Keeping poultry production sustainable may not be as onerous as it would be for cattle, regarded as a top agricultural source of greenhouse gasses globally.

 

But, while the poultry industry has not received the acute scrutiny that cattle production gets, livestock diseases (such as the recent avian influenza outbreaks in parts of the world) and adverse weathers (for example, the US winter storm last December) have, otherwise, made its sustainability journey harder. There are, of course, other key issues — high feed prices and uncertain economic conditions — adding to agriculture's never-ending challenges.

 

"...challenges in poultry production are inevitable and unpredictable," according to the France-based CCPA Group (pages 8-9). Poultry Production: Bird Health & Sustainability As such, a "new nutritional approach" would enable animals to "be more resilient and productive." By improving animal comfort and performance, CCPA's phyto-solution, Feedstuff® Poultry, provides an answer to fulfilling this objective.

 

From the perspective of Guillaume Trépo, global portfolio lead for feed enzymes at DSM, there has to be an efficient use of natural resources (pages 10-11). This is especially the case as the growth of soy — which constitutes about 30% of poultry rations —could impose further, "significant pressure on planetary boundaries." Trépo presents a solution: DSM's ProAct, which could have helped save "around nine million tonnes of soy", had 19 billion heads of broilers produced globally in 2019 were fed" the feed protease.

 

In the matter of pursuing the most optimal form of livestock production, some things can never be easily changed or are simply uncontrollable. Diseases strike when opportunities avail and nature is infinitely untameable.

 

Despite those odds, changing the way poultry birds are fed can greatly alter poultry production's outcome for something better. It simply takes action and innovation — as livestock production's longevity has attested since its earliest days.

 

The full article is published on the January 2023 issue of LIVESTOCK & FEED Business. To read the full report, please email to inquiry@efeedlink.com to request for a complimentary copy of the magazine, indicating your name, mailing address and title of the report.