EMERGING TRENDS OF ORGANIC MEAT & EGGS PRODUCTION IN INDIA
FAO defines Organic farming as “a unique production management system which promotes
and enhances agroecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil
biological activity, and this is accomplished by using on farm agronomic, biological and
mechanical methods in exclusion of all synthetic off farm inputs.” That means ORGANIC
POULTRY is rearing of birds without cages, outdoor access, organic feed with natural
treatments.
There is no inherent nutritional advantage in the organic foods over nonorganics, but it is a type of production system which makes organic food “healthier” than non-organics. Western countries have more stringent laws for use of pesticides as compared to conventional farming in India. India is one of the largest users of pesticide in Asia and also one of the largest manufactures. So, organic food/meat production has a very special importance in India. Organic cultivation is particularly suitable for a country like India with a huge population of small farmers who still use traditional methods of farming with few agricultural inputs. It is estimated that 65 per cent of the country’s cropped area is organic by default, as the small farmers have no choice but to farm without chemical fertilizers and pesticides as they cannot afford. This default status coupled with India’s inherent advantages, such as, its varied agro-climatic regions, local self-sustaining agri-systems, sizeable number of progressive farmers and ready availability of inexpensive manpower translate into the potential to cultivate a vast basket of products organically. Similarly, animal husbandry practices followed in tribal and rural areas are near organic as they do not involve much of chemical and synthetic feed additives. Currently organic meat marketing is limited to supermarkets catering to niche consumer segments in different metro cities. In general, Indian meat industry is an unorganized sector. Although there are few ultra-modern export units they do not have control over production practices of farmers. On the other hand, farmers do not find it worth to follow organic animal rearing as there is no organized setup for its collection and processing. Entrepreneurs interested in organic production are also often deterred by prevalence of diseases and extreme weather conditions. In addition, lack of availability of medications alternative to traditional allopathic drugs is an impediment in growth of organic meat animal production. Extensive
Eggs are the most nutritious, yet relatively cheaper, unadulterated natural food,
with highest biological value and digestibility coefficient. It considered as golden standard, to
measure the quality and nutritional value of any other foods. Due to constant increase in the
consumers’ knowledge and financial standards, they demand for better and value-added
products; irrespective of its costs. Designer eggs/ meat and organic eggs/ meat are such examples of value-added products of poultry origin.
Basic requirements for organic poultry and dairy include ——
a. Appropriate housing that permits natural behaviour, including outdoor access.
b. Certified organic feed, including pasture.
c. No antibiotics, drugs or synthetic parasiticides.
d. Organic processing of meat and eggs.
e. Recordkeeping system to allow tracking of poultry and products (audit trail).
f. Organic system plan including description of practices to prevent contamination, monitoring
practices and list of inputs.
g. Production that does not contribute to contamination of soil or water.
h. No genetically modified organisms, ionizing radiation or sewage sludge.
i. Pasture management.
j. Grazing management.
k. Stress management.
l. Dry cow management, or a dry cow program.
m. Seasonal breeding.
n. Access to the environment.
o. Access to the pasture.
p. Natural maintenance of shelter.
q. Avoidance of synthetic substances.
r. Rearing of birds without cages.
s. Outdoor access.
t. Organic feed.
u. Natural treatments.
Organic egg production:
Our Vedas say “Live in partnership with, rather than exploit nature”. Organic egg production is a holistic approach including a). Housing & management, b).Welfare and health cover, c). Feeding procedures and d). Certification by the licensing authorities. Eggs from certified organic farms are considered as organic despite from any free-
range system, cage-free system, open yard or country eggs.
Breeding: Adaptability to the local conditions determines the choice of breed. Breeding goals
should not be contradicted to the animal behaviour instead should be directed towards good
health. Use of genetically engineered species or breeds is not allowed for organic farming.
Hormonal treatment for better egg production is not allowed instead natural reproductive
techniques should be used. The sex ratio should be one male for about 4-6 hens in a flock.
a). Housing & FARM Management: Chemical fertilizers and pesticides free land for at least three
consecutive years should be used for organic farming. Deep litter houses with open outdoors
having pasture is prerequisite for organic poultry production. Flock size may vary from 4000-
6000 birds/shed or 16,000-30,000 hens/ farms.
· Stocking density should be 7 hens per m² covered shed area.
· Provision of one nest hole for each 8 hens.
· Provision of a perch length of 10cm per hen at 60 cm height.
· Provide 45 cm X 60 cm pop-holes for each 250 hens, for free access between pen and free-
range during daytime.
· opportunity to exhibit all its normal behaviour patterns and experience minimal stress.
b). Welfare and health cover: Maintenance of basic animal welfare is required for organic
certification. Only natural molting can occur within the flock and forced molting is prohibited.
Vaccinations should be carried out upto 18 weeks, as in the case of conventional layers. Legally
required vaccinations are allowed whereas genetically engineered vaccines are prohibited.
Herbal dewormers like bitter gourd, Kamala, neem oil, panchakavia are allowed, if there is more
worm burden. For organic egg production, the feed has to be free from antibiotics (AGP), drugs,
feed additives and many more synthetic performance enhancers.
c). Feeding procedures: Allowance of certified organic feed ingredients like maize, soya etc.
from organic farms. In case of scarcity of organic raw materials, conventional feed ingredients,
free from pesticide residues, can be used upto 30 %. Animal by-products like fish, MBM etc. are
prohibited in the feed. Vitamins, organic minerals, amino acids, herbal preparations are permitted
in the organic feed. Natural feeding behaviour and digestive needs should be followed while
feeding. Home grown protein sources like peas, beans and rapeseed can be utilized. Peas can
be included at the rate of 250-300g/kg for the table chicken and 150-200g/kg for laying hens.
Limestone and rock phosphate in general and limestone grit and rock phosphate particularly
for layers can be used as mineral source. Trace minerals incorporated in the diets should be
organic or ayurvedic in nature. The requirement of essential amino acids can be fulfilled
through feeding organic soybean, skim milk powder, potato protein, maize gluten etc. Water
should be regularly tested for ground water contamination.
d). Certification by the licensing authorities: In India, Agricultural and Processed Food
Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) regulates the certification of organic
products, as per National Standards for Organic Production (NPOP). At present there is no
authorized “Organic eggs’ certifying agency in India. Eggs can be produced as per international
standards and market them.
Record Keeping: Record keeping of overall management practices is the most important
factor. There must be systematic documentation of activities, observations and inferences from
time to time for future reference. Records including breeding records, registers indicating
source of animals’ purchase, source of organic feed ingredients, feed supplements and feed
additives purchased, organic feed formulation record, organic poultry pasture record, inventory
of health care products, sanitation products, monthly flock records of organic egg layers,
organic meat poultry, organic poultry slaughter/sales summary and monthly organic egg
packing /sales record should be kept updated and well managed.
Conclusion: organic production of food items is gaining a fast pace in todays scenario where
every product is adulterated or having any harmful substances in form of additives,
preservatives, and regulators. Organic production should be done by keeping in mind the
above-mentioned prospects. Apart from this, there is a need for a statutory authority for the
formulation of rules, regulation and laying standards for the standardized organic egg production.
DR BS RANA,POULTRY CONSULTANT, NEW DELHI
ORGANIC MEAT & EGGS PRODUCTION IN INDIA
