Poultry meat has a relatively low CO2 footprint, is efficient in production, and is therefore cost-effective. In the U.S., the industry benefits both materially and indirectly from climate protection programs, with prospects of cheaper feed in the future. There are also key sustainability improvements in poultry farming beyond cost-related aspects, particularly in feeding. At the same time, the poultry industry needs to better communicate its contribution to sustainable nutrition. These were the key takeaways from the "International Poultry Day" held ahead of EuroTier 2024 in mid-November in Hannover.
The "International Poultry Day" focused on global poultry production and sustainability. The theme of the conference, "Poultry for a Healthy Planet," set the stage for international experts to discuss what adjustments are needed to make poultry farming even more sustainable in the future. Among other topics, they analyzed how the CO2 footprint along the production chain can be reduced while keeping the industry efficient and economically viable.
Nicolò Cinotti from the International Poultry Council (IPC) highlighted that poultry meat already has the smallest CO2 footprint in the entire meat production sector. To further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, feeding is a crucial lever. Concepts regarding the feeding of poultry, especially concerning nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient runoff, are actively discussed in expert circles.
Affordable and Efficient
The poultry industry is already sustainable, Cinotti emphasized, and just needs to communicate this better: poultry meat, with its relatively positive greenhouse gas balance, is not only rich in nutrients but also affordable and efficient to produce—thus sustainable across the three pillars of environment, economy, and society.
Brian Earnest, an analyst at the U.S. cooperative CoBank, pointed out that U.S. poultry producers have significantly improved their environmental performance over the past decades. For instance, water consumption in poultry meat production has dropped by around 58% from 1965 to the present. However, consumer surveys by Kansas State University show that when buying meat, consumers mainly focus on price, taste, and freshness, while the environmental impact is less of a priority.
U.S. Promotes Climate-Smart Agriculture with $2.8 Billion
In the U.S., the "Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities" project was launched in 2022 under the "Inflation Reduction Act" to promote climate-friendly production practices in agriculture. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is funding projects with up to $2.8 billion, the interest from the industry has been much higher, with applications totaling over $20 billion.
According to Brian Earnest, the U.S. poultry sector is receiving $18.5 million from the "Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities" program. A significant portion of this funding is directed toward biodiesel production. The poultry industry stands to benefit from this as the increased demand for soy oil for biodiesel production will result in more soy meal, which can be used as animal feed. The greater the supply of soy meal, the lower the feed prices, Earnest explained.
The support for biodiesel production could lead to lower feed costs because more soybean meal becomes available as a byproduct of oil production.
Brian Earnest, CoBank
Critical Discussion Shapes Perception
Nutritionist and journalist Dr. Malte Rubach, in his presentation, emphasized that poultry contributes significantly to protein supply in human diets worldwide, particularly in developing countries. At the same time, Rubach pointed to the critical discussions around meat consumption. He shared a picture generated by an AI based on the most prominent online search results for human nutrition in 2050. The image showed a mother with two children at a kitchen counter filled with fruits and vegetables, with no animal-based food in sight.
The AI generates images based on the most frequent online results, Rubach explained. In response to the growing debate on plant-based diets and the promotion of vegetarianism, such visions of a meat-free future are being created. However, Rubach emphasized that current global human diets are already 80% plant-based, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which relativizes the critical discussion about meat consumption.
