Artificial Fattening of Broilers - Provocation by Unknown People

Today the Republican Society of Poultry Farmers (RSPF) held an emergency press conference with the heads of leading broiler farms dedicated to the hype around social networks with a video, in which an artificial increase in the weight of broiler chickens is produced in unknown conditions.

"The plot filmed in uncertain environment, which was replicated by local TV, is complete provocation against poultry farms, creating confusion among consumers and thereby striking the reputation of the enterprises," said the head of RSPF, Aydin Veliyev. According to him, many consumers not knowing the technology of industrial broiler production have been discouraged by this false information, resulting in the volume of sales of chicken products decreased by 20% and even sometimes 30% in the last few days.

Representatives of the State Service for Antimonopoly Policy and Consumer Protection, the State Veterinary Service, the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patents said that the production cycle on the broiler farms operating in the country is under their close supervision. Feed and feed additives and finished products are checked in laboratories for poor quality and food safety. Using GMO in the feed composition was not detected either.

"Today, there are rumors of the alleged use of hormones for fattening birds on the broiler farms. But no one has ever clarified the alleged use of these hormones, as there is no scientific basis for this," said the Chairman of the Board of JSC Jalilabad Broiler, Tofig Taghiyev.

"All of us - the heads of broiler farms that have gathered here and our families - use poultry of our own production. The provocative story that appeared in social networks and was broadcast can hit incomes of thousands of families who work in this area,” said the Chairman of the Board of JSC Garagasli Broiler, Arastun Abbasov.

According to experts, the consumption of poultry meat in Azerbaijan per capita is about 10 kg. The need for poultry meat in the country is 100 thousand tons, 92% of which is met by local production, including 64 thousand tons of meat produced by approximately 40 broiler farms. The production capacity of these plants is equal to the annual needs of the country. For the development of these enterprises the government has allocated 110 million AZN in concessional loans.

This week, RSPF is organizing the first trip of journalists to the broiler farms to review the production process. ----08C