Riverina Animal Production - Poultry

Chicken Production in the Riverina

The production of chicken, known as poultry production, consists of two main areas: eggs and egg products; and chicken meat. Both eggs and chicken meat are commercially produced the Riverina. Eggs are produced in commercial quantities across the Riverina in Temora, Holbrook, Junee, and Walla Walla.

The two largest chicken meat producers in Australia are Baiada Poultry and Inghams Enterprises. They supply approximately 70 per cent of Australia’s meat chickens. Baiada Poultry, which supplies the iconic Steggles, and premium Lilydale Free Range lines, runs an extensive chicken meat processing production plant in Griffith in the Riverina.

The farming of poultry for meat or eggs is an intensive agricultural business which requires both time and resources. Chickens require ongoing, regular care and maintenance. Click here for a schedule of poultry care:

Poultry Care

Chickens can also be vulnerable to diseases. Four diseases that impact the poultry industry in Australia are outlined below.

Locations of major chicken meat processing plants across Australia

Fowl Pox

Symptoms of fowl pox include:

decreased egg production,
lesions on unfeathered skin areas like the comb, wattle and face,
dry crusty scabs, that start as blisters and also appear on featherless areas,
laboured breathing, (in the case of wet fowl pox) which affects the upper respiratory system, and
loss of appetite and severe weight loss.

Fowl pox has two forms:

dry: affecting the skin, and
wet: affecting the respiratory system.

Botulism

Symptoms of botulism consist of:

paralysis and weakness of muscles, particularly in the neck,
difficulty swallowing,
drooping eyelids, and
weakness of the tongue.

Symptoms usually appear 12 to 48 hours after ingesting the toxin from contaminated food. Chickens usually appear lame or walk a couple steps before falling. Botulism spores are spread through dust, soil, untreated water, spoiled food, and sometimes maggots. Sadly there is no specific treatment for this disease.

Fowl Cholera

Fowl Cholera has a range of symptoms and signs. Here are the main ones:

sudden death: one of the most common signs of Fowl Cholera is sudden death, this usually happens without prior symptoms.
fever and lethargy: infected chickens may show elevated body temperature and extreme lethargy.
respiratory distress: increased respiratory rate, coughing, and nasal discharge.
ruffled feathers: chickens may appear scruffy and dirty with ruffled feathers, visually indicating distress.

Fowl Cholera can be treated in a couple of different ways:

1. depopulation, through cleaning and disinfection

2. Antibiotics administration

3. Supportive care (keeping chickens warm hydrated is essential for birds to recover)

Avian Influenza

High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, is a viral disease of birds. It has a number of strains including H5N1, H5N6, H5N8, and H7N9. It is possible for HPAI to spread from infected birds to humans, although this is considered to be rare.

Signs of HPAI usually appear in several or all birds in an infected flock, including:

sudden death,
lethargy or reluctance to walk, eat or drink,
droopy appearance or ruffled feathers,
head or limb swelling,
bruising of the wattle, comb, feet or skin,
respiratory signs such as panting, nasal discharge or sneezing,
diarrhoea,
unusual head or neck posture, incoordination, inability to walk or stand, and
unusual reduction in egg production.

There is no effective treatment for HPAI and prognosis is poor, and birds can die from the virus in a matter of hours to days.

Exportation and Value

EGGS

Australians consume 18.9 million eggs every day. In the 2023-24 financial year, Australian egg farmers produced 6.98 billion eggs or 581.8 million dozen eggs. In June 2024, Australia's egg industry reported a national flock size of 21,254,995 layers. There are three main egg farming systems used in Australia - free range, cage, and barn-laid. Free range egg production has grown significantly over the last 15 years and now makes up 57.4% of all grocery retail sales.

Egg Exports

Australia exports both fresh eggs, and processed egg products. In 2023, Australia exported $2.1million of processed egg products, making it the 40th largest exporter of processed egg products (out of 103) in the world. Australia's fastest growing export markets for processed egg products are New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Exports of entire eggs (in their shells) are small, and most eggs produced are consumed domestically within Australia. The countries that Australia exports most fresh eggs to are Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

MEAT

The chicken meat industry provides the most popular source of animal protein to Australian consumers, with annual per capita consumption of chicken meat at approximately 50kg per person. 68% of Australians eat chicken meat as part of a meal at least twice a week because of its affordability, popularity with the entire household, versatility and taste. The chicken meat industry contributes $7.9 billion and 58,000 jobs to the Australian economy through direct and flow-on activity. It accounts for 0.45% of Australian gross domestic product (GDP) and 0.46% of employment across the country.

The chicken meat industry is predominantly vertically integrated. This means that individual companies own almost all aspects of chicken production – parent breeding farms, hatcheries, feed mills, processing plants and sometimes meat chicken rearing farms. This structure means chicken industry is different from most other rural industries, which typically operate through a more complex supply chain. A diagram explaining this concept is below.

Diagram explaining integration in chicken meat supply chain

Meat Exports

Australian chicken meat exports are growing, and reached a record high of approximately $133 million in 2023-24, though they remain a small portion of total domestic production. Major export markets include Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Vietnam, with frozen cuts and offal being the dominant products sold overseas. The Australian government regulates these exports through strict requirements, including the need for an Approved Arrangement for export-focused establishments and permits obtained via the EXDOC system.

Issues that Impact Chicken Production

There are a range of issues currently facing poultry producers. These issues present challenges that producers must overcome to successfully continue with their productions. Some of these issues include: a movement towards free range egg systems; disease; rising production costs; and weather conditions. These issues are explained in more detail below.

Avian Influenza

The outbreak of avian flu in 2024 led to the culling of nearly 1.8 million birds to prevent the spread of the disease. This drastic reduction in laying hens severely impacted egg producers, leading to a shortage of eggs and increased prices. It is expected that this may continue until 2027 due to the time required to rebuild flocks. This event shows how vulnerable the egg industry is to the outbreak of avian disease, and the long term impact a disease outbreak in the industry can have,

Weather Conditions

Weather conditions such as drought, flood or extreme heat can result in death of chickens and impact production of both meat and eggs. Above average seasonal temperatures and rainfall deficiencies that impact crops inevitably also drive up feed prices which has a flow-on impact for poultry producers.

Free range systems

There have been ongoing government decisions on the phasing out the caged eggs in favour of free range systems. Egg producers have warned of the challenges associated with the setting up and moving to free range systems which will take both time and money. They have also warned that phasing out caged eggs too quickly could result in supply issues and increased egg prices, risking a situation where Australia could be forced to look to importing eggs to meet consumer demand.

Rising Production Costs

The poultry industry is experiencing increased production costs including higher labour, fuel, electricity, and feed cost. These costs have had an impact on the poultry supply chain, which has led to production challenges and an increase to the price of chicken. Higher wages costs and labour availability for processing is also an ongoing challenge for producers.

Modern Technolgy in the Poultry Industry

Technology is increasingly used within the poultry industry, and has been particularly helpful in responding to, and overcoming the challenges outlined above. Some examples of the use of modern technology within the poultry industry include:

Robotics: Technology has helped robots to become commonplace in the modern egg industry. Robots play a role in feeding hens, shed ventilation, removing manure, and the collection, handling, and packing eggs. In the chicken meat industry, robots in abattoirs perform tasks such as automatic transfer of carcasses and detection of defective carcasses. Robotics have assisted the poultry industry in overcoming challenges associated with labour shortages, and rising labour costs that can impact production. They are also used to perform tasks that are considered risky or potentially unsafe for human workers such as highly repetitive tasks, or collecting eggs from heights and in dim light.

Digital technology for food safety: Traceability is crucial for all food production and allows suppliers to respond to any risks associated with their products across the supply chain. The egg production industry has been using digital technology to develop the Australian Eggs' EggTrace traceability tool which enables farmers to capture and store traceability information digitally in one location. This enables farmers to be able to access and analyse information to quickly trace the supply of their eggs in the event of a public food safety issue.

Eco technology to reduce evironmental impacts: At its abattoirs and processing plants in Griffith, poultry meat producer Baiada is using modern technology to reduce the environmental impact that meat production has on the environment. Meat production uses significant electricity and fuel and generates large volumes of both animal waste and wastewater. Baiada has a number of eco technology initiatives including: reducing carbon emissions through using solar energy and biogas generated from wastewater as a renewable energy to power the plant; and minimising waste through a technologically advanced 'protein recovery plant' which recycles unwanted chicken bones, feathers, and intestines into useful products such as high protein petfood.

Protection against disease: The poultry industry is currently exploring the use of genetic restoration to protect Australian poultry against Avian Influenza for which there is currently no effective treatment. Research is currently underway to better understand Avian Influenza and see if it's impact can be reduced. So far this early research has had promising results showing that synthetic inhibitors can block and reduce the evolution of Avian Influenza in cells, potentially preventing the severity of the virus.

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