Sustainability is becoming a key driver in the poultry sector, whether through customers’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting, supply chain responsibilities or increasing regulatory requirements, particularly in Europe.
Recent work by Elanco has focussed on demonstrating how investing in improving performance - through better intestinal integrity – positively influences the production of more sustainable chicken.
In this Industry Perspectives, George Tice, Independent Scientific, Policy and Regulatory Consultant looks at what sustainability means for the poultry industry, while George Gould, Elanco’s Global Poultry Technical Advisor, explains the importance of investing in sustainability solutions ‘inside’ the bird. He also introduces Elanco’s Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) Insights calculator, developed to help producers instantly model what the footprint impact would be of a given FCR improvement.
Further explaining the company’s focus on sustainable poultry production, his colleague Jessica Reple, Global Brand Manager – Poultry Intestinal Integrity, looks at results of its recent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of key products Monteban® and Maxiban®, as well as discussing other tools in development to understand baseline emissions, identify emission drivers, and determine actionable steps.
[Feedinfo] Sustainability is a word which is widely used in many businesses and industries, but what specifically does sustainability mean for the poultry sector?
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[George Tice] Sustainability in the broiler industry can be understood through three key pillars: social and ethical responsibility, environmental stewardship, and long-term economic viability. More specifically, the mandate for poultry companies to report and meet sustainability targets is now clearer than ever and is a result of: 1.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting: Publicly traded poultry companies are held accountable to shareholders and stakeholders through their CSR reports, which outline their sustainability commitments. |
George Tice, Independent Scientific, Policy and Regulatory Consultant, Elanco |
2.Supply chain responsibilities: Poultry companies supply products to major food corporations, which often have their own sustainability targets, and these will include the need to reduce their Scope 3 emissions - emissions from their supply chain.
3.Regulatory frameworks: In Europe particularly, regulatory requirements are in place for 2026 onwards and will require companies with over 250 employees and/or revenues exceeding €40 million to set sustainability targets, measure them and report on them. Additionally, the Industrial Emissions Directive will require poultry farms to measure and report their emissions.
In general, on a global basis, the specifics of the how are now clearer in Europe than anywhere else.
[Feedinfo] Is it possible to truly deliver on all aspects of sustainability? Or are we likely to have to make trade-offs to achieve specific goals?
[George Tice] Firstly, what are the aspects of sustainability that are of greatest importance for broiler companies and their customers to whom they supply the chicken product? I would suggest that, certainly in Europe, the following are priorities and are derived from societal concerns about livestock in general:
1.Measurement and improvement of animal welfare.
2.Measurement and a commitment to the reduction in the use of medically important antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance.
3.Reduction of carbon footprint of the final meat product - remember livestock are considered to be responsible circa 12% of all human-related greenhouse gas emissions with poultry (meat and eggs) contributing 8% of that 12%.
And yes, as companies set targets for reductions in environmental emissions trade-offs may emerge – for example, a choice to reduce stocking density and/or growth rate to meet perceived animal welfare concerns will be associated with an increase in the carbon footprint of the meat produced.
However, the common factor will always remain that between 70% and 80% of the carbon footprint of broiler meat is derived from feed. Therefore seeking to address the carbon footprint of broiler feed and then to improve feed efficiency in the broiler, will be critical for broiler farmers and meat producers as they strive to meet the measurement and reduction emission targets that they have before them.
[Feedinfo] What role does intestinal integrity have in sustainability? Is this a space where, with improvements, we can see benefits across the spectrum of sustainability?
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[George Gould] One of the great challenges we face in sustainability in poultry production is balancing environmental, economic and social objectives. Very often these three aspects of sustainability may be seen as competing and as such, some trade-offs are inevitable. However, one area where there are benefits without trade-off is in improving Intestinal Integrity of broiler flocks. |
George Gould, Global Poultry Technical Advisor, Elanco |
The more we understand about sustainability, the more it becomes clear that if we can optimise the functionality of the gut then we see significant benefits across all three aspects of sustainability: A more efficient and healthy gut will improve feed efficiency, meaning less wasted feed and water, thereby lowering the carbon footprint.
Additionally, improved Intestinal Integrity will reduce losses of feed conversion and improve a farm’s profitability with a knock-on impact on food affordability.
In terms of social sustainability, a flock with better Intestinal health will likely have lower mortality, better litter conditions and overall improved broiler welfare.
Furthermore, better intestinal health is demonstrated to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics and reduces the risk of foodborne pathogens in poultry.
In short, whatever aspect of sustainability is the focus, optimising Intestinal Integrity is likely to improve help us deliver on our objectives.
[Feedinfo] It seems sensible that we as an industry are able to assess the impact of any changes or interventions on performance and sustainability, and with this in mind you have developed an FCR Insights calculator. How does this work, what does it present in terms of results and how can it help?
[George Gould] We have long been able to calculate the economic benefits of improving feed efficiency but have never previously examined the carbon impact.
In terms of environmental sustainability, the carbon footprint of agriculture and food production is a key priority to improve. As previously stated, between 70% and 80% of broiler production footprint comes from feed alone and associated land use change. The efficiency with which we can convert this feed into growth is therefore a critical metric for us to focus on. We have worked with leading consultants, focussing on feed efficiency as a driver, to build a robust calculator so that broiler producers across the world can accurately model the footprint impact of improving their FCR.
By entering some basic data on growing region, broiler target weight and broiler numbers, our new calculator can instantly model what the footprint impact would be of a given FCR improvement. This is designed to give an illustrative quantitative assessment to producers so they can evaluate potential interventions in their production systems.
[Feedinfo] What practical and management approaches do you advise producers to adopt to improve FCR and produce more sustainable chicken?
[George Gould] As discussed earlier, it is increasingly clear that optimising Intestinal Integrity will have a consistently positive effect in terms of delivering sustainability in poultry production.
Specifically, flocks with better intestinal health will likely see improved feed efficiencies which, as well as driving economic benefits, will lead to improvements in footprint. Up until now this was an unquantified benefit and perhaps not front of mind. While previous decision making around interventions may have been largely driven by financial return on investment, we now need to take a more holistic view and assess whether there are further benefits from such interventions and solutions in terms of sustainability.
[Feedinfo] As a business, you have recently carried out life cycle assessment (LCA) of Maxiban and Monteban production. Why did you decide to do this, what were the results and how does it support your sustainability strategy?
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[Jessica Reple] By conducting Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Elanco ensures that our products meet emerging customer and market needs, while aligning with our broader corporate responsibility. A complete assessment helps us identify areas to optimise our processes and improve resource efficiency, leading to cost savings and reduced carbon emissions. Moreover, as sustainability gains importance in farm production, some markets may soon require comprehensive reporting of all agricultural emissions, including those from feed additives. |
Jessica Reple, Global Brand Manager – Poultry Intestinal Integrity, Elanco |
By performing LCAs, we can furnish our customers with detailed information about our products’ environmental impact.
The LCA of Narasin was conducted from cradle-to-factory gate in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards and independently verified. Seven environmental impact categories were assessed, focusing primarily on the carbon footprint. The carbon footprint is 3.49kg CO2eq./kg for Monteban® and 5.01kg CO2eq./kg for Maxiban® where the major contributors to global warming potential were electricity use (60%) and steam use (20%).
Elanco is committed to sustainability initiatives that strengthen our Intestinal Integrity strategy and leadership. To put it into perspective, Monteban® and Maxiban® contribute less than 0.3% to the total impact of the average European broiler diet, highlighting their minor role compared to ingredients like soybean. Furthermore, the significant improvements in feed efficiency from using these products provide a substantial net benefit in terms of carbon footprint and profit for the producer.
[Feedinfo] Globally, poultry is forecast to be in increasing demand, yet there is likely to be even more pressure to reduce the impact of animal protein production. Are you continuing to work on these initiatives and to develop other solutions, and if so, what can we expect to see from you in future?
[Jessica Reple] We will continue to focus on poultry due to its significant potential, being a healthy source of protein and its relatively low environmental footprint. Our sustainability strategy focuses on innovation across our portfolio and pipeline, leveraging analytics to provide world-class tracking and value-creation services, and leading industry conversations to advocate for sustainability on this crucial topic.
Intestinal Integrity and food safety influence all facets of sustainable poultry production. Reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) is integral to our poultry portfolio lifecycle management and drives our innovation efforts, with a primary focus on continuously improving feed efficiency through enhanced bird health and welfare.
Regarding value beyond the product, we utilise tools like the FCR Insights calculator mentioned earlier and our Health Tracking System (HTSi), which now reports the correlation between Intestinal Integrity and carbon reduction. Additionally, we are developing a tool to understand baseline emissions, identify emission drivers, and determine actionable steps, based on Elanco Animal Health's UpLook™ tool already developed for cattle in the US.
In addition to our portfolio and services, people are a key element. We are dedicated to upskilling our team to better discuss how Elanco can partner with our customers to achieve their sustainability goals and drive change together with other stakeholders.
