The World Poultry Industry will face in the future with regard to issues including Animal Welfare, Food Safety and the Environment
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Dr. Rambabu.D, Associate Professor
Dept. of Poultry Science, College of Veterinary Science, Korutla
PV Narsimha Rao Telangana Veterinary University
Jagtial dist – 505 326. Telangana State.
e-mail: ram_vetdoc@rediffmail.com
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Introduction
Due to the rising global population’s desire for food, agricultural production has undergone tremendous growth over the past few years. The rise in global population, average income, and urbanization are the main causes of this demand. According to UN predictions, there will be eight billion people on the earth by 2030, and their average annual income would be 32% greater than it was in 2006. Additionally, throughout the same time period, meat consumption will rise by 26% per person year, with chicken meat in particular seeing an increase (FAO, 2010; OECD-FAO, 2010).
These, however, are not the only elements that will shape how the poultry sector develops over the next ten years. It is also important to take into account technical aspects, the advancement of science and technology, the availability of water and natural resources (which are becoming more scarce), and the preservation of trade barriers.
In the coming years, output of poultry will also be impacted by the cost of raw materials used to make feed. Estimates from OECD-FAO (2010) predict that between 2010 and 2019, feedstuff prices would be higher than the historical average but lower than the peaks seen in 2007 and 2008.
Last but not least, consumer demands will have a significant impact because these demands are growing more concerned with matters of animal welfare, food safety, and environmental impact in relation to the production of chicken. There have been new approaches developed to evaluate the economic and environmental effects of raising chicken. An illustration of this is the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment), an ISO-standardized procedure that aims to assess the environmental impact of producing poultry throughout the entire flock life cycle, from the acquisition of raw materials to the generation and treatment of waste to the recycling and disposal of production surplus (van der Werf and Prudêncio da Silva, 2010).
This article’s goal is to highlight some of the production, dietary, and technological trends that will help the poultry business meet these problems over the course of the upcoming ten years.
Animal Welfare: Effects & Implications
Anthropomorphism, in which customers put themselves in the shoes of cattle and draw judgments about their welfare frequently based on subjective beliefs, or animal performance are two ways to approach the welfare of animal agriculture. Poor welfare circumstances during animal rearing prevent animals from reaching their full genetic potential. Concerns about poultry welfare among consumers are gaining importance in the meat industry.
The level of welfare regulations’ rigour and a nation’s citizenry’s income, and consequently their purchasing power, are positively correlated (van Horne and Achterbosch,2008). These issues are clearly present, especially in the European Union, as evidenced by Directives 1999/74/EC and 2007/43/EG, which respectively established a maximum broiler density and a prohibition on traditional cages for commercial egg production after 2012.
The development of standardized metrics for poultry welfare evaluation and reliable technologies to monitor such parameters are among the challenges for the upcoming ten years. According to four principles—good feeding, good housing, good health status, and appropriate behavior—the Welfare Quality project, developed in the European Union, proposes to assess animal welfare by focusing on the animals themselves, rather than on environmental or management factors, and using objective indicators that can be easily measured in the field (Arnould and Butterworth, 2010).
Food Safety
Pathogen contamination of food is customers’ top worry (IFC, 2010). All parties engaged in the food production chain, including governments, must be open and committed if we are to meet this need for safer food. The food supply chain will be more tightly managed at every stage, with a focus on risk management through preventative and remedial measures (analysis and monitoring critical control points). This necessitates a careful selection of input suppliers, focusing on product quality rather than price, which calls for evaluation and maintenance plans, comprehension of the procedure and the materials used by suppliers, and technical knowledge on physical, chemical, and microbiological risks. It also requires understanding the process and the materials used by suppliers.
In the coming decades, feed mills will become increasingly automated, exposing fewer humans to operational risks while putting a greater emphasis on real-time traceability and important control points that are monitored just in time. The biggest risk factor for the entry of contaminants into the process of producing animal feed, according to Andree and Schwaegele (2010), who took part in the establishment of a project to analyze current or potential weak points in the food supply chains. The chicken business must give these new standards the necessary consideration, especially in light of the exporting nations’ obligation to satisfy the importers’ escalating demands.
In order to avoid performance losses and to protect the welfare of the birds, health monitoring of the flocks is now and will become more crucial. Particularly in a situation where the use of antimicrobial compounds is increasingly restricted, it is necessary to put in place measures for infection control and eradication as well as compliance with health programmes (cleaning and disinfection, vaccination, pest management, and disease monitoring).
Environment
In poultry operations, thermal comfort is crucial since poor environmental conditions have a negative impact on productivity. Both extremes of cold and heat can reduce productivity, harm the health and welfare of birds, and, in the worst cases, raise avian morbidity and/or mortality rates. The advancement of technology and our understanding of thermoregulation physiology and behavior will help us identify and correct thermally uncomfortable design flaws in chicken houses and bird management. New methods for studying broiler thermal comfort are now possible thanks to advancements in information technology, including real-time image analysis using video cameras, image-acquisition gear, and image-analysis software programmes to gather, process, and assess data (Moura et al., 2010).
It’s interesting to note that in broiler houses, the birds themselves create 80% of the heat, not lights or brooding equipment. An accurate assessment of this heat generation may enable the development of systems for utilising this energy, which might result in significant cost savings.
Utilization of Nutrients and Feed Formulation
The rising cost of raw materials, the drive to cut feed prices and the emphasis on nutrient environmental excretion are among the trends that are already apparent and that will determine how nutritionists plan diets in the next ten years. These elements will lead to more precise diet formulation and reduced safety margins. The animal feed sector will compete for raw resources, and the biofuel industry will need to utilise its byproducts. In this situation, expertise in the examination of these materials’ nutritional content and digestibility, which are not yet standardized, should be created, as is the case with distillers dried grain solubles (DDGS), for instance in the US.
Since enzymes increase ingredient digestibility and nutrient absorption and lessen the negative effects of anti-nutritional factors, they will be used more frequently in this context. This will allow for greater feed flexibility while also lowering feed costs (Ferket, 2009) and pollutant excretion in animal waste (Penz-Jr and Bruno, 2010).
In order to maximize nutrient supply, a greater attention will also be placed on anti-nutritional factors that alter the energy and nutrient availability for broilers. Better procedures for pelleting, expanding, and extruding will be created, as well as others, with an eye toward physical factors (temperature, moisture, pressure, and time) and how these affect the utilisation of nutrients (Ferket, 2009).
According to Skinner-Noblet et al. (2005), pelleting alters broiler behavior, resulting in increased feed intake in birds fed pelleted feed, which increases the effective dietary energy value. There are already accessible methods to assess how heat stress during the drying of corn (Métayer et al., 2009) and soybean meal (Helmbrecht et al., 2010) affects the nutritional content of those foods. Corn particle size and density should be better assessed because they may have an impact on how well nutrients are assimilated. Hetland et al. (2002) found that broilers fed whole wheat grain had higher starch digestibility than those given ground wheat. According to Parsons et al. (2006), larger particle sizes encourage a linear rise in broiler feed efficiency.
New synthetic amino acids made at reasonable prices will be made commercially available in the protein nutrition space. This will decrease the cost of feed and the amount of nitrogen released into the environment (Nahm, 2002). The next limiting amino acids following threonine will require further research, and their needs must be assessed in relation to lysine as well as with regard to the minimum intake and effects of their utilization under realistic broiler production settings (Kidd, 2009). For instance, it is now commonplace to utilise valine for broilers, whose advantageous effects were proven by Corzo et al. (2009).
In poultry diets, energy is typically the most expensive nutrient. Therefore, lower feed costs will be the result of increased utilization efficiency. One of the tactics to be taken into account is developing diets that take into account a feedstuff’s net energy, which is the energy that is really used for production and is defined as metabolisable energy minus energy loss owing to heat increment. The Poultry Cooperative Research Centre in Australia is now discussing a technique that could reduce feed costs and nutrient excretion (Mohen et al., 2005).
Understanding how trace minerals interact with the immune system and the quality of their sources, which prevents residues from entering the final product, will decide how effectively they are used. Additionally, more investigation is required on the distinctions between organic and inorganic sources.
Relationship between Intestinal Health and Nutrition
Is the use of additives a technological, economic, or political issue?
Nutritionists will need to adapt to the limitations on the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters, which are brought about by consumer demands and the emerging understanding of the relationship between nutrients and intestinal health, intestinal microbiota, and the immune system. Instead of treating enteric disorders with therapeutic drugs, it appears that there will be an increased need to focus efforts on altering the immune system and gut microbiota through the use of nutraceuticals (Ferket, 2009). Additionally, adhering to the guidelines for managing flock health and farm biosecurity will become increasingly crucial.
Acidifiers, prebiotics, probiotics, essential oils, enzymes, osmoregulators, nucleotides, zinc oxide, and other substances are among the numerous nutraceuticals that are currently on the market.
Infant nutrition
The perinatal phase of broilers corresponds to 50% of their life cycle due to genetic advancement and a decrease in market age. Therefore, nutritional care at this time, which aims to guarantee the birds have a sufficient quantity of food and water, will become increasingly important. Studies have demonstrated the negative effects of feed and/or water limitation in the first few hours of a chick’s life, including damage to the intestinal villi (Geyra et al., 2001; Viola et al., 2009). It has been proven that having access to energy and nutrients as soon as an egg hatches speeds up intestine development and, in turn, broiler growth (Uni et al., 1998).
Pre-starter meals will be heavily supplied in this situation, along with the provision of specific nutrients and the installation of specific management techniques tailored to this stage.
In-ovo feeding, which involves injecting nutrients into the amniotic fluid of embryos during the final stage of incubation to stimulate the formation and maturation of the intestinal villi before hatching, is another approach that is gaining popularity.
According to Foye et al. (2007), in-ovo-fed chicks have higher levels of digestive enzymes in their bodies. Additionally, broilers fed in-ovo showed increased breast muscle yield, which Kornasio et al. (2010) attributed to the effect of nutrition on muscle satellite cells.
Feed Mill
The animal protein sector faces at least two issues in the near future with regard to feed mill structure.
The first one has to do with the regulatory difficulties that various nations have put in place with an eye toward product traceability and sustainable production. The EU nations created the rule 183/2005/CE in 2005, and it went into effect at the beginning of 2006. The primary goal was to ensure the safety of both human and animal food and feed by focusing on feed cleanliness. These kinds of regulations encouraged other nations, particularly those who export meat, to begin applying good manufacturing practices (GMP) locally in their feed mills.
The second is having a basic comprehension of the idea of segregating substances. As of now, traders mostly view corn and soybeans as commodities. Negotiations are not always significantly affected by the ultimate nutritional content. When feedstuffs continue to account for at least 70% of the total cost of an enterprise that is increasingly driven by cost efficiency, this oversimplification will no longer be acceptable.
Therefore, if achieving the precision nutrition concept is the business’ major goal, ingredient nutrient variances caused by plant cultivar, processing, harvest year, nutritional density, presence of mycotoxins, etc., will need to be taken more seriously. For instance, Zhou et al. (2010) found that the amylose-to-amylopectin ratio is one of the key elements that defines the actual amount of metabolisable energy in maize and may be used to forecast the amount of energy that will be accessible to chickens. Through the use of genetic engineering, Li et al. (2000) were able to create low-phytate cultivars of corn, enhancing its nutritional value. In their investigation of soybean meal from Malaysia, the United States, and Argentina, Neoh and Ng (2006) were able to pinpoint variations in apparent metabolisable energy of the samples that affected the performance of the broilers.
It follows that at the very least, these ingredients can no longer be regarded as commodities, and both their quality and quantitative features must be addressed while making purchases.
Feed mills must use the segregation idea to account for variations in ingredients. Silos will need to be purchased in order to keep various batches according to the nutritious qualities of the components. Feed mills will need to incorporate cleaning structures and gravity separators should become standard practice to separate maize and other cereals depending on their densities in addition to investing in silos. However, wet chemistry procedures, which are typically pricy and time-consuming, are the only ones that can be used to execute ingredient segregation. By using NIRS (Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy), which enables instant determination of energy as well as amino acid composition and digestibility of each feedstuff batch, this constraint may be solved (Penz-Jr et al., 2009). Therefore, NIRS must be used in the design of new feed mills to provide greater storage, dosing, and milling flexibility and enable savings that are currently not possible because of a lack of this physical infrastructure.
Utilizing current knowledge and innovative technology
The development of information technology will make it possible to use growth models and a number of associated mathematical equations that will estimate animal growth in accordance with the conditions of rising. The final goal will be to optimize the rearing process according to the requirements of the business or farmer. Models for predicting feed intake and broiler growth under various conditions, such as those created by Emmans, Fisher, and Gous, will make it easier to define policies that will increase production effectiveness. Gous (2005) also noted that the notion of forgoing the traditional formulation proposal in favour of one based on a dynamic proposal, which takes into account a number of additional aspects in addition to those taken into account in least-cost formulations, is not a novel one.
In addition to growth models, data mining (correlations, classifications, associations, neural networks, and clustering) and data analysis via bioinformatics, meta-analysis, and holo-analysis approaches could be utilised to analyze risks and improve financial return through simulation models (Ferket, 2009). The use of geographic information systems (GIS) for production zoning and viewing allows for the linkage of performance metrics with the altitude, latitude, and longitude of poultry houses. When choosing which product to employ to maximize the economic performance of birds under various rearing situations, these tools are becoming more and more crucial. However, the availability of comprehensive house inventories and thorough, reliable data is necessary for the effective use of these technologies.
There are even more cutting-edge devices that can instantaneously regulate animal performance. The Integrated Management Systems (IMS) technique seeks to provide a fully online and real-time system with no human interaction, other than when a problem is recognized. The visual image analysis (VIA) system that controls this method enables the continuous collecting of images using video cameras installed within the poultry house. Bird body weight and carcass yield can be calculated using measurements of the bird’s area and length with an accuracy comparable to that of traditional tables (Penz-Jr et al., 2009).
Nutrigenomics is a brand-new area of study that must be taken into account in scientific innovation. The goal of nutrigenomics is to understand how nutrients or feeding practises affect gene expression, which in turn affects performance metrics. Nutrigenomics explores the molecular links between nutrition and gene response.
Conclusion
The development of the poultry industry over the coming ten years will be influenced by the rising demand for animal products brought on by demographic trends, technological and scientific advancements, the depletion of natural resources, and growing consumer demands for increased food safety, reduced environmental impact, and improved animal welfare.
Traceability of poultry products will be crucial in this situation. Input suppliers must be carefully chosen for this, with an emphasis on product quality rather than price. The safe expansion of the poultry business will also depend on careful monitoring of flock health status. Regarding the rearing environment, broiler heat production should be taken into consideration, and its use as a substitute energy source should be taken into consideration.
The evaluation of non-nutritional factors that may maximize ingredient utilization by the birds (feed processing and particle size), the industrial use of new synthetic amino acids, the application of new feed formulation concepts to improve dietary energy utilization, the use of nutraceuticals to modulate intestinal microbiota and the immune system, and the use of enzymes will be the most significant aspects in the field of nutrition and food technology.
Feedstuffs shouldn’t be viewed as commodities anymore. Their acquisition and division in feed mills should be based on nutritional and quality standards. It will be necessary to use feedstuff analysis technologies right away, like NIRS. The use of genetic engineering will be crucial in enhancing the nutritional value of feed stocks and maybe bird performance.
Growth modelling and data analysis utilizing computer systems will enable more reliable decision-making in this complex environment, which will be essential for the sustainability and prosperity of the poultry business.
