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Bangladesh has a long tradition of backyard poultry farming, initially involving rural women and unemployed youth. Over time, semi-urban and urban poultry raisers joined in to meet the growing demand for eggs and meat. However, Poultry production is a complicated process that combines the economic, social, and environmental aspects within a socioeconomic context.
Over the decades, as poultry production has become more concentrated, significant environmental challenges have emerged. The primary issues being the large-scale accumulation of wastes from hatcheries, slaughterhouses (water and organic solid by-products) and live bird markets (LBM).
Hatchery wastes in Bangladesh: Infertile eggs, Eggshells, Culled Chicks, Source: Journal of Advanced Veterinary and Animal Research, 2022
Evidently, poor waste management leads to health problems in flocks, foul odors, fly breeding, and land and water contamination. In Bangladesh, poultry waste is often collected in bags and used directly as fertilizer, a practice that degrades air and soil quality, harms the environment, and contributes to climate change through high ammonia emissions and greenhouse gasses. While composting and biogas generation are attracting interest among commercial producers, obstacles include limited knowledge, investment, and available land for composting.
Disposal pit for dead and culled birds of a breeder farm in Bangladesh. A) Top view. B) Side view.
Effective poultry waste management is essential to mitigate these impacts and transform waste into valuable resources. One of the key solutions to this challenge is the implementation of rendering plants, which process animal by-products into usable materials such as feed for aquaculture or compost.
Rendering plants provide an efficient and sustainable solution for managing poultry waste. These facilities convert animal by-products into valuable resources such as animal feed, fertilizers, and biofuels. Rendering is a process of using high temperature and pressure to convert whole animal and poultry carcasses or their by-products with litter or no value to a safe, nutritionally and economically valuable feed ingredient. This not only reduces environmental pollution but also adds economic value to the waste materials.
Typical Rendering Process, Source: North American Renderers Association
According to the Rendered Poultry Products Global Market Report 2024, the rendered poultry products market size is expected to see steady growth in the next few years. It will grow to $7.96 billion in 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.5%. The global rendered poultry products market is anticipated to experience growth driven by the increase in meat production.
Recent data from the Foreign Agricultural Service showed an increase in global chicken meat production, rising from 101.2 million tons in 2021 to 102 million tons in 2022. Likewise, global beef and veal production grew from 58.4 million tons in 2021 to 59.3 million tons in 2022. Projections from the Food and Agriculture Organization indicate that global meat production will reach 373 million tons by 2030. This growth in meat production is a key factor driving the market for rendered poultry products.
Source: North American Renderers Association
N.B. In Bangladesh, Bone and Blood meal are restricted to be used as animal feed.
A significant trend in the rendered poultry products market is the growing investment by major companies to sustain their market positions. For instance, Tyson Foods Inc., a leading US company in rendered poultry products, invested $208 million in the Hanceville rendering plant in April 2022. This substantial investment is intended to enhance food production efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and supply a concentrated protein source for animal feed and pet food.
Furthermore, innovation in product offerings is a key strategy for major companies in the rendered poultry products market. They are developing products like organic chicken items to attract larger customer bases and boost sales. For instance, Diana Food, a French provider, introduced a range of organic poultry products in February 2021.
These include organic hen broth, hen bone broth, hen meat powder, and hen fat. The unique aspect of these products is their ethical sourcing from local farmers, along with non-allergenic properties, clean labels, and no additives like MSG or added hormones.
Kazi Farms, one of the largest poultry producers in Bangladesh, has taken a significant step towards sustainable waste management by establishing a rendering plant equipped with Mavitec technology facilitated by the programme PoultryTechBangladesh. Mavitec, a Dutch company, specializes in providing innovative rendering solutions that maximize the efficiency of the waste-to-resource process.
Rendering Process by Mavitec B.V.
Mavitec Rendering offers complete systems and equipment for processing and rendering. Their systems recycle animal by-products that are not intended for human consumption. The solutions are based on the separation of liquids (such as water, oil, fat and tallow) from solids.
The rendering plant at Kazi Farms processes poultry hatchery wastes such as shells of hatched eggs, infertile eggs, dead embryos and dead or culled chicks. Since, hatchery waste has a high moisture content (40-70%) making the material prone for rapid spoiling, rendering is the best method for handling and processing hatchery waste for recycling nutrients. The cooking process provides a heat treatment effective way of destroying the pathogens resulting in a hatchery by-product meal that is pathogen-free.
The key benefits of the rendering plant include:
Environmental Protection: By processing the hatchery waste into usable products, the rendering plant significantly reduces the environmental impact of poultry farming. It minimizes soil and water contamination and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Economic Value: The hatchery by-products processed by the rendering plant are sold as compost, animal feed ingredients, providing an additional source of income for Kazi Farms. This helps in offsetting the costs of waste management and contributes to the overall profitability of the farm.
Resource Efficiency: The Mavitec equipment used in the rendering plant is designed to maximize resource recovery. It ensures that a high percentage of the waste is converted into valuable products, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the process.
Sustainability: The rendering plant aligns with global sustainability goals by promoting a circular economy where waste is converted into resources. This approach supports long-term environmental and economic sustainability in the poultry sector.
The implementation of rendering plants, represents a significant advancement in poultry waste management in Bangladesh. These plants not only address the environmental challenges posed by poultry waste but also create economic opportunities for poultry producers.
Policymakers should focus on poultry production and waste management. Farmers need proper facilities for waste disposal, and investment in composting and biogas production should be encouraged. Training for farmers on waste management is essential, and modern methods require further research and implementation. Government extension services should provide manure management information through field trips and farm visits.
As the poultry sector continues to grow, the adoption of such sustainable waste management practices will be crucial in ensuring the sector’s long-term viability and contribution to the economy. Well-managed poultry waste can be a significant income source, contributing to GDP and UN Sustainable Development Goals. Addressing this issue is crucial for maintaining the natural biological system and should be emphasized to poultry business owners and stakeholders.
Dipa Sultana, Senior Business Consultant & Project Manager, at LightCastle Partners, has prepared the write-up. For further clarifications, contact here: [email protected]
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