Chickens are specially bred and fed… then killed to be eaten. This man-made freak of a bird is not allowed to, nor would it be able to live out to its normal life-span. According to the Royal Society Open Science website, when instead of killing them at 5 weeks, they were kept alive upto 9 weeks their mortality rose 7 times. They stated “the rapid growth of leg and breast muscle tissue leads to a relative decrease in the size of other organs such as the heart ad lungs, which restricts their function, and thus longevity.”

In India since 1919 the Livestock Census has been conducted every 5 years. Poultry is also covered and the second highest rise 12.39% found in the 2012 Census was that of poultry. Very sad because that many more chickens were specially bred and raised to lay eggs, then killed for their flesh; or bred to be slaughtered for their flesh.

With the possible exception of fish, the hen is the creature that suffers the most for the sake of our food in sheer number of lives taken – 80% of the meat consumed in India is chicken. If in addition to these numbers, one considers the quality of these lives — lives banished to a lifetime of imprisonment and immobility for laying eggs — then their suffering might exceed that of fish.

Indian Poultry development (valued in 2011 at Rs 26,000 crore and with the involvement of 2 million people) continued as a backyard activity for over a decade after India’s independence. Commercial exploitation started in the early 1960s when the Government of India created four central poultry breeding farms. Forty years on, the poultry sector enjoyed industry-status and chicken is the main meat consumed in India with consumption of 1.9 million tonnes in 2005 although it is primarily live bird oriented as most chickens for home consumption are purchased live and slaughtered in small local shops.

Poultry is considered one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural sector in India. In 2012 ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) declared that egg production is likely to rise from the current level of 7,500 crore to about 9,500 crore by 2015. The annual growth rate of the poultry sector is as high as 15-18% in broilers and over 8% compounded growth rate for egg production. Andhra Pradesh’s egg production was over 30% (2,800 crore per year). Tamil Nadu ranked second with 20%. Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab and West Bengal having less than a 10% share each. And, Karnataka, Kerala and Odisha each produced 5%. (These figures cover hatching and table eggs.)

In 2012 the global market for eggs was 2,000 billion and was said to be rising at the rate of over 60%. India annually exported over 5 crore eggs worth Rs 250 crore mainly to Afghanistan, Algeria, Hong Kong, Maldives, Middle East and African countries. 90% of “high quality, white shell” eggs were exported from Namakkal in Tamil Nadu. In August 2013, shipments from here to Afghanistan, Oman and Bahrain doubled, presumably due to the volatility of the rupee. Although India faced competition from countries such as Pakistan, China, Iran and Bangladesh, new European and West African markets were being explored.

During cold weather the demand for eggs increases, and recedes every summer when consumption of eggs and chickens lessens, except along the east coast during the annual 45-day fishing ban during summer when there is a rise of 5-10% in sales of eggs that are consumed in place of fish. In winter 2010-11 the price of eggs rose to a record high. However, it was claimed by the poultry industry that it did not grow more than around 14% in 2010 because of constraints like lack of basic infrastructure, such as storage and transportation, and the volatility in poultry feed prices.

Yet, in 2012 the Indian poultry industry was estimated at $3.6 billion. While India’s chicken producers like Suguna Food (Suguna Home Bites), Venky’s (Venky’s Xprs), Alchemist (Republic of Chicken) and Godrej Agrovet (Read Good Chicken) are fast expanding, global majors like Cobb of the US, Mitsubishi of Japan and CP Foods of Thailand are keen on entering India; and, the Aviagen Group (world’s premier poultry breeder) has already set up an integrated backend processing plant in South India. In 2013 it was claimed that the world consumed 106 million tonnes of poultry, and since it was growing at the rate of 2.5% a year 128 million tonnes of chickens were expected to be globally eaten in 2020.

In 2015 when India’s broiler meat production stood at 3.5 mt (far below USA’s 17 mt) the US Department of Agriculture projected India’s domestic poultry meat consumption growing to 6.4 mt by 2023. USA was the largest producer, followed by Brazil, China, EU and India.

As per the Ministry of Agriculture (Government of India) in 2015-16 India’s egg production stood at 82.9 billion and was expected to rise by 5%.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) over 58,000 children died in India in 2013 due to antibiotic resistance. Following the WHO report warning, in 2014 the Drug Controller General of India and the Ministry of Agriculture directed all state governments to stop the use of antibiotics and hormones in cattle, poultry and other animal feed. They also called for strict implementation of the 2012 law which mandated a gap between the time an animal is given a drug and extraction of a food product from the animal as mentioned above. If it is implemented production cost will go up… so it is very likely that chicken and eggs will continue to have serious consequences on humans because of residue of antibiotics and hormones given to poultry as a food additive to prevent disease and promote growth.

This was vindicated by a lab study released in August 2014 by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) which found antibiotic residues in 40% of the muscles, kidneys and livers of chicken samples they tested. The presence of six antibiotics: oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline, and doxycycline (class tetracyclines), enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin (class fluoroquinolones) and neomycin (an aminoglycoside) were checked for – 17.1% had more than one antibiotic residue. Residues of five of the six antibiotics up to 131.75 micrograms per kilogram, were found in samples tested. Experts and doctors in Delhi and Bangalore reiterated that regular consumers of chicken meat (and eggs) were developing antibiotic resistance. The CSE said the antibiotics used cause an inflammation of the gut mucosa, resulting in faster growth. Roxarsone is anti-microbial and a growth hormone believed to be a source of arsenic contamination in poultry. And, as expected, Ventakeshwara Hatcheries immediately claimed that antibiotic residue in check was way below international standards which of course means nothing! Obviously then, not only the flesh of chickens, but egg consumption becomes as harmful.

A 2016 study found 11% chickens sampled at fresh produce markets around Hyderabad carried a multi-drug-resistant form of a bacteria commonly found in birds and known to sicken people. These super-germs were detected in both the intensive farm broilers and others. Scientists said this indicated an alarming consequence of the nation’s fast-growing poultry industry and the misuse of antibiotics. The meat was causing hard-to-treat infections in people.

Again in 2017 it was declared that poultry may make consumers resistant to antibiotics. Researchers from the US based Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) collected random samples from 530 birds in 18 poultry farms in Punjab and tested them for resistance to a range of antibiotic medications critical to human medicine. They found high levels of antibiotic resistant pathogens in chickens being raised for eggs (42%) and meat (87%), thus posting serious health hazards for humans. Unsurprisingly two-thirds of the farms reported using antibiotics for promoting growth.

Interestingly, chicken legs from USA (obviously full of antibiotics as the country has voluntary standards for antibiotic use) are likely to be imported into India. And, more interestingly, American researchers have in 2015 predicted that by 2030 Indian will be consuming 4,743 tonnes of chicken reared on strong antibiotics.

Industry sources say that for healthy growth of birds, the temperature at the farm needs to be maintained at around 25-30 degrees Celsius which does not happen in summer when there is a shortage of water and power too, as a result of which many birds die. Cold waves can also kill the birds as happened in Junnar taluka (Maharashtra) during January 2011 when around 3 lakh chicks, which were expected to be ready for sale in 40 days, died.

Interestingly, a Perdue University study of the population of chicken reared for commercial purposes around the world found that commercial breeding for meat and eggs had resulted in 50% or more of the diversity of ancestral breeds being lost and with disease resistant genes having disappeared, chicken are prone to very many more illnesses.

The chicks are separated from their mothers at birth. The job of segregating male and female chicks is done by a “chick-sexer”. (The only chick sexing institute that teaches this in India is in Kerala.) The vent technique entails pushing the faeces out of the tiny chick thus opening the anal vent. If a spot and an accompanying bump are visible, the chick is a male, but if the area is flat the chick is female. Thousands of chicks are checked in quick succession resulting in poor handling coupled with little respect for the small and delicate lives. The demand is mainly for female chicks which are used for breeding. Excess male chicks not to be raised as broilers are generally killed by crushing whereas the female ones are raised for egg production. At public exhibitions the poultry industry has been known to gift small, yellow, cute chicks to children. Never accept them. They are “unwanted material” which never survives.

Hundreds of coloured chicks have been rescued in by animal activists from roadside sellers in many cities of India. They are mostly “unwanted” males, dipped in cheap bright coloured dyes – many do not survive the ordeal. Not all chicks are dumped in a vat of colour soon after hatching. They could have been dyed via injections containing hydrogen peroxide, ammonia and food colours, inserted into the eggs. Such chicks are commonly sold in China, Malaysia, Morocco, Yemen, and in USA during the run-up to Easter. New feathers are normal, so when the coloured fluff falls off the attraction is lost and the birds are discarded.

(The NECC is an umbrella organisation representing large segments of the country’s poultry industry. It was registered as a trust (sic) in 1982 and used the slogan “My Egg, My Price, My Life…” when initially organising over 300 meetings with groups of poultry farmers and traders all over India. It now claims to be the largest single association of poultry farmers in the world with most of India’s egg production coming from NECC members whose numbers have swelled to over 25,000. Layer farmers having 250 or more birds and egg dealers handling 12,000 or more eggs per day are entitled to become members of NECC on payment of the requisite fee.)

A fertile egg carries potential life. In time, it could hatch into a chicken. Cases have been known when people breaking an egg into the frying pan have had to see the unmistakable shape of the semi-formed body parts of the yet-developing life inside splattered on their pan. In short, an egg is an under-developed embryo. A 2013 news item carried a photo of an egg tray with a few eggs shells cracking open, and another photo of the hatched chicks. The chicks emerged due to high temperature.

From April to October 2023 (FY 2024) India’s total exports of eggs stood at $53.37mn, a percentage change of 98.56 year-on-year. The top 5 countries that imported from India were Oman, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Qatar and UAE. Then in January 2024 when Russia was facing an egg crisis, Namakkal (known as the “Egg City”) jumped at the opportunity – India had already exported eggs worth $110,000 to Russia during the first 7 months compared to $10,000 a year earlier.

With an idea of putting an end to the cruel practices of confining birds in battery cages, the Commission recommended certification of poultry farms by the Animal Husbandry Departments of States, where a distinction of produce obtained from cage free egg farming from that obtained from battery cage farming is drawn. The Commission particularly felt that the weight of the birds should be an important factor in calculation of maximum stocking density. Given the gravity of the issue of battery cages and the fact that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Egg Laying Hens) Rules bill had been pending since 2012 the Commission proposed 2 sets of modified rules to be notified: The PCA (Egg Laying Hens) Rules 2017 and The PCA (Broiler Chicken) Rules 2017.

In response, the Poultry Federation of India said given the scale of India’s poultry industry, free-range farming was not possible. Others from the industry felt free-range farming would lower yields and increase incidence of disease with birds being exposed to droppings.

Eggs in India are labelled as regular (from hens kept in small cages with high output), brown/white (colour of shells derived from breed of hen), barn-laid (eggs laid by so-called happier hens because they have more room to move around), organic (eggs laid by hens fed pesticide-free grains, and fed no antibiotics, hormones or meat by-products), omega-3 and nutritionally enhanced/premium (hens housed in battery cages fed a special diet of canola, linseed and flax seed and/or given folate, lutein and vitamins so the nutritional benefit is found in the eggs they lay), processed eggs (pasteurised eggs in liquid, frozen or dried form) and in a baffling irony infertile eggs are disgustingly called vegetarian – so much so that some hatcheries in Namakkal and Erode have begun saying that as their egg-laying hens are on a vegetarian diet (soy flour in place of fish meal) the eggs they lay are vegetarian. Whereas others ridiculously claim “if hens are fed with fish residue, the healthy cholesterol-battling Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil easily move through the hen’s digestive system to the yolk of the egg which is otherwise a cholesterol bomb and even the chicken will be relatively healthy.”

Abroad eggs that are not as cruelly obtained as through battery/intensive farming practices are labelled for sale describing how the hens were raised or what they were fed, or what extra benefits the particular eggs might provide; they are also graded depending on firmness and size. Some of the terms used on the labels are cage free, free range, omega-3 fortified, organic, certified humane, and also vegetarian meaning infertile eggs. This trend is fast catching on in India and ironically is being promoted by foreign animal welfare organizations. They say in 2008, of the 232.2 million egg-laying hens as many as 200 million lived in battery cages that are not banned in India, but by 2011 supply of some cage-free hens’ eggs to a few restaurants and hotels in Delhi and Mumbai began and is seen by BWC as yet another gimmick to promote egg consumption. The eggs are available under different certified labels like cage-free, stress-free, tension-free, humane and organic – all at double the cost to the consumer of course!

“Egg-less” this and that, typically cakes, long became the norm in India. Every one very well knows that there is no such thing as a vegetarian egg – all eggs are non-vegetarian and will forever be so. All they are trying to do is entice vegetarians into eating eggs. And egg powder some times finds its way as an ingredient. Moreover, the government has come out with a specific scheme to rescue exporters of egg powder.

In another bid to increase egg consumption and boost sales, UK scientists have come up with a ready-to-eat hard-boiled variety of egg whereas Eggspresso or Egg in an Instant is beaten eggs in a carton; and another claim that “2 eggs a day cuts cholesterol…” cleverly adding not so prominently “while on a calorie restricted diet” to the sentence. In such cases, it would be worth finding out who sponsored the new study which overturned the findings of a previous study which was not helpful to the industry. Earlier studies have all suggested a direct link between eating eggs and an increase in blood cholesterol levels thereby increasing the risk of heart disease. Despite it being scientifically established that egg consumption results in high cholesterol levels, every now and then some poultry industry sponsored study strives to prove that there is no significant correlation between eggs and cholesterol.

A 2014 printed advertisement for a vegetarian protein supplement bursts the claim that “one egg a day is all the protein needed” stating it is a myth, not fact. The ad goes on to say that the daily protein requirement is 1 gm per kilogram of body weight which would mean one would roughly need to consume 10 eggs a day!

Eggs have been falsely advertised as the cheapest and best source of protein – ideal for the poor. The fact is that an egg costs Rs 3 and has about 6-7 grams of protein, so Rs 0.43 is the cost of one gram. It contains 210 mg of cholesterol and 50% of its calories are fat. No fibre. No complex carbohydrates. In comparison, beans contain 20-40% protein and cost between Rs 40-80 per kilogram, therefore the cost per gram of this protein ranges from Rs 0.20 to Rs 0.40. Beans derive 15% of calories from fat. Not only do they contain no cholesterol but their consumption lowers cholesterol. Plus they carry the benefit of high fibre content. Over and above which oil is an even cheaper source of protein. In short, the poor would benefit cost-wise and health-wise by consuming beans, not eggs.

Although the cancer-causing industrial dye called Sudan Red has been banned, it has been used in Hong Kong and China to colour egg yolks. And more recently eggs, just like milk originating from China, have tested positive for melamine resulting in three death and several other jail sentences including some life sentences.

Salmonellosis is however a common occurrence in those who consume eggs which have as they say been “improperly handled”. Symptoms include abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, chill within 72 hours of consuming.

In August 2010 bacteria found in chicken feed used at two Iowa farms was linked to a salmonella outbreak that sickened almost 300 people in at least 10 states of the country and prompted the recall of more than a half billion contaminated eggs in the USA.

Similarly, more than 100,000 eggs were destroyed in Germany in January 2011, due to an animal feed additive that contained dioxin.

The agents of food poisoning include:

• Salmonella, the source of which is especially raw meat, poultry, milk and eggs. Eggs have the highest count of coliform bacteria which can result in salmonella infection. They easily contaminate other food during storage.

• Clostridium perfringens, the source of which is mainly poultry, meat, flies, cockroaches, animal and human excreta.

Although two of three authors of a 2012 study had vested interest in statin drugs, the study claimed that eating egg yolks on a regular basis is approximately two-thirds as bad as smoking with regards to arterial plaque formation. This was followed in January 2013 by the British Medical Journal clearing all charges against eggs related to heart disease!

Ten years later the situation regarding bird flu is no better with hundreds of outbreaks having taken place in-between. It was therefore not surprising when in January 2017 both the UAE and Hong Kong suspended import of poultry products from India due to an outbreak in a part of Kerala of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. However, India’s export of poultry products had surged over 3 years to $117.4 million in 2015-16, compared with $92.8 million in 2013-14.

Unlike the 2009 bird flu that caught Kerala unaware, the November 2012 bird flu news resulted in a strict ban on chickens and eggs from neighbouring states. (Eggs are used in 40% of bakery items like biscuits and cakes.) The sales tax on one truck load of chickens is as much as Rs 60,000 so any way it results in smuggling.

Years ago, nobody had much use for the feathers, heads, and legs of chickens after they were killed. (Since feathers contain a fibrous structural protein called keratin, they take years to disintegrate.) They were then genuine waste-products; today these body parts are used on a commercial basis to produce fertiliser (poultry refuse) and animal feed. Chicken feet (called phoenix talons in China) are even exported to China, Hong Kong and Vietnam. The poultry industry has now put a price on what was once waste and this business flourishes more than before. Therefore, the dangers of using something, on the pretext that it is “only” a by-product, should be apparent: even if one is not responsible for any killing in the present, one might be responsible for increasing the profitability of the killing. The Poultry Federation of India has plans for carcass utilisation to convert all the refuse of animals into edible meat, fertiliser and fat for candle units. Whereas the National Egg Co-ordination Committee continue in their false propaganda extolling the nutritive value of eggs, schemes for marketing eggs such as introducing them in mid-day meals of school children have attracted the wrath of vegetarians in all states, especially when numerous cases of food poisoning have been registered. State governments of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab included eggs in their mid-day meals, but they were later withdrawn. The NECC used all possible convincing means to ensure that not only were eggs reintroduced in Tamil Nadu, but increased from two to three as claimed by them. However, in Madhya Pradesh bowing to opposition from the Jain community, the Chief Minister declared that eggs would not be served in the state’s anganwadis under the Atal Bal Aarogya and Poshan Mission launched on Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti 2010 that seek to address malnutrition. Again in 2013, there was a move in MP to introduce eggs in the mid-day meal scheme. An internal state government communication clearly indicated that it would “enable larger uptake of eggs in the State boosting the commercial poultry sector”. This was reiterated by the CM in 2015.

India produces around 14 crore eggs daily and consumes all but 30 lakhs that are used to make egg powder. In August 2010 the Ministry of Defence gave a big boost to the poultry sector by increasing the daily quota of eggs for Jawans and for this an additional Rs 250 crores was allocated in the annual budget. This translates into nearly 5% of the total eggs sold every day in India. Till then Jawans deployed above 9000 ft and those in forward areas were getting one egg per day, while those below officer rank in peace time posting were not given eggs.

The NECC was up in arms over the Brazilian Association of Chicken Producers and Exporters announcing a deal in August 2008, to export unprocessed poultry to India, potentially reaching 300,000 tonnes (10% of what they export worldwide) in the first year. They felt that such imports would drastically affect the domestic poultry industry although the import of chickens is probably because of the industry slowdown due to multiple crises of rising input costs which are largely dependent upon the cost of maize and soy fed to poultry, and the bird flu which caused forced killing of more than a million chickens over the last couple of years.

To increase their sales, the poultry industry the world over is constantly experimenting to produce “better” (read cheaper) chicken for the table. For example, the Hebrew University in Israel have bred featherless chicken for warm climates which they say is faster growing, and as no plucking is needed, money will be saved by processing plants. In short, lives don’t count – only money matters.

On the other hand, research at the University of Delaware using chicken feathers is being undertaken to produce energy. The fibres in feathers are composed of a protein called keratin. When heated in the absence of oxygen keratin forms structures similar carbon nanotubes which are ideal for storage of hydrogen to be used as gas. And, a study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln feels that chicken feathers are an inexpensive and abundant source for development of thermoplastics (one of the two major groups of plastics that include nylon, polyethene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and others) widely used to make consumer and industrial products ranging from toothbrush bristles to car bumpers. In UK and USA, processes to clean and powder egg shells to fill biodegradable plastics that bolster strength were developed in 2016.

Giri Raja, a breed of chickens used for both meat and eggs was developed in Bangalore. It has been touted as a better breed since the birds will not develop health problems because of intensive breeding. Otherwise poultry is reared specifically for either meat or eggs.

Wild chicken called Kadaknath/Kali Masi, now bred in poultry farms under the Kadaknath Yojana set up by the Madhya Pradesh Government for Rs 418 crore is the only place where these completely black coloured hen-like birds are found. Their survival in the wild is under grave threat as very few are seen in Jhabua, occupied by the Bhil and Bilala Adivasi tribes.

The Haryana Renewable Energy Development Agency has approved a poultry-waste power plant is to be set up in Barwala (Panchkula district). The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 40 crore and the Haryana Poultry Farmers Association will have a stake in the power plant. 775 tonne of poultry waste is expected to be used daily in order to generate 6 mw of power. In April 2011 Haryana stated that its daily egg production was 1.5 crore and that the state had 133 big poultry farms with 3 lakh birds each. Plus, an hi-tech farm with 10 lakh birds was coming up at Jind, and that Gurgaon was no longer a big poultry hub because a poultry farm owner could earn much more selling the land on which his farm stands, than he would earn by selling chicken and eggs in his entire life. (Strange but true that the chicken and eggs are marketed in Delhi and other places since Haryana is basically a vegetarian state.)

The National Rural Livelihood Mission scheme launched in 2013-14 meant for the economically deprived women charges Rs 2,250 for 25 1-month old chicks. Similarly, in October 2018 Uttar Pradesh launched a scheme under which 50 chicks were given free to women to fight malnutrition. However, the majority of the chicks died.

In September 2018 the Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Commissioner made it mandatory for poultry farms with 5,000 birds or with a capacity of hatching 500 eggs per cycle to be registered. Around 19000 such farms were in existence. Furthermore other advisories issued included a series of dos and don’ts for the sector. In particular they were prohibited from giving growth hormones and phosphate to the birds and antibiotics were to be regulated. Most important, a 7 day cooling period was to be observed before the birds are sold for human consumption.

The VH Group (Venkateshwara Hatcheries) has made so much blood money that in November 2010 their newly formed company Venky’s London Ltd took over the Blackburn Rovers Football and Athletic club for GBP 23 million. By 2012 the fan base was found to be dwindling due to poor management and performance. So, all that they could possibly claim was having raised global awareness of their brand.

End-2011 restaurant chains and brands like KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Yummiez, Dixy Chicken, Southern Fried Chicken, Bangs and TGIFriday reported a spike in chicken sales during the year. It is sad that meat eating is being introduced and popularised in India and animal rights activists were unable to drive the foreign ones out of the country.

Chicken biryani has been made popular by politicians who feed it daily to their workers during campaigns. Also, as dusk falls it is common to see handcarts selling eggs (hard-boiled, fried or bhurji) in almost every town, kasba and village of rural India because it has become the favoured snack that accompanies liquor.

Although unsuccessful, BWC has periodically strongly objected to the setting up of different national boards like the National Meat and Poultry Processing Board, to promote meat, poultry, fish, etc. Quite frankly, it is not the job of the Government to be promoting the business of killing.

In 2015 the NECC did not hesitate to appeal to the Government of India to grant a moratorium for a period of one year on repayment of interest and bank loans availed by the poultry industry, interest subvention of at least 6% for a period of 3 years, and additional working capital loans to meet the increase in the cost of production. The body stated that for 4 years there had been an increase in cost of poultry feed but the farm-gate price of eggs had not increased. The average cost of production for egg had gone up from Rs 2.60 per egg last year to Rs 3.50 but the farm-gate price was no more than Rs 3.25 resulting in a loss. Similarly the average cost of broilers had increased from Rs 65-67 per kg live weight to Rs 70-75 whereas the average farm-gate price was Rs 60-65. It was difficult to believe the industry was running at a loss, that too for years.

“Pointer for higher egg production: Unsuitable and uneconomic birds should be timely culled.” (BWC explanation: culling = killing.)

“Poultry Broiler Farming:

Disease Prevention/Control: Any bird showing advanced signs of a disease should be removed from the shed and culled. It can be sent to laboratory for diagnosis. (BWC explanation: if sick, kill.)

“Rats are important carriers of poultry disease. Avoid rats. Use suitable rat poisons/rat traps.” (BWC explanation: Kill poultry for cash. Kill rats too.)

“Processing/Marketing: Ensure the constant and steady demand for broiler meat is available and the market is nearer to the farm.” (BWC explanation: aggressively market chicken meat.)

“Birds should not be kept on the farm beyond 6-7 weeks of age, as their feed efficiency will go down considerably.” (BWC explanation: should not be kept = kill; feed efficiency will go down = less cash will be realised.)

The above recommendations for poultry farming by NABARD (who represent the Government of India) are as outrageous, if not worse than those given by them for sheep and dairy farming. In fact, NABARD recommends the breeding of many species of animals/birds/fish with the sole aim of killing them – for commercial gain. BWC sees it as hinsa/killing in the so-called land of ahinsa/no-killing.

In short, poultry farming is nothing but a business that kills and aims to expand (read breed more, kill more) in which integrators enter into agreements with farmers and supply day-old chicks, feed and medicines. Farmers get continuous training on broiler management and technology to produce killed ready to cook and ready to eat carcasses.

Not only NABARD, but the Kerala state government feels it should be promoting poultry farming and what could be worse than to introduce it to school girls in 500 schools in Palakkad. The first poultry club scheme was inaugurated in February 2014 at the Government Moyan Girls High School under which 5 chickens would be given free to 100 students so that they were encouraged to “take up food production at a young age”.

Last but not least, the Government in order to protect India’s poultry industry has permitted import of chicken parts with a customs duty of 110% and has stringent food safety norms. Given that Indians like to eat chicken legs whereas chicken breasts are preferred by Europeans and Americans, foreigners want to export the legs and wings to our country with an import duty of 37%. Estimated annual exports are valued at $ 300 million.

At the end of 2014 the poultry market declared it had grown to 80% consumption in urban India and was expanding in rural India due to lower prices. As a preventive measure, in March 2007 India had imposed restrictions on import of poultry products from USA (and other countries where avian influenza had been reported) citing concerns over avian influenza (the ban covered live chicks, ducks, turkeys and other avian species) but it was actually fear of American frozen chicken legs (taang) flooding the country’s markets. (In USA chicken breasts are in demand, but legs are unwanted and therefore they are exported to countries where chicken legs are in high demand). In 2012, USA filed for formal consultations at the World Trade Organisation because India continued to impose a ban on the import of poultry and poultry products. The World Trade Organisation ordered India to import American chicken but in January 2015, India challenged the order due to having limited system of storage and distribution of frozen meat but in June 2015 India lost its appeal and the ruling stated that India’s ban on import of poultry meat, eggs and live pigs from the US was “inconsistent” with international norms; and that in 1 to 1½ years USA could begin exporting these products to India. However, at first poultry producers said they were not bothered because almost 96% of consumption in India was of live birds and just 4% of frozen meat. Later they were worried because a whole American chicken costs one-third the price of an Indian chicken and the legs which would be coming into India would therefore be dirt cheap. Then in 2016 the industry began strongly objecting to import on the grounds that chickens in USA were fed GM corn and soy and that was the reason why American chicken meat was so cheap, although some producers said they were not worried because the import was mainly frozen legs whereas whole “fresh” chickens were preferred here. However, the objection raised in 2017 was that pig fat was fed to the US chicken and this could create a religious issue in India.

The Indian poultry market was estimated to be worth Rs 90,000 crore, 65,000 million eggs and 3.8 million tonnes of broiler chickens are produced annually and for which 12 million tonnes of maize and 4 million tonnes of soy meal are needed.

Interestingly, in USA subsequent to the 2012 “corn disaster” pork and chicken, followed beef on the menu of expensive meats. The cost of the main ingredients in animal feed, corn and soy, rose due to the worst drought in half a century. (American ruminants were then fed what ever was cheap or available free, ranging from cookies to orange peels.) One would say the right time to directly consume corn and soy, and stop feeding them to animals and kill them for meat, but unfortunately it did not happen.

Similarly during the 2016 drought of Maharashtra the poultry industry faced a rise in the price of maize and scarcity of soy meal and water of course, resulting in production falling by over 30% and at least 10% poultry units closing down. (Till then Maharashtra was producing 3.5 crore chickens per month of which 50 lakh kgs was supplied to Mumbai. However, later in the year when the poultry sector was hit by a cash crunch due to demonitisation bringing down sales by 60%, they declared that till then 1,300 tonnes of chicken meat was consumed per day from 15,000 poultry farms and the total turnover of the poultry industry was Rs 300 crore of which the unorganised retail sector was 80%.)

The feed-to-meat ratio is as follows (the conversion ratio is far less than for pigs and cows whose meats have religious taboos):
• 2.5 kilograms of grain needs to be fed to poultry to produce the same amount of protein found in 500 grams chicken; and
• 2 kilograms of grain needs to be fed to hens to produce the same amount of protein found in approximately 8 eggs.

If nothing else, this information should make people immediately stop consuming chicken and eggs as a step towards ending starvation. And, those who are considering investment in poultry and allied products should remember that for some reason or other this industry sees high instances of fraud and misappropriation by employees.

In 2015 almost 100 small and medium poultry farms in Maharashtra at Sangli, Satara, Solapur, etc. were forced to shut down due to high production costs making it an unviable business. Luckily the hording of maize and soy continues so more poultry farms will close.