As another significant stride toward advancing bird welfare during the crucial journey from breeder to producer, JAS, which has facilitated the careful shipment of Aviagen day-old chicks to destinations across the globe, recently opened two new state-of-the-art chick holding rooms within its London Heathrow Warehouse Holding Facility in the United Kingdom. These specialised spaces serve as a temporary home for chicks before their departure.

Aviagen's global veterinary team worked hand in hand with JAS to meticulously design the new rooms at Heathrow with bird well-being in mind. Each room is equipped with digital-panel controls, specially calibrated to maintain the perfect balance of temperature, humidity and ventilation. These measures are also essential to ensure optimal biosecurity.

Diane Hartjes, Aviagen's global director (export, logistics and trade compliance), said: "The inauguration of these advanced holding rooms highlights the shared dedication of Aviagen and JAS to consistently enhance bird welfare, but also secure the supply of robust breeding stock to producers across the world, enhancing their ability to feed the world with nutritious, versatile and sustainable chicken meat. The enduring 20-year relationship between Aviagen and JAS underscores a steadfast commitment to transparency, communication and engagement with our export allies and all members of the global poultry value chain."

Carlo Rebuffi, JAS Worldwide's live animal manager and Aviagen's global account manager, said: "The creation of these two rooms is another milestone in the collaborative relationship between Aviagen and JAS Worldwide. We constantly strive to get closer to perfection at handling this very valuable and sensitive cargo. Our goal is to help Aviagen safely and securely deliver chicks to their destination, and we are proud to contribute to feeding the world."