Southeast Asia is a region that has undergone major changes in poultry production in the last decade and has doubled its production in this period.

This fact is related to an increase in the demand for animal protein, linked to the development of these countries, as well as the increase in population and per capita income, and the position of broiler as an affordable meat.

The social interest in healthier nutrition and fast cooking, and the growing urbanization and establishment of supermarkets and “fast-food”, have also favored the position of the poultry industry in the market compared to other types of meats.

In addition, the fall of the pig sector in the region, due to the appearance of the African Swine Fever, has highlighted the importance of the poultry industry in these countries and has reinforced its growth despite the challenges present today, such as the cost of raw materials or outbreaks of diseases, such as Avian Influenza or Inclusion Body Hepatitis (IBH).

Today, more than half of poultry production is carried out on intensive medium to large commercial farms. The industrialization and technification of the sector keep progressing to meet the growing demand, highlighting the importance of biosecurity, as well as the increase in the average size of farms. The decline in profitability has weakened small operations and reinforces their tendency to disappear.

The outlook for poultry farming in Southeast Asia for this fourth quarter of 2022 and early 2023 may be optimistic, with raw material costs being the biggest challenge. Although prices have risen, they seem to be more stable now.

The strength and resilience of the market allows the sector to put the vision in future plans, committed with global trends and the growing pressure from local authorities to reduce the use of antibiotics. Therefore, large corporations in the sector have begun the search for natural alternatives that allow maintaining productivity and competitiveness and in turn replace antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs).

The worldwide presence of Biovet S.A. allows us to respond to the needs present in each area. In this way, we share the experience and success achieved in reducing the use of antibiotics in other regions, and the two key products for that purpose: Alquernat Nebsui, a solution rich in pronutrients of plant origin that promote the proper development and function of the gut, and is considered an ideal alternative to the use of AGPs,  as well as Alquermold Natural, a natural compound with a powerful bactericidal and fungicidal activity for the control of microorganisms that can affect the digestive system, such as E. coli, Clostridium or Salmonella.

In a trial conducted in the United States (Image 3), the parameters obtained with bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD), an antibiotic growth promoter, and Alquernat Nebsui were compared. The latter obtained greater weight (+40 g/bird) and improved feed conversion by 0.6%, which means that every one million broilers, a farm would save 33 tons of feed and produce 40 more tons of meat.

Along with this, the industrialization of the sector demands innovative solutions to improve the productive efficiency of birds, and Biovet S.A., as a pioneer in the scientific development of products, has launched Alquerfeed Diatom, intended to reduce the issue of rapid transit, very frequent in commercial poultry farming, and thereby improve the feed utilization and the birds’ performance.