Climate-Smart Chicken

Abstract

In the 1960s average yearly consumption of poultry meat stood at just over 3 kilograms per person on the planet. By the 1990s this had more than tripled, and by 2030 we are each predicted to be eating the equivalent of 17 kilograms of poultry meat a year (over 120 million tonnes worldwide). For every kilogram of chicken produced, up to 5 kilograms of greenhouse gas is emitted. Within this, producing the chicken feed is the main culprit at about three-quarters of the total. Each year in UK households, we waste 110,000 tonnes of chicken meat. In the developed world most chicken is produced under controlled conditions, so heat stress risks under a changing climate should be minimal. However, cooling capacities, transport systems and housing densities all need to be adapted as the risk of more extreme heat events increases. In the developing world chickens may be more exposed to severe weather impacts, but they also represent a useful way to enhance incomes and food security where resilient and higher-yielding varieties are made available.