Towards High Environmental Performance in Poultry Farming

Integrating poultry production into the environmental balance is a key objective for the sector in the 21st century. Given the economic constraints, a strong drive for innovation must emerge in order to meet these requirements. INRA and its partners are conducting multidisciplinary research into the use of natural resources, the management and recovery of inputs and waste, and the conservation of biodiversity. To achieve sustainable solutions, integrated approaches – whether based on specific production systems or cutting across different production sectors – are essential. Among the key achievements, solutions to reduce the use of natural resources and minimise waste production are being proposed through dietary and genetic approaches. Advances in physiology and immunology, as well as optimisations in the management of material flows within livestock housing, are also being developed. Areas of research requiring further development include holistic approaches based on livestock and production systems, in which the concepts of animal welfare and human quality of life are central and complement economic and environmental constraints. These take into account numerous factors such as the use of new raw materials, the utilisation of waste within production chains, the management of animal diversity, and the acceptability and attractiveness of poultry farms. In all cases, effective criteria for assessing environmental sustainability will need to be established.