Isle of Riems, 11. July 2024. BroilerNet is the first European network project that aims to improve the sustainability and resilience of the broiler sector. BroilerNet has partners from 13 European countries. In the BroilerNet approach, identification of innovative good practices within the European broiler sector for challenges on the three BroilerNet themes (animal welfare, sustainability and animal health management). This will be done through national networks of farmers and other relevant stakeholders, sharing their innovative ideas. Dr Stefan Gunnarsson, coordinator of BroilerNet was very impressed about the number of submitted good practices in all countries: “More than 400 persons within the European broiler sector have contributed to BroilerNet. It’s nice to how dedicated and enthusiastic participants in the national networks has been. They have identified important sector challenges, and then helped each other to find Good practises across Europe. Our thematic expert groups have contributed with scientific and practical experience to assure quality in the process. The intense work will hopefully be useful to broiler farmers across Europe, and in the long run contribute to increased resilience in EU broiler farming.“

The first cycle of identification of challenges on the three BroilerNet themes, followed by identification of good practices for the most important challenges, has now been finalised. Thematic Expert Networks with experts from various European countries discussed and ranked the various proposed good practices. Furthermore, they selected the BroilerNet champions that had provided the best of good practices to tackle the three top challenges per theme.

Regarding Sustainability, the three most important challenges for the European broiler sector that have been identified were:

• Carbon neutrality and environmental impact;
• Feed sources and feed quality;
• Energy management.

The three good practice champions for these challenges involved

• Transfer of spent litter to produce fertilizer (Italy);
• Promoting insects as protein (France);
• Electricity from photovoltaics (Italy).

Regarding Animal welfare, the three identified priority challenges were:

• Farmer training and education;
• Genetics and breeding;
• Barn climate management.

For these challenges, the three good practice champions that have been elected were:

• Internal audits regarding on-farm emergency culling (Spain),
• Elevated platforms as enrichment material (Spain),
• The Swedish foot health program.

With respect to Animal health management, priority sector challenges were:

• Improving biosecurity;
• Fighting avian influenza;
• Reduction of antimicrobials usage.

The good practice champions were

• Dedicating small equipment by zone and house (France),
• The German self-analysis tool for risk factors regarding Avian Influenza,
• The Finnish good

Factsheets on the top five of good practices per theme and challenge will be available via the Broiler Knowledge Hub, which can be accessed through the project website www.broilernet.eu. In the next months, animated videos and farmer interviews of the champions and a selection of other good practices will also be available on the website. 

For further information regarding the project, including requests for interviews with the coordinator, please contact: 
Dr S. Gunnarsson, e-mail stefan.gunnarsson@~@slu.se, cell phone +46 70 651 41 97.

This project has received funding from the EU Horizon Europe Research and Innovation

The Institute for Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry of the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI, Celle) is a project partner together with the Bundesverband bäuerlichen Hähnchenerzeuger e.V. (BVH) and at the same time the contact for the German national working groups. 
Contact persons are:
Dr. Julia Malchow (FLI, e-mail: julia.malchow@~@fli.de, phone: +49 5141 3846 130), 
Dr. Margret Vonholdt-Wenker (FLI, e-mail: margret.vonholdt-wenker@~@fli.de) and 
Dr. Karin von Deylen (BVH, e-mail: k.von-deylen@~@zdg-online.de, phone: +49 176 222 11 474). 

More information on the BroilerNet champions can be found on the factsheets that can be downloaded here:

Sustainability:

Electricity from photovoltaics | BroilerNet

Promote insects as an alternative source of protein in broiler chicken feed | BroilerNet

Use of spent litter for producing organic fertilizers | BroilerNet

Animal welfare:

Foot health program | BroilerNet

Internal audits regarding on-farm emergency killing | BroilerNet

Use of elevated platforms in broiler chicken barns | BroilerNet

Animal health management:

Enhancing biosecurity by dedicating small equipment by zone and by poultry house | BroilerNet

Water circulation central heating with renewable energy | BroilerNet

Online check of farm-level risk factors for Avian Influenza infection | BroilerNet