If there is common thread that runs through this issue, it is that of change.
Our lead story looks at how a broiler-producing family in the Netherlands has found a cost-saving way to rear their birds. It was developed in response to environmental legislation that would have required them to install a costly air-cleaning system. Their response to this requirement saw them actually working with the environment, rather than simply reacting to legislation.
The changes they made meant that the air-cleaning system they installed was smaller than would otherwise have been the case, but it also meant that they were able to make ongoing savings in energy costs. This situation could have turned out to be a costly outlay, but with a little thought and ingenuity, it turned into an ongoing economy.
Change on a much larger scale is the case in our examination of the Malaysian broiler industry. Here is an example of recent modernization, consolidation and efficiency gains. However, in this particular case, change has not been even. There will be a lot more changes ahead, both on the production side and on the consumption side.
Positives
Like many developing countries, Malaysia, while not immune to economic difficulties, has seen its economy perform well over recent decades, and the population has become richer. Yet this is a double-edged sword to some extent. On the one hand, consumers can afford more meat, but on the other, fewer people want to work in agriculture -- a situation that has occurred in many countries as living standards have risen.
A similar story is playing out in India. We look at how, with a rapidly growing middle class, India is expected to be the world's largest consumer of food by 2013. The country's broiler consumption is expected to climb to 9.1 million metric tons over the next 17 years.
We also look at instigating change with a feature on how to market premium turkeys. We also examine how, with the right approach, a product can be successfully positioned and customers attracted.
Negatives
Of course, not everyone is necessarily a winner when there is change. Those exporting to Mexico may well be gaining from the country's avian influenza difficulties, but for those poultry meat and egg producers in Mexico, times are tough. Imports have reached record highs as Terrence O'Keefe, editor of Egg Industry, explains.
Change is often uncomfortable, but we ignore it at our peril. U.S. author and politician Bruce Barton once said: "When you are through changing, you are through!" How true.
