Project

‘Farming for the future’: innovative poultry production chain and products

Developing an innovative broiler production chain, fulfilling high standards of animal welfare and health, product quality and safety and distinctive and innovative products. That is the aim of this project.

The aim of the current project is to develop an innovative poultry production chain that offers high quality and safe products as required by the consumer ('farming for the future') through a guaranteed traceability, animal welfare and health and product safety, and valorisation and development of distinctive poultry products.

To this end, the following project activities will be undertaken:

  1. Maximum transparency and recognisability: to produce according to the 'Farm to Fork' principle; including assessment of sustainability of the production chain;
  2. To improve and guarantee animal welfare in the production chain: at the level of the broiler farm and during the transport and slaughter process;
  3. To improve animal health and robustness, aiming at zero use of antibiotics/free of Campylobacter contamination;
  4. Valorisation and development of allergen, salt and E-number free products and development of new innovative poultry products.


Wageningen UR Livestock Research mainly participates in the studies related to objectives (2) and (3). Examples of research related to these objectives are:

  • studies to develop environmental enrichment at broiler farms that improve the welfare and health of the broiler chickens;
  • development of methods to reduce Campylobacter contamination of the products;
  • development of methods that improve broiler welfare during the end-of-life stages (catching, loading, transport and pre-slaughter treatment);
  • the development of an instrument to monitor and score the welfare of broiler chickens on-farm.