A national first for Australia’s chicken meat industry

The guidelines cover a range of helpful topics from farm production practices and environmental management recommendations to application planning and preparation, as well as innovative power, water, location and infrastructure designs and plans.

AgriFutures Chicken Meat Program Research Manager, Annie Lane, highlights that the guidelines – a national first – will play a key role in encouraging environmental and socially sustainable development of and production on Australian chicken meat farms.

“The guidelines provide a simple to use framework with essential information to help the chicken meat industry adhere to principles of environmental sustainability, as well as drive the industry’s economic development,” Annie said.

“Chicken meat production uses the least amount of water of all intensive livestock industries and has the lowest greenhouse gas footprint. These factors are essential when considering the sustainability of the industry and the impact on the Australian environment.”

The guidelines are comprised of two documents, an assessment guide, and an applicant guide. The assessment guide provides an introductory overview of the industry and strategic planning concerns and is structured to enable an efficient assessment of proposed farm locations and the layout and design of farm infrastructure.

The applicant guide is developed for those wanting to build a new meat chicken farm or expand an existing operation, providing an outline of the steps and processes required for embarking on the approval process for a farm.

“The guidelines were developed in collaboration with researchers, industry experts, Local Government, and state departments drawing on the most current and accurate science and information available,” explained Annie.

“Each state currently has different farm assessment and approval processes, there is a real opportunity for Local and State Governments to use the national guidelines to inform future policy or support the development of assessment where it does not already exist. The guidelines will help to reduce inconsistencies between states, providing a more uniform regulatory environment for meat chicken farms in Australia.”

The planning and environment guidelines for Australia’s chicken meat industry are available on the AgriFutures Australia website.

Assessment Guide Applicant Guide