More specifically:

• Bones, skin and tendons are used to produce gelatine for use in human food such as desserts or candy; pet food including vitamin supplements and treats; capsules for pharmaceutical use and other technical use such as paper coating.
• Other body parts such as offals are employed in producing fats and animal protein for human food use, animal feed, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and technical products.
• Feathers are reutilized for fuel and pet food production and other uses related to the keratin composition.

By-products from other industries used in the poultry sector

But the poultry sector does not only provide by-products to other industries, but also benefits from it.

In fact, the EU recently lifted the ban on using animal by-products for poultry feed, as a policy to avoid waste of animal parts that are not adequate for human consumption.

In July 2021, the European Council voted to lift the ban originated in 1994 by the BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) crisis, to avoid cross-contamination in feed.

This decision stands on two main reasons:

• The European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy both encourage the use of these products to avoid waste in a sustainable cycle of usage.
• On the other hand, the minimal danger for cross-contamination, taking into consideration the last case in the EU was registered in 2016.

Both methodologies are useful to help improve the quality of feed, helping digestibility and higher sources of protein.