Future Perspectives for the Global Poultry Industry

By: Dr. Marc de Beer

The global demand for chicken has surged in past decades, surpassing beef and pork as the world's preferred meat. This growth is fueled by chicken's widespread acceptance, affordability, high nutritional value, and environmentally friendly production. Poultry is vital for ensuring future food security, as the world's population climbs to 10 billion by 2057. To secure the industry's sustainability, our focus should be on continued genetic progress for reducing carbon footprint and improving bird health and welfare, cultivation of a skilled future workforce, and robust disease prevention through heightened biosecurity and excellence in veterinary care. Emerging technologies like precision farming, IoT, automation, and genomics selection are poised to transform poultry production. However, challenges, such as trade barriers, geopolitical factors, disease outbreaks, misinformation, and NGO influence must be addressed. Transparency and collaboration within the poultry value chain will be essential for resilience and adaptation in the face of these challenges.