[box_download]NZ Poultry Meat Production Statistics 1997 to 2011[/box_download]

• Poultry is seen as an important component of Australian cuisine, culture and lifestyle (this is equally valid for New Zealand), and in addition to being protein-rich is recognised as providing a wide variety of important nutrients including iodine, iron, zinc, vitamins, esp. B12 and essential fatty acids including long chain omega-3 fatty acids.
  
• The recommended consumption of lean meat for both children and adults is 1-3 serves a day, reducing with age (51 years to 70). A maximum of 455g per week (1 serve or 65g per day) of lean meat is recommended for Australian adults. In order to meet recommended intakes, omnivorous adults in Australia need to consume 40% more poultry, fish, seafood and eggs etc. (N.B. This excludes red meat.) Children need to eat 30-85% more poultry, eggs etc.  
  
• The literature review for the Guidelines found little evidence linking consumption of poultry with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and excess weight.  

The full texts of the Revised Australian Dietary Guidelines and a Guide to Healthy Eating are available as PDFs at www.eatforhealth.gov.au.  

The world’s most popular meat is chicken, and New Zealanders are eating more of it than ever before, says Velmurugu (Ravi) Ravindran, a poultry production lecturer and poultry nutrition expert from Massey University.

Chicken overtook beef as the country’s most popular meat several years ago.

Poultry production falls into two major categories: meat production, mainly from meat chickens, but also including meat from ducks, turkeys and game birds; and egg production, from laying hens.   

Professor Ravindran also knows all about poultry nutrition, and most of his work has been with the meat chicken industry. In fact, New Zealand is the world leader when it comes to efficient chicken meat production. Meat chickens grow faster and more efficiently here.

“There are three major diseases of poultry – avian influenza, Newcastle Disease and Infectious Bursal Disease,” Prof. Ravindran says. “New Zealand is the only country with none of these viruses.”

He says this means meat chickens are not vaccinated, and they can put all their nutrients into growth, rather than bolstering their immune systems.

Layers get a different type of food to their meat chicken cousins. They are older birds, and start laying at about six months, so they are more tolerant of any nutritional challenges. They also need more calcium (for egg shells) and are cheaper to feed than broilers.

“The broilers are only five or six weeks old when they are processed. They are fast-growing and require feeds with high levels of protein and energy.”

Prof. Ravindran says meat chicken genetics are chosen from all over the world, and modern, fast-growing meat chickens are the result of more than 30 years of breeding.

The eggs of the meat chicken great-grandparents are imported from Britain and the United States.

“The fast growth has come from the improvements in genetics, not from hormone use. Hormones have never been used in chickens in New Zealand.”

He says chicken meat in the early says came from males of the layer type. They were not bred for meat, so hormones were used to fatten them in some other countries.

“In these countries, hormones were only used in the 1960’s, for perhaps five years. But people quickly realised using them was a bad idea and stopped. It was banned 50 years ago.”

Prof. Ravindran thinks that hormones have been found in chicken meat in some developing countries, such as parts of the Caribbean. But there has never been any hormone use in New Zealand or Australia.

He understands the public’s concerns, though.

“People go to the supermarket and they see much bigger chicken breasts on the shelves than they used to. But it’s all through breeding, not from the use of hormones.”

There is also concern about the level of antibiotics used in chicken feed. In New Zealand, antibiotics are given to chickens to control a deadly disease called necrotic enteritis, not as a growth promotant. They are withdrawn seven days before slaughter, to ensure the meat is antibiotic-free.

The use of antibiotics is banned in some countries, and Prof. Ravindran says that could happen in New Zealand, so he is researching alternatives, such as essential oils, spices and probiotics.

“We know no individual tool can replace antibiotics, so we are planning to test combinations.”

He says he is the only poultry nutrition researcher in New Zealand, and it is a small group worldwide.

“The industry is hungry for information. We have conferences, where I talk about our latest research. The local industry is very progressive. They will have heard of some new information at a conference or publication, and a month later, they will be implementing it.”

He advises everyone of findings from the Massey Poultry Research Group, but says he has good industry and university support.

Prof. Ravindran says that in China, ducks are important, and they need less protein than meat chickens. In North America, turkey is important, and they need higher levels of protein than chickens.

“Poultry is the fastest-growing meat being consumed in the world. Hindus cannot eat beef, Jews and Muslims don’t eat pork, but everyone can eat chicken meat. There is no religious or cultural constraint on chicken, and it is a white meat, considered healthy, and fits into all sorts of cuisines.”

Meat chickens are big business, and getting it right – and as cheap as possible – is what industry players are all about.

“Birds do grow faster in New Zealand, so all the world is looking and would like to match the industry here, but they can’t,” Prof. Ravindran says.

He says there is no limit to the amount of chicken as person can eat. Another fallacy is that pregnant women should not eat chicken. This is based on the “hormone myth”, he says.

Food safety, especially campylobacter poisoning, is one of the recent issues about chicken meat.

“The industry has been very proactive about this issue. It has cut the amount of this bacteria in chicken meat by several-fold over the past four years. But it is a bacteria, so it is killed at 65 degrees. If chicken is well cooked, there will be no problem.”

Prof. Ravindran says the poultry industry had a tough year in 2008, with the price of grain feeds shooting up.

“Oil prices went up, so governments provided subsidies for ethanol production. It is a competitor for grains, so a lot of it was diverted for ethanol. It made grain more expensive.”

And that hit poultry producers.

“Since then, it has been a major battle to source cheaper feed materials. So it is about making the most efficient use of that they have.”

That’s where he comes in.

“We have been testing the value of non-traditional feeds such as peas, fava beans, canola meal and barley, which was traditionally sold as pig feed. We are looking at supply and cost issues.”

The welfare of meat chickens is an issue Prof. Ravindran considers.

“In meat chickens, the only welfare issue is stocking density. The birds are raised on litter, not in cages, as some people think.

“Having the correct number of birds per unit means less excreta and less moisture on the ground. Too much moisture can mean the birds’ undersides and legs are prone to bacterial infection.

“The more efficient birds are, the less excreta.”

Also, the less excreta, the less nitrate and phosphate to dispose of.

“It is all about having a place that is better for the environment and is more sustainable. So we can kill two birds with one stone,” Prof. Ravindran laughs.

He acknowledges that many people say it is wasteful to turn vegetable matter into animal protein.

“There is a direct competition of man and animals. But in most instances in New Zealand, the grain we use for feed is not human-consumption quality.”

Prof. Ravindran says this is not the case in all countries, where some maize that could be used to feed humans is put in the chicken feed mix.

“The use of grains for animal protein is a debate we’ll always have.”

* This article first appeared in the Manawatu Standard on 22 November, 2011.

SHORT REPORT 
November 2011

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT:  FarmsOnLine

What is FarmsOnLine?
FarmsOnLine is a government-owned online database of New Zealand rural property providing accurate information about the exact physical location of a farm, its ownership and management details, its land use and the type and position of its stock or crops. Developed in consultation with key industry partners and operated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), FarmsOnLine covers all rural land uses to which biosecurity considerations apply, including laybys and lifestyle blocks.

FarmsOnLine went live in April 2011 and aims to be the authoritative source of rural property information for biosecurity management. Drawing on data obtained from publicly held sources and information contributed by registered users, it currently provides information on 98% of New Zealand rural properties.

What is the purpose of FarmsOnLine?
FarmsOnLine is designed to serve as a fast-response tool for managing serious biosecurity outbreaks. In the event of say, an outbreak of avian influenza on a New Zealand poultry farm, the information held on the FarmsOnLine database would enable biosecurity personnel, along with local and regional government and emergency services, to work swiftly and accurately with rural owners and managers to prevent or contain a disaster. For that reason, it is critical that all industry members should register and list their information on FarmsOnLine and keep it up to date.     

Does FarmsOnLine have other uses?
With New Zealand’s trading partners increasingly requiring produce and product traceability, FarmsOnLine provides them with increased confidence in our ability to respond to disease outbreaks, and reduces the likelihood or scope of trade restrictions that could cost us millions of dollars a day. FarmsOnLine is also being used to support research related to the rural sector, for things like animal, plant and human health and food safety.

What sort of information is held on FarmsOnLine?
Most of the information held on FarmsOnLine, such as your property location, address, title and land use, is already available publicly. The names of the owner, manager or occupier are not publicly available but are a critical part of FarmsOnLine.       

What information is NOT held on FarmsOnLine?  
FarmsOnLine does not hold information on disease status, animal welfare, individual farm stock or crop information, or financial, commercial or land value information.

How does FarmsOnLine work?
FarmsOnline has a website at www.farmsonline.maf.govt.nz. The site is clearly laid out and easy to use and includes a secure, password-protected section where landowners can register and check and update their property details at any time. You can also update information about your property by calling the FarmsOnLine Contact Centre on 0800 4 FOLNZ (0800 4 36569). In addition, FarmsOnLine operates a Data Maintenance Centre which checks and validates the records of approximately 50,000 properties per year.  

Is it compulsory to register with FarmsOnLine?
It is not compulsory to allow your personal details to be used in FarmsOnLine. However, by allowing your personal details to be used you will be supporting vital biosecurity initiatives. At any time you will have the right to request that your personal information be removed from the database.

How will FarmsOnLine interact with me and my business?
No action is needed by property owners to ensure their farms, orchards and forests are on the database. You may however receive a phone call from the Data Maintenance Centre seeking your assistance in checking and updating your information. Providing this information to the Data Maintenance Centre is purely voluntary. You can also register on the website to view or update your details. Once again, we think it is critical that industry members register and regularly update their information on FarmsOnLine.

What about the privacy issues?
Privacy issues have been important in the development of the system and personal information registered on the database can only be used for activities under the Biosecurity Act unless permission for wider use has been given by individuals. The use of personal and stock/crop information is also governed by strict privacy controls at all times. The information held on the FarmsOnLine database is further subject to an annual independent audit. For more information on the ways your private information will be protected, go to http://farmsonline.maf.govt.nz/Privacy. 

What are the benefits of FarmsOnLine?

• FarmsOnLine provides you with greater protection of your business and livelihood by enabling a fast response by MAF to a serious biosecurity outbreak.
• By pulling together rural property information that is currently fragmented across a number of government and industry databases, FarmsOnLine will reduce the cost and duplication of effort in collecting and maintaining this information.
• The information on rural properties gathered by FarmsOnLine will assist with MAF surveillance and pest management programmes, and with the development of evidence-based policy and planning for New Zealand’s vitally important rural sector. 

PIANZ’s recommendation:

For the greater protection of your individual business and livelihood, the industry you belong to and the New Zealand economy as a whole, it is vital that you register with FarmsOnLine and update your farm data regularly.   

The FarmsOnLine website is at: www.farmsonline.maf.govt.nz

You can call FarmsOnLine free of charge on: 0800 4 FOLNZ (0800 4 36569).

_____________________________________________________________________________

Leading suppliers to the foodservice sector such as Tegel Foods, Inghams, Brinks and Turks now offer a comprehensive range of fresh and frozen whole chickens and prime cuts, including a range of size-graded options to suit portion control plate requirements. Tegel also supplies frozen whole turkeys and turkey prime cuts.  

For fast and safe catering solutions, for events of all sizes, there’s now a diverse range of fully cooked value-added products, from finger foods to centre of plate items. Free-flow frozen, sliced, roasted and smoked chicken breast fillets make quick work of smallgoods solutions for sandwiches, salads or cooked products.

The influences of foreign travel and immigration are also seeing New Zealanders embrace gourmet poultry meats such as duck, turkey, quail, poussin, goose and pheasant in ever greater numbers.

Lachlan Dick, from Rangiora-based Canter Valley Processors, reports steadily-growing demand from chefs, caterers for his company’s manuka-smoked duck breasts.

“The flavour’s awesome,” he says, “and is particularly good as part of a summer salad.” Canter Valley supplies its smoked duck breast fillets Cryovac-packed in the half-breast direct to restaurants or online.

Increasing recognition of the versatility of duck as a year-round dining choice has also meant steady increases in sales for Cambridge-based supplier, Quack ‘a’ Duck.

“While orders from airlines and Asian customers were the initial catalyst for growth, in the last couple of years we’ve seen Kiwis as a whole take a real liking to duck,” says Quack ‘a’ Duck’s Matthew Houston.

“In the winter months confit duck leg is becoming a very popular dining choice, and duck breast lends itself well as part of a salad in summer. We are also seeing a steady expansion of breast and leg cuts in retail as consumers become more adventurous.” 

Quail eggs, once a rarity, are yet another gourmet item that’s gaining quickly in popularity.

“Quail eggs are well suited for use in salads and are great for canapés as they look dainty and cute,” says Canter Valley’s Lachlan Dick. “They also have a delicate flavor when poached.”

Turkey, once a near-annual dining occasion for New Zealanders, is also getting a new lease of life as a lean, healthy, high-protein alternative to ground beef, he says.

“Turkey mince has a subtle flavour and lends itself well to use in many familiar recipes including patties, stir-fries, meat balls, burgers, chilli, lasagne and casseroles.

“And for chefs catering for health-conscious diners, a 113g serving of turkey offers about 65% of your daily recommended protein while providing you with nearly half the saturated fat found in red meat. A 75g serving of skinless white turkey meat contains 25g of protein, barely 3g of fat, and less than 1g of saturated fat.”

In addition to supplying 400g packs of turkey mince, Canter Valley sells other foodservice turkey cuts including boneless breasts and buffet products.  

www.tegel.co.nz

www.inghams.co.nz

www.brinks.co.nz

www.turkspoultry.com

www.cantervalley.co.nz

www.quackaduck.co.nz

 This article appeared in the September 2011 issue of Restaurant & Catering News, pages 14-16.

A recent Colmar Brunton survey of 1017 Kiwis found three of the top four choices at the New Zealand dinner table featured chicken.

“That reflects the ongoing popularity of chicken for New Zealand consumers,” says Mr Brooks, the Executive Director of the New Zealand Poultry Industry Association.

“On average, New Zealanders eat about 31kg of chicken each per year and chicken has been the number one choice for protein for the past ten years at the supermarket. Consumption of chicken meat has more than doubled since accurate records began in 1986 when annual consumption was just 14kgs.”

The survey found the most popular New Zealand meal was roast chicken, with second place going to a mix of chicken meat and vegetables. Steak and vegetables came in third place, with chicken curries rounding out the top four.

Mr Brooks says that reflects the ease of preparation for chicken but also the recognition by shoppers that chicken meat is a value-for-money source of lean protein.

“You can be as simple or as complicated as you like in preparing chicken and cost wise it represents great value for money. The growth in sales of chicken to become the leading source of protein in the Kiwi diet also reflects health and nutritional trends towards leaner meats. No wonder it’s New Zealand’s favourite dinner choice.”

1. Marek’s Vaccines:

• Marek’s vaccines combined with mild Pox vaccine: worldwide practice of several decades, with overall safe and efficacious results.
• Dye indicators (for Marek’s vaccination) into Marek’s Vaccines vaccine: worldwide practice with overall safe and efficacious results.
• Marek’s vaccines reconstituted in a different manufacturer’s diluents: Marek’s vaccines in New Zealand originate from basically three worldwide laboratories, leaders in avian health biologicals.  All current Marek’s registered diluents are acceptable for use.
• Mixing two Marek’s vaccines together in the same diluent: worldwide practice of several decades, with overall safe and efficacious results.
• Antibiotics combined with Marek’s vaccines, except where contraindicated: worldwide practice of several decades, with overall safe and efficacious results.
• Increased amount of diluent per dose of Marek’s vaccine – for extra hydration of chicks: worldwide practice of several decades, with overall safe and efficacious results.
• Double dose of Marek’s vaccine: worldwide practice of several decades, with overall safe and efficacious results.

2. Precise doses for live vaccines in water or spray vaccination: Reasonable rounding up or down. The vials generally are presented in 1,000 doses and the titre is usually above the minimum level required at the end of the shelf life. It was noted that the registrants require one dose per bird for all vaccines.

3. Dose rate

• In general vaccination of only a percentage of birds with the expectation of subsequent spread of vaccine to other unvaccinated birds is a risky endeavour, not approved by manufacturer, not approved by distributor, neither solidly backed by principles of immunology/epidemiology.
• Vaccination of all birds with a partial dose will have a similar result as the case above: some birds will be immune but others will not.  Manufacturers produce vaccines with minimum infective doses and a margin for survival throughout shelf-life. No extra titre of virus is expected to be put in the bottle to allow for efficacious partial vaccination.  Not approved by manufacturer, not approved by distributor, neither solidly backed by principles of immunology/epidemiology.
• The partial vaccination of a flock for CAA/CAV and AE is common practise in poultry, but must be supported by a serological sampling of the flock to ensure a 100% vaccination cover before point of lay. If the serology shows an insufficient coverage then revaccination is required. However as in points “a” and “b” above, it is not approved by the manufacturer or the distributor. Moreover, ISPAH CAV P4 vaccine is attenuated and must be injected, for example by wing-web stab, into each bird.

4. Immucox B&L or Immucox for Broilers and Megan Vac 1 in combination (on gel spray). Gel spray is consumed by vaccinated chicks and goes through enteric tract, the same target tissues as Megan Vac 1. Moreover, there has been a study carried out showing that the Megan vac 1 vaccine placed in the Immucox Gel spray was re-isolated from livers of vaccinated birds in New Zealand.

5. IB live vaccination throughout lay is commonly used throughout the world and gives protection. The vaccine is generally given every 8 – 10 weeks throughout lay. Use of the live vaccine saves the handling stress required for the administration of the killed vaccine.

6. Stabilisers for water vaccination enhance the quality and life of the vaccine. Milk has been traditionally used, but commercial stabilisers such as AviBlue, Cevamune and Vac-safe are preferable, for improved vaccine survival and the additional advantage of a dye indicator.

7. Administration sites e.g. Inactivac IB 1 site i.m. The single inactivated IB vaccine has an old registration requiring subcutaneous administration.  Inactivac IB 1 can be given by i.m injection.

8. Double injection of vaccines. Common practice of this worldwide, particularly in NZ. Handling the bird should be minimised where possible. Although manufacturers are trying to amalgamate different antigens into multivalent vaccines, they usually contain key antigens which are not used in NZ vaccination programmes. Therefore, more than one monovalent vaccine is often used instead of one multivalent. Vaccines should not be mixed into one injection/one needle.

9. Multiple vaccinations

• E.g. AE, IB, Lohmann CAV and Megan Vac 1: vaccines can be given concomitantly via the drinking water, as long as within the right recommended age range and except if specifically advised to be given with any other vaccines. Similarly the simultaneous administration of Intervet AE, Pox and CAV by wing web stab is acceptable
• Acceptable to mix ISPAH CAV P4 vaccine into AE+Pox vaccine using Unisolve diluent to administer by wing-web stab or to mix CAV P4 vaccine into ISPAH inactivated vaccines using Phosphate Buffered Saline or Sterile Water to dilute to administer intramuscularly or subcutaneously.

10. Method of administration

• No spray vaccination is acceptable for vaccines licensed only for drinking water.
• No water vaccination is accepted for injectable or wing-web vaccines.

The report indicates that the likelihood in New Zealand of possible transfer of antibiotic resistance in meat, including poultry, to humans is low.

The detected instances of resistance in very common bacteria are trending downward and the use of antibiotics is also trending downward.

The poultry industry rarely uses any antibiotic treatment that comes from the human class of drugs.

The most common antibiotic in use in the poultry industry, zinc bacitracin, is from a spectrum of antibiotics rarely used to treat humans, as it is in fact toxic to humans when given orally. Zinc bacitracin makes up about 97% of the antibiotics used in our industry. Only a tiny 0.003% percent of the national poultry flock of 83 million birds is treated with therapeutic antibiotics in any one year. The use of antibiotics is strictly regulated and enforced.

Poultry treated with antibiotics, as is the case throughout the various meat producing sectors, must go through a withholding period after treatment to ensure there are no traces of the drugs in their systems before they are processed.

The fact antibiotic use and bacterial resistance are both trending downward would indicate consumers can be confident in not having to be concerned about the transfer of resistance.   For example, vancomycin resistance, which was first detected at low levels 12 years ago, was not found at all in this latest study.

Why does the poultry industry use large quantities of antibiotics?

Healthy animals, like healthy people, grow better and produce better quality products for consumers.

About 97 % of antibiotics used in our industry are a single product – zinc bacitracin – which is from a class of antibiotics very rarely used in human medicine and is toxic to humans when given orally. It can be used as a skin ointment.

Antibiotics are placed in feed to prevent, alleviate or treat a disease.

Zinc bacitracin is very effective in preventing necrotic enteritis caused by clostridial organisms that can be very harmful to our flocks. The amount used – as noted in the report – varies depending on the size of the national flock which is currently around 83 million birds.

Annually, only about 0.003% of our national flock is treated with therapeutic antibiotics that may be used in human medicine.

We’re also fortunate in New Zealand in that we are free of the three main avian diseases, birdflu, Newcastle’s disease and IBD and that means we need to use fewer therapeutic antibiotics than many of our overseas counterparts.

What is the Industry’s policy on antibiotic use?

The full industry policy is available on the PIANZ website but the key points in considering their use are:

• Evidence that such a use is consistent with accepted veterinary practice.
• Evidence that the use is linked to a specific etiologic microbiological agent or disease syndrome.
• That antimicrobials of “critical importance” to human health are not used in poultry.
• Evidence that the use is appropriately targeted in poultry
• Evidence that no reasonable alternatives for intervention exist.

Why do you routinely use antibiotics when that practice is banned in some countries?

Healthy birds, like healthy people grow better and produce better products for consumers.

They are simply used to prevent infections like necrotic enteritis that are almost endemic and can cause mortality in the flocks.

Interestingly in countries where antibiotic use is restricted only to treatment rather than prevention, the volumes of antibiotics from the classes used in human medicine, have increased. The fact antibiotics used in these countries are from the same classes used in human treatment actually raises the risk of antibiotic resistance.

PIANZ recognises that development of resistance to antibiotics is of concern.

For that reason, the antibiotics used in human medicine are rarely used in poultry treatments in New Zealand. Of the antibiotics used by PIANZ members in the production of chicken meat more than 97% are of a class very rarely used in human medicine, with the exception of some use in skin ointments. This reflects the PIANZ member’s commitment to responsible use of antibiotics.

Importantly, this most recent MAF report and the 2005 Massey University /PIANZ survey found that resistance to “critically important” human medicine antibiotics was non-existent  or low in bacteria isolated from poultry and other food-producing animals.

Aren’t these just growth promotants?

Healthy animals, like healthy people, grow better.

Zinc bacitracin is registered and used only for prophylactic and therapeutic use under the control of veterinary prescription and is very rarely used in human medicine.

If supplies of New Zealand chicken meat decreased because of disease outbreaks we would run the risk of needing to import chicken meat from countries that are further behind New Zealand in their antimicrobial resistance review. This could result in more products treated with various antimicrobials, over which we would have no regulatory control, being consumed in our market. This paradoxical potential is of no benefit to human health or agriculture in New Zealand (ACVM report 2000).

Healthy birds mean better products for consumers and more efficient farms.

Source: Poultry Industry Association of NZ