Facts about the production of Poultry Meat in Denmark

4. July 2014

Birthe Steenberg

Manager Danish Poultry Meat Association

Tlf. 24631673; E-mail: bsb@lf.dk

Poultry Meat – from stable to table

Breeding animals Breeding Production of hatching eggs Hatchery Broiler produktionRoss 308 (0-18 weeks) (18(24) – 62 weeks) (21 days) (32-40 days)

Grandparents Broiler breeders Parent animals Dayold ”Adult”

Slaugtherhouse Consumer

• Hatcheries: 1 (2 locations same owner)

• Slaughterhouses: 2 large, several small

• Poultry Meat Processing Plants: 2

• Poultry farms: 180

• Production in 2013: 116 mill. broilers

• 10 mill. exported alive for slaughter outside Denmark

• 106 mill. Slaughtered in Danish slaughterhouses

• Production in 2013: 168.000 tonnes

• Sale Home Market 2013: 70.000 tonnes

• Organic share of the home market: 0,5 %

• Value of exports 2013: 2.9 bill. D.kr.

The Poultry Business in Denmark

The Poultry Business in Denmark

• The broilers are slaughtered when they are app. 36 days

• The weight is app. 2,143 kg at slaughter

• The feed conversion rate is 1,68

• In one house there are 7- 8 rotations per year

• The price for a day old chick is app. 2,50 d.kr.

• The broiler producer are payed app. 6,60 kr. per kg. chicken (live weight) from the slaughterhouse

Breeding

Day old Ross parent stock are received from Sweden or UK.

There is a close cooperation with the breeding company Aviagen.

The animals are housed in breeding facilities until they are 18 weeks old.

Males and females are held separately

In the breeding facility there are app.12,5 birds per m2

The animals weigh app. 36 g as day old chicks – and grow in 18 weeks to a weight of app.2100 g for females2700 g for males

Males and females are moved from the breeding facility when they are around 18-19 weeks old.

The production of hatching eggs starts when the hens are 24-25 weeks old and stops at 60-62 weeks.

Males and females are fed separate feeding systems.

There are 7,5 % males and92,5 % females.

The stocking density for hatching egg production is 6,9 birds per m2.

Production of hatching eggs

The fertilized eggs are transported to the hatchery.

After 21 days of brooding the eggs hatch.

The day old chicks are placed in transport crates and are transported to the broiler producer.

Hatching

Broiler production - Legal frame work

National regulation from 2002•Based on shared recommendation from working group

EU-directive entry brought into force in 2010•Implementation based on shared recommendation from working group

Notification of stocking density New requirements for light program Requiring training coursesIncreased monitoring at slaughterhouses

Further implemented recommendation from Council of Europe and OIE

• Daily inspection and alarms

• Record keepings and documentation on almost all aspects

• Light program

• Stocking density

• Litter, drinkers, feeders

• Ventilation / climate / heating

Broiler production - Legal requirements

Broiler production

All broiler producers who are delivering broilers to Danish slaughterhouses are a part of a common quality assuring system (KIK)

All relevant data are recorded in a common database and this ensures that the production of the Danish chicken is fully documented through the whole chain.

KIK is certified by Bureau Veritas. Among other things the system is a tool to avoid zoonoses and to ensure good animal welfare.

The broiler producers are trained on a regular basis in all the elements of KIK – including the elements involving animal welfare.

Broiler production (2)

Feedmills:• Data on traceability batch

number, driver ID, etc• The approval level of the

transport vehicle

Hatchery:• Grand parent flocks• Parent flocks

Producers:• Daily welfare records• Disease - / health records• Feed - / water intake

Danish Veterinary and Food Administration –local units:• Animal welfare

controls• Access to relevant

data

Slaughterhouse:• Receives

production information sheet

• Records information regarding catching and transport

• Records quality information, veterinary control on slaughterhouse etc.

Auditors:• Record results from audits• Approval procedure

Laboratories:• Salmonella results• Campylobacter results

Broiler production (3)

Broilers are produced in houses with 20.000 - 40.000 birds pr. house.

Before the broiler producer receives a new flock of day old chicks the house is thouroughly cleaned and disinfected.

Day old chicks need a lot of heat when they are small. Therefor the producer sees to that the house is heatet to a temperature of 32-34 ºC.

The average stocking density does not at any time exceed

40 kg live weight per m2 ͌ max. 18 broilers per m2.

The broilers are slaughtered when they are 36 days old on average.

Broiler production (4)

The broilers are inspected by the producer several times a day. He or she focuses on, if the birds are behaving correctly –ex. how they spread over the floor and how they sound.

Alarm systems ensure that the broiler producer is informed immediately if there is a problem with ex. ventilation, heating, feed or water.

The use of antibiotics in the Danish broiler production is very low. The management is so efficient that the birds very seldom get ill – therefore there seldom is a need for using antibiotics

Foot pad lesions have been monitored at the slaughterhouses since 2002.

The development has been very beneficial for the animal welfare

Broiler production (5)

There have been three evaluations of broiler lameness in Denmark from 1999 to 2011

(Kilder: Sanotra et al., 2001; Petersen, 2005; Rasmussen et al., 2012)

Broiler production (6)

Conclusions from the 2011 evaluation on broiler lameness

The number of broilers with severe lameness problems (GS4 og GS5) was lower in 2011 than before.

The number of broilers with marked lameness (GS3) was significantly reduced from 12.6 to 3.7.

The number of broilers with lightly uneven walking (G2) was higher in 2011 than before.

• The cause may be genetic changes in the form of the body of the broilers.

Rasmussen et al., 2012

Broiler production (7)

Production of Poultry Meat in Denmark

Production of poultry meat in Denmark

Imports of poultry meat to Denmark Consumption of poultry meat in Denmark

Source: Danmarks Statistik

Source: Danmarks StatistikSource: Danmarks Statistik

Production of Poultry Meat in Denmark

Extra legislation compared to the rest of EU on

• Animal welfare• Foot pad lesions

• Food safety• Salmonella

• Campylobacter

• Environment• Emmission of ammonia

Control

High costs of production (highest in the EU … and probably the world)

Danish poultry meat is not the

cheapest on the market

Discount stores: Retail market share

Source: Lebensmittelzeitung, Rabobank Analysis, 2013

0% 20% 40%

Germany

Denmark

Austria

Poland

Czech Republic

Netherlands

Hungary

Belgium

Portugal

Italy

France

Ireland

Spain

United Kingdom

Finland

Sweden

2000 2006 2012

Sale of poultry meat in Denmark

- What is the driver of the sale?

- The answer is the price !!!

The global trade in poultry meat

Kilde: Rabobank

We are focused on animal welfare

The Danish Poultry Meat Association

• Has started and implemented several intiatives to increaseanimal welfare.• Monitoring of foot pad lesions

• Adjusting the genetics to improve broiler mobility

• KIK quality system

• Several Poultry Levy Fond projects

• Is continuously working to improve animal welfare

• … In very good cooperation with the authorities

Conclusion

If the demands to production i Denmark becomes to high

– then we can not compete with the other exporting countries.

The result will be:

• The production in Denmark will decrease

• The import of poultry meat will increase

How will that affect the animal welfare ofthe birds delivering the meat that is goingto be eaten in Denmark? ?