Monthly Archives: March, 2026

Birds are among the most vocal animals on the planet, yet the hatchery industry has for decades ignored what they communicate through their sounds. Bioacoustics now makes it possible to listen to chicks from the hatcher to the transport truck: stress, hatch synchronisation, flock quality. What if the best indicator of day-old chick quality had always been there — and nobody was listening?

The mandatory confinement order has been in force for months, despite the fact that in 2025 and 2026 not a single primary case of HPAI has ever been recorded on farms with outdoor access. What is the point of maintaining a measure that was meant to be temporary and exceptional, that penalises the very production model consumers applaud and that EFSA classifies as a "very low" risk?

The health of our birds, and therefore the food safety of the poultry meat we deliver to consumers, is not a matter of bureaucracy but of biosecurity.\n\nThis programme, which we analyse today, is the mandatory roadmap for the coming years, and after reviewing the 2026 version, we bring you what really matters for every turkey fattening or breeder operation.

Alimentaria opens its doors today with 100,000 m² of exhibition space. For the poultry professional who doesn't want to waste time, we have prepared the definitive guide: which stands to visit, which innovations you can't miss (spoiler: egg chips and instant scrambled eggs already exist), and why the foodservice channel — up 40% in this edition — should matter to you more than you might think.

406 outbreaks on farms, 16 million birds culled, and 2,108 detections in wild birds: three times more than the previous winter. The good news is that biosecurity has curbed farm-to-farm transmission. The bad news: we have never had so much viral load circulating overhead. Are we learning to coexist with HPAI, or are we simply getting lucky?

Data modelling-based biosecurity, Salmonella, and rapid AI diagnosis in the field: the X Poultry Health Course organised by CECAV and CEU on 21 and 22 May brings together some of the country's leading specialists.

The National Salmonella Control Programme for breeder flocks has been updated for 2026, with changes that directly affect the day-to-day work of the farm veterinarian: sampling frequencies, target serovars, operator self-checks, and official controls. We summarise it in a practical format so you don't have to read through 40 pages of the BOE. Are you clear on what you need to do and when?

You buy chicken, pay a 45-cent deposit on the tray, return it and get 50 cents back. Five cents in the consumer's favour, and a tray that can be reused up to 50 times. BonÀrea is rolling out its RetornA system across the whole of Catalonia after achieving a 60% return rate during the pilot trial. Are we looking at the model that will make single-use meat packaging obsolete?

nGrupo Vall Companys, a leading company in Spain's agri-food sector, has officially launched the LIFE Green Ammonia project. This pioneering initiative uses a patented...

898,579 ducks raised, 494 tonnes of foie gras and €58.7 million in processing value. Waterfowl poultry is no ugly duckling of the sector: it underpins the rural economy of five autonomous communities and exports to more than 30 countries. How much does the poultry professional really know about the duck sector in Spain?