Global poultry industry faces supply challenges in 2025
Geopolitical tensions, supply shortages, and avian flu outbreaks disrupt global poultry markets.
GLOBAL – The global poultry industry is maintaining strong momentum, with demand expected to grow between 2.5% and 3% in 2025, according to RaboResearch.
Poultry remains a preferred protein choice for cost-conscious consumers due to its affordability compared to other meat options.
Markets in South and Southeast Asia are projected to experience the fastest growth, while the European Union’s poultry sector is also set to expand.
In contrast, North and South America are grappling with supply chain difficulties, largely due to a global shortage of breeding stock and lower-than-expected survival rates in North America.
These issues are balancing supply and demand in some regions, but they are also capping the industry’s overall growth potential.
Global trade in poultry is expected to remain steady despite a tight protein supply and increasing consumption.
However, trade growth is anticipated to align with 2024 levels, remaining below the industry’s expected expansion rate of 2% to 2.5% in 2025.
Geopolitical Tensions and Diseases Could Disrupt Trade
Geopolitical developments are emerging as a major concern for the poultry industry in 2025.
Trade disputes, including new tariffs on poultry imports imposed by the United States and retaliatory measures from affected countries, could lead to shifts in global trade patterns.
Industry players will need to stay alert and adapt quickly as trade tensions evolve.
Meanwhile, the poultry industry is facing another crisis as highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza continues to spread rapidly across the globe.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that the outbreak has reached an unprecedented scale, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of millions of birds and increasing cases of infections in mammals.
During a recent meeting with member states, FAO officials called for immediate measures to enhance biosecurity, improve monitoring, and implement rapid response strategies to contain the outbreak.
FAO Deputy Director-General Godfrey Magwenzi cautioned that the disease is already disrupting food security, affecting rural communities, and putting pressure on poultry supply chains, leading to higher consumer prices.
USDA Allocates US$1 Billion to Combat Avian Flu
In response to the worsening outbreak, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a US$1 billion initiative to address highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and stabilize the poultry sector.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins revealed that US$500 million would be allocated for biosecurity improvements, US$400 million for financial aid to farmers, and US$100 million for vaccine research and regulatory changes.
Rollins criticized previous disease management efforts, stating that earlier strategies failed to prevent repeated outbreaks and the resulting surge in egg prices.
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