Poultry producers all around the European Union have been hard struck by raising energy costs, which have hampered profitability and occasionally compromised operations.
Poultry workers across Europe are expressing worries about possible production interruptions in the poultry industry.
The current crisis is more unpredictable than anything European poultry farmers have previously experienced, which has led to concerns to arise.
Past solutions such as drastic drops in fuel prices seem inefficient for the current situation, and members of the sector are worried it might affect consumption of poultry products in Europe.
As the head of communications at BVG[1] recently expressed, the higher cost of electricity and raw materials has a significant impact on the entire poultry sector. It generates difficulties to farms and the entire value chain to the point of hindering product delivery and food security.
More specifically, the crisis has been affecting broiler house heating systems that frequently employ gas as a fuel source, making it difficult to predict how quickly and how much it would cost to install a different system.
However, there are still some chances. For poultry farmers,solar panels on barn roofs are ideal because they lower the cost of fans, feeding, and cleaning systems, especially in the hotter, summer months. [2]
Other solutions include various alternative power generation techniques, so the European poultry sector can ensure that there is a sufficient supply of product. Such alternatives include several farms that already utilize the waste heat from biogas plants or other energy sources to help in the generation of sustainable energy.
Other energy saving examples would be updating the lights as a technique able to reduce energy use by 60%. Farmers upgrading from fluorescent to LED lighting has reduced energy usage from 11,340 kWh to 3,780 kWh.[3]
European farms raising poultry are starting to increase their demand for solar energy as a result of the energy crisis, while other farmers are searching for the largest installations feasible, giving the chance for photovoltaics to emerge and allow capacities of 100-200 kW or 1-2 MW.[4]
The resilience of the poultry sector during the current energetic crisis is directly linked to the environmental pillar of the sustainability of the sector.
Seeking for green energy alternatives and developing technologies to adopt more efficient energy systems is a big part of the European poultry sector.
Promotion programme to inform about the Sustainable European Poultry Sector
SUST EU POULTRY is a two-year promotion campaign supported by the European Commission and launched by three national poultry associations and their European umbrella association (from Germany, France and Spain) with the main goal of raising awareness among European consumers and professionals about the sustainability of the European poultry sector and a product of great quality.
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Additional information
PRESS CONTACT Ana María Martín ATLAS MARKETING STUDIO internacional@atlasmarketingstudio.com | CONTACT AVEC Federica Chiarella AVEC SECRETARIAT
sust@eu-poultry.eu |
The content of the present advertising solely represents the opinion of the author and is the exclusive responsibility of the same.
The European Commission assumes no responsibility for the use that may be made of the information contained therein.
[1] Michael Steinhauser, head of communications at the German Poultry Association.
[2] NFU Energy
[3] Ignaczak Poultry Farm in Poland
[4] EDP Energia Polska
