INDUSTRY ISSUES
Animal Health & Welfare
With the many strategies in place to reduce the incidence of illness in chicken flocks it means outbreaks of disease are not common. The emphasis in flock health programs is on prevention rather than treatment which is why vaccination, farm hygiene and biosecurity are the most important strategies employed to keep Australian chicken flocks healthy.
The conditions under which meat chickens are housed and the ways in which they are managed during their growing, transportation and slaughter are outlined in Standards and Guidelines designed to safeguard their welfare. The industry has developed a model animal welfare audit program which covers hatchery, breeder rearing, breeder laying, growing, and the pick-up, transport and processing sectors.

High standards of bird welfare and high levels of flock performance and economic performance go hand-in-hand. It makes good economic sense to provide and maintain an environment that's good for the bird.