AMINOPOULTRY: A sustainable approach to reducing nitrogen in litter, increasing chicken welfare and production efficiency
Investigador principal:
The priority in poultry production, and generally in food animal production, is to ensure the welfare and health of the animals. If the animals do not enjoy an adequate level of welfare and a good state of health, they cannot develop their full growth potential. In addition, this can negatively affect the health and organoleptic quality of the meat.
For this reason, the need for further knowledge on the impact of increasing sustainability in production and reducing nitrogen load in litter on the welfare, health and production of fast growing chickens has been identified. These chickens are a key pillar in the supply of quality, healthy and economical meat in the food chain.
It is also essential to promote a viable farm income and the resilience of the agricultural sector throughout the European Union. These actions contribute to improving long-term food security, preserving agricultural diversity and ensuring the economic sustainability of agricultural production at European level.
The main objective of the project is therefore to optimise the nutrition, especially nitrogen-related nutrition, of broiler chickens in order to:
– Improve environmental sustainability: Reduce the nitrogen content in manure to minimise environmental impact.
– Improve animal welfare: Reduce the incidence of foot pad dermatitis through a formulation with lower protein levels.
– Obtain better quality food: Reduce the presence of myopathies in the breast meat, thus improving its qualitative characteristics.
The project is led by Corporación Alimentaria Guissona, S.A.- BonÀrea, with the participation of Vall Companys SAU (beneficiary), Nutreco animal nutrition SAU (non beneficiary), Adiprem (non beneficiary), Adm Animal Nutrition Spain S.A. (non beneficiary), Vidara life ingredients SAU (non beneficiary), INNOVACC- Clúster catalán de la carne y la proteína alternativa (coordinator) and the Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentarias, IRTA (OPI).