The poultry industry is now facing a lot of challenges that affect both the consumer and the producers. Various hurdles have a significant impact on poultry production ranging from disease outbreaks to rising cost of feed and disruption in the supply chain. This blog helps in understanding the issues in the global poultry industry and finding out the ways to overcome these challenges.
Disease Outbreaks and Their Impact on Poultry Production:
The major concern in the poultry industry is the risk of disease outbreaks. High contagious diseases such as avian influenza will wipe out entire flocks. It will also lead to financial loss and industry shortages. These outbreaks provides trade restrictions, limited export opportunities, and affect the supply chain.
Solution:
- Regular health checks and biosecurity are needed to reduce the risk of transmission. Farmers are investing in robust monitoring systems and use strict protocols to ensure disease-free operation.
- Expanding veterinary networks and collaborating with government bodies will help in responding quickly to outbreaks and prevent widespread contamination.
Labor Shortage:
The poultry industry often faces labor shortages in processing plants. In poultry process workers are essential for maintaining production quality and speed. This issue was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and led to a disruption in processing capacity.
Solution:
- By automating few part of poultry processing will help in alleviating the strain on labor while ensuring efficiency.
- To attract and retain workers companies are now offering better wages, career development opportunities, and working conditions.
Regulatory and Compliance Challenges:
The poultry farming field is heavily regulated with strict rules that concern animal welfare, environmental standards, and food safety. It became complex and time-consuming to comply with these regulations which led to increased operational costs.
Solution:
- Inform the farmers about changes in regulation by building strong relationships with industry bodies and regulatory agencies.
- Invest more in training programs for staff and ensuring that they are adhering to safety and quality standards. It will also help in reducing the risk of costly violations.
Supply Chain Disruptions:
The poultry industry depends upon a complex global supply chain for everything from feed ingredients to packaging materials. Disruptions in transportation, labor shortages, and trade barriers will result in delays and increase cost and product shortages.
Solution:
- High rate of investment in inventory management systems and localizing production processes. Both of these factors will help in migrating the impact of supply chain disruptions.
- Poultry producers are working on diversifying their supply chain to reduce dependency on a single supplier and geographic region.
Fluctuating feed Costs:
It is considered one of the major expenses for poultry farmers and makes up 60-70% of total production costs. Price will fluctuate owing to factors such as weather conditions, changes in commodity prices, and supply disruption. This will also impact the profitability of poultry farming.
Solution:
- Investing and efficient feed production technologies and improving feed conversion ratios. These factors will help in reducing the cost per unit of poultry produced.
- Diversifying the source of feed and using substitute feed ingredients. It includes locally sourced grain will help buffer against price volatility.
