Development, state and perspectives of poultry production

Poultry production occupies a special place within the livestock processing industry. Structural change, both at the production and breeding level, has advanced very rapidly due to the industry’s strictly hierarchical structure. Only a small number of globally operating companies supply specialised breeding products for egg and poultry meat production. A similar consolidation process has taken place at the production level, although eggs from smaller farms still account for a significant share of total production. The debate about animal welfare issues in the poultry industry has led to a shift in the definition of breeding objectives. Irrespective of legal requirements, the proportion of laying hens kept in alternative systems is set to increase further over the coming years as market acceptance of eggs from cage-reared birds is declining sharply.

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