January 25, 2022

 

Aviagen illustrates CO2 reduction contribution to global poultry industry

 

Aviagen^® addresses the issue of sustainable food production through the "Breeding Sustainability" concept, the company said.

 

Sustainable poultry breeding contributes to a decrease in carbon emissions through a continuous improvement in biological efficiency, fitness and welfare traits. Feed conversion ratio (FCR), or the rate at which feed is converted to body weight, is a key indicator of biological efficiency and has the greatest direct impact on the industry's carbon footprint.

 

Due to an FCR improvement of 1.5-2.0 points per year, Aviagen contributes to a 1% year-on-year carbon footprint reduction. A video produced by the company tells the story of the "FCR Advantage" through a balanced breeding approach, resulting in a yearly reduction in the poultry industry's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

 

The United Nations (UN) estimates just over 8.5 billion people by 2030, and the world will face the challenge of providing food for everyone.

 

The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030 predicts that meat production will need to rise by 44 million tonnes by 2030, with half of the increase supplied by poultry. The food industry currently contributes close to 25% of the world's annual GHG emissions, and of this amount, poultry meat is responsible for about 6%.

 

As a result of FCR improvements, the modern broiler generates 50% less carbon footprint than the bird in 1970, and fast forwarding to 2030, the bird of the future will create a 15% lower carbon footprint than the bird of today, according to Aviagen.

 

In 2020, 133.3 million tonnes of poultry meat were produced globally, at a carbon cost of six kilogrammes CO2for every kilogramme of meat. That translates to 800 million tonnes of CO2. 

 

"To illustrate the impact with a hypothetical example, based on our FCR gains, if every bird were an Aviagen bird, this amount would be reduced by eight million metric tonnes per year," explained Aviagen's director of global genetics, Dr. Santiago Avendaño. "To put it in perspective, this is the carbon equivalent of flying around the world on a Boeing 747-400 5,906 times.

 

"As a poultry breeder, we are at the beginning of the food production chain, and we take our responsibility of contributing to the sustainability of the entire industry seriously. We have worked for years to breed efficiencies that make poultry production more sustainable, while at the same time advancing bird health, welfare and performance. Because we care about the planet, our customers and the communities they serve, we are committed to continually breeding for sustainability for decades to come."

 

Aviagen has made the concept of "Balanced Breeding" one of its top five corporate commitments.

 

Balanced Breeding simultaneously promotes the Environmental, Economic and Social pillars of sustainability, helping farmers around the world feed their communities with a healthy, affordable and sustainable source of protein, while breeding efficiencies that help to preserve the planet for today and for generations to come.

  

This year at the International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE), which takes place January 25-27 in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States,  Dr. Avendaño will delve into this topic in his presentation entitled, "Poultry breeding's contribution to the environmental sustainability of the meat sector."

 

This discussion will be held on January 26, 11:30 am (Eastern Standard Time) in booth B3649.

 

- Aviagen