratory birds and animals spreading diseases to farms, mortality of poultry birds increased by 12% in 2014.
Slaughtering is another problem. Hand slaughtering is the most common practice in the country, as all locally-produced chicken is required to be Halal, making the process complicated. Some producers have a large number of birds with broken wings, legs or other damages, which resulted in a 15% drop in inventory.
Saudi Arabia and Oman, which export fresh poultry meat to UAE, are also posing challenges to local producers as the poultry sector in these two countries receive support from their governments.
