Poultry breeding must align with future market needs

During his presentation on "Poultry Breeding Today and Tomorrow" at EuroTier 2016 in Hanover, Germany, Dr. Randy Borg, Cobb Europe director of genetics, spoke about today’s market needs and their impact on the future.

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Dr. Randy Ross Borg said at EuroTier that poultry breeding strategies should be aligned with market needs of the future. | Benjamin Ruiz
Dr. Randy Ross Borg said at EuroTier that poultry breeding strategies should be aligned with market needs of the future. | Benjamin Ruiz

During his presentation on "Poultry Breeding Today and Tomorrow" at EuroTier 2016 in Hanover, Germany, Dr. Randy Borg, Cobb Europe director of genetics, spoke about today’s market needs and their impact on the future.

"It all starts in the chick," he said to begin his presentation, as chicks are the data fuel. But to find the best bird, an exhaustive examination of more than 40 physical characteristics is carried out, ranging from the structure, to blood oxygen levels, to the way birds walk.

Cobb works with about two million pedigree birds a year and among them they must find the best, like a needle in a haystack. He emphasized that the genetics have given many good results in performance and yield.

However, he made it clear that the way ahead is not easy, because you have to look closely at the market. The breeding selection decisions made today will have an impact on the market a few years later. That's why it is very important for breeding companies to make good decisions and be aware that the changes in society and consumer demand, such as new poultry welfare requirements and reduction of carbon footprint for example, are real.

What are the areas of focus?

Borg spoke about several concepts:

  • Feed costs are consistently increasing
  • Alternative ingredients and fluctuating feed quality will be a challenge moving forward
  • The absence of antibiotics in the food production chain
  • New and to re-emerging diseases challenges
  • Efficient production of carcass yield (total, white and dark meat)
  • Quantifiable environmental impact
  • Consumer expectations

He was emphatic in that we need to think differently and that success is not achieved if we keep doing the same thing.

Selection of new traits

Finally, he clearly spoke of four characteristics breeders must focus on:

  • Intestinal health, regarding the relationship between intestinal health and feed conversion
  • Changing nutritional programs and nutrient absorption, as well as microbial genomics
  • Technology platforms
  • Improved performance in suboptimal conditions, comparing tolerance vs. resistance, and innate immune function
  • Production results with antibiotic-free poultry production in more stressful environments.

In conclusion, he reminded the audience at EuroTier that the world changes and therefore targets change. Breeding strategies should be aligned with future market needs and the best feedback should come from unmatched technical support.

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