By Nick Munce, commercial lead, SenseHub Poultry
The UK broiler sector is rapidly growing with chicken accounting for more than half of the meat protein consumed in the country.
A key feature of this burgeoning market, which is growing at an estimated annual rate of 2-3%, is consumer demand for higher welfare chicken.
This shift is reinforced by recent, well-reported announcements from a raft of major UK supermarkets, who this year declared their intent to sell chicken reared at the reduced stocking density of 30kg per square metre – with Marks & Spencer and Waitrose signing up to the full Better Chicken Commitment.
There have also been efforts to reduce the use of antibiotics in broiler production, with the sector recording a 98.7% reduction in the use of critically important antibiotics since 2012.
While these welfare changes are positive, they add pressure on broiler producers to adapt to new standards while maintaining productivity in a disrupted supply chain. Reduced stocking densities may mean producers need more resources to rear the same number of birds, increasing strain on costs and operations, while integrators compete for limited supplies.
As demand grows for higher welfare chicken, the role of technology has been highlighted as a way of helping improve the outcomes and efficiencies of the broiler sector.
SenseHub Poultry’s parent company, MSD Animal Health UK, has published a technical white paper to showcase how technology can benefit farmers, the supply chain, and end consumers.
The paper – Time for Tech: The Time is Now – outlines how precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies can be used to deliver incremental improvements in a range of areas in the livestock sector from farm to fork.
These improvements include better animal health and welfare, informed farm management decisions, enhanced animal performance, a reduction in antimicrobial use, and better staff management.
According to the paper, excellent livestock health and welfare is fundamental to a sustainable and secure food system, because animals that are sick, stressed, or living in sub-optimal conditions cannot perform as well as their healthy counterparts.
It says diseases that reduce yields, growth rates, or reproductive performance, result in an increase in the amount of resources required to produce the same quantity of food – and as such, an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, and potentially, antimicrobial use. In the context of the broiler industry, the use of technology can deliver benefits for both individual producers and integrators.
This is significant for a sector where the liabilities are considerable if something goes wrong with a flock – this was highlighted between October 2021 and November 2022 when 5.5 million UK birds were lost to Avian Influenza. With the assumption that individual bird values increase per kilogram of liveweight through lower stocking densities, the need for producers to remain vigilant on bird performance and maintain consistent outputs becomes clear.
For individual producers, real-time monitoring technology – such as that offered by SenseHub Poultry – allows them to critically evaluate the housing environment and constantly monitor critical parameters including temperature, humidity, light intensity, CO2 levels, weight gain and water intake.
The SenseHub technology offers real-time data collection through wireless sensors in broiler houses, and alerts farmers to any changes so they can react quickly to maintain optimal conditions – and thus maintain performance and efficiency.
This results in more efficient operations and higher welfare.
And, as the white paper states, poultry housing with real-time monitoring may use less energy, with birds consuming less feed and water and requiring fewer antibiotics – all of which has the potential to contribute to improved sustainability within the supply chain.
Performance improvements achieved as a result of monitoring technology at an individual farm level also benefit the wider industry because it means more birds will hit their target weights more efficiently, and there will be more consistency and uniformity at the point of slaughter.
For integrators, the use of real-time monitoring technology across the whole farm estate can deliver benefits that may not be notable at an individual farm level.
Whether it’s individual contract growers, or company-owned farms, when you multiply those improvements, they are incredibly significant to the industry.
And from a management perspective, real-time monitoring enables farmers to reward staff based on accurate flock performance data, and advisers – such as consultants and vets –can access the data remotely and provide advice without necessarily having to visit the farms in person first.
Through the dual use of technology and human expertise, we can accomplish significant achievements in animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and economic viability.
As the white paper concludes, the time for technology is now.