Defining sustainability in poultry is a challenge that the poultry industry has faced over the last several years and will continue to face in the future.
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Egg and Poultry Production Safety Research Unit microbiologist Michael Rothrock, sustainability issues in the poultry industry are impacted by every part of the supply chain.
The producer and the consumer want a happy and healthy chicken, he explained at the 2024 Poultry Science Association (PSA) annual conference. But when growing that bird, it interacts with the farm, the producer, the environment, the consumer and the bottom dollar. All these variables impact how the producer will grow a chicken and how the industry goes about managing each of these aspects.
According to Rothrock, sustainability can be addressed using Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) One Health system. The approach recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and the environment.
“The approach is focused on linking what’s happening on the farm level to human health,” he said.
How sustainability impacts the entire poultry industry
Making one change in the poultry supply chain to improve sustainability could easily, and even negatively, impact another part of the process. This is because sustainability touches each part of the industry’s supply chain, beginning with genetics companies.
When looking at making a change concerning genetics and breeding, the industry must consider what the health and financial cost of that change is to the consumer and producer.
“When we change the bird’s feed sources to improve one aspect of sustainability, such as replacing soy, what is the financial, bird and flavor profile impact?” he questioned.
When the producer makes a change to a flock’s health or welfare management, such as the length of time that fans are running, how do those changes affect the surrounding environment, and will that ultimately impact the consumer? Will that change impact the wild bird population and the prevalence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in that area?
Concerning food safety, consumers want product that is safe to eat, but much of the population still needs to be educated on how to properly prepare chicken. Sustainability will be impacted differently whether the industry put more resources into education or food safety improvements in the production process.
When evaluating consumer perception, no antibiotics ever (NAE) chicken is something consumers say they want, but it heavily impacts disease control and bird growth, which ultimately affects sustainability.
Rothrock concluded with the reality that there is currently no “silver bullet solution” to defining sustainability in the poultry industry. However, we do know that sustainability impacts the health of people, birds and the environment in ways that the industry may or may not know yet, he said.
