Poultry Industry in Iraq

Poultry Industry – Current Situation in Iraq

By Dr. Mithaq Abdul-Hussein

The poultry industry differs from other animal production systems for several reasons:

1. Poultry production is very fast and the number of produced animals is huge.

2. Limited use of area used for production compared to the number of produced animals.

3. The poultry industry is dependent upon machinery for production.

4. The timeline for marketing is too short.

5. Factors like moisture, ventilation, and temperature are considered essential for the production

6. Poultry must be raised in special environment.

Due to the following factors, the production period and money investment cycle are short:

· The high metabolic rate due to the improvement of the production genes causes chronic disorders in blood circulation because of the increased body temperature of the bird and the lack of temperature exchange with the ambient environment. Therefore, animals would be facing blood clotting problem and this leads to sudden death at increased numbers if the weather temperatures range is (35-40˚C) or (95-104˚F). The increased temperature problem also leads to the increased sensitivity in mycotoxins present in feed enhanced by the effective absorption property of the digestive system of birds which may lead to increase the accumulation of these toxins in their body compared to other domestic animals.

· Poultry respiratory system physiology makes birds vulnerable to respiratory infections which lead to deaths.

· The fast growth rate of the birds makes the immune system relatively weak and unable to produce cellular immunity and is relying on the immunity temporarily produced in the body by continuous vaccination, especially in broilers.

· The occurrence of mutations that may cause cancers, deformities, atrophies and sudden death, especially in hybrids.

In an attempt to mitigate the negative effects of the above reasons on the industry, there are some areas that should be taken into consideration in order to provide solutions:

· Poultry housing: the building where birds are raised should be isolated completely from the outside environment. This will make the temperature, moisture and ventilation control easier.

[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة]

· Vaccines and vaccination: vaccines that are used should be scientifically selected based upon the breed and endemic diseases in the country. Routine follow up to measure the level of antibodies is required before starting a new vaccination activity. In addition, vaccines must be obtained from reliable sources to prevent the exposure of the disease that animals are vaccinating against.

· Chicks or breeders: must be obtained with a good genetic to produce good quality of birds and as a result, good products.

· Machinery: new equipment and utensils should be provided in poultry houses such as feeders and waterers, air conditions, and heaters.

· Use close housing: all in-all out. And the activities inside the facility will be monitored by computers.

· Hygiene programs and supervision: monitoring activities in poultry houses should be based on science and expertise.

[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة]

The current situation in Iraq regarding poultry producing cannot be called poultry industry. In fact, it is better called irregular poultry production. Also, poultry business is somewhat risky and the loss percent is more than 70%. I’d like to summarize the situation of poultry industry in Iraq by the following:

1. Ninety five percent of poultry houses are not technically suitable for production and are not licensed.

2. The use of hybrids and birds with no good genetic properties leads to several problems in the produced birds such as stunting or sudden death due to the presence of the so-called “fatal gene”.

3. Improper selection of poultry feed in terms of quality and quantity. Also, some feed is obtained from unapproved suppliers. There is no analysis to determine the level of pesticide residue. The presence of mycotoxins is an expected phenomenon due to the improper storage conditions of the feed and the presence of fungi in the feed producing factories. The addition of vegetable oils to the feed accelerates the spoilage and leads to rancidity of the feed. Consequently, this leads to feed poisoning and indigestion in the birds.

1. The adoption of traditional vaccination protocol without measuring the level of antibodies leads to the decline of antibody produced and the immunity response to infection. Additional unnecessary doses of vaccines stresses the immune system of the bird, especially the administration is not well regulated and monitored.

2. There are no regulations or laws established to monitor and regulate the industry and there is lack of awareness by poultry producers. This leads to economic losses.

3. There is no policy or compensation systems employed to help the veterinary services and producers to deal with infectious, epidemic, and emerging diseases.

4. Most devastating diseases of interest in poultry production are endemic such as Newcastle, gumboro (IBDV), and infectious bronchitis.

5. Up to this point, nobody knows if the poultry industry in Iraq belongs to the general or private sector. The process of production is a mess. There is an obvious lack of cooperation between producers and veterinarians.

6. The poultry industry as mentioned earlier differs from other industries like large animal industry where the latter can be developed horizontally i.e. (owners and animals). The poultry industry should be developed both vertically and horizontally because horizontal system caused problems previously.

7. Iraq is lacking of hygiene slaughter plants and waste management systems.

8. Live bird trade and transportation from one governorate to the other makes the process of controlling epidemic diseases difficult.

In conclusion, the poultry industry in Iraq needs to be rebuilt in the near future. The country needs this section to be vital. This will help provide self-sufficiency and improves the economy and food security.

Comments:

Dr. Mohannad Alwaily:

Dr. Mithaq, I thank you for providing us with this important subject, and please allow me to add few points: while I do agree with you that the poultry industry in Iraq has an important role in terms of economy and social life, there are several solutions can be adopted to improve this industry:

· Establish a committee that set up a strategy to regulate the production and the marketing processes for poultry.

· Establish epidemiological map to determine poultry disease and control programs.

· Establish best communication among ministries and veterinary services

· Establish diagnostic veterinary laboratories or develop the existed ones.

· Adopt restrict rules to regulate biological security programs?

· Establish monitoring and surveillance systems in poultry houses and verify them.

· Regulate the process of medicine and vaccine dispensing. Feed and supplements should also be regulated by quality control programs.

· Establish routine training courses for veterinarians and workers in this important sector.

· Provide necessary equipment for hatching and monitor continuously.

Finally, this sector needs to be overseen by experts to determine ways to improve it. Regards.

Dr. Jamal Sabbar,

Dr. Mithaq thanks for the topic. Poultry products do provide good protein content in our diet and poultry industry is developed mainly by veterinarians. The imported poultry products might be contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Meat from chicken were raised using growth promoting hormones may also be dangerous for consumers due to the severe consequences like hormone irregularity in females. In the 1980’s there was a law that states an agreement between a producer and a veterinarian. This veterinarian should be licensed and responsible of the poultry farm management. But the mess started when other officers who are not veterinarians became responsible for and be in charge of the farm and with no official regulation. Unfortunately, the role of a veterinarian became marginal afterwards. Greetings.

Dr. Aziz Malallah,

Dear Dr. Mithaq,

The poultry industry in Iraq started in the 1980’s. The negotiation over establishing this industry was huge. Some investors were in favor of importation, especially from Brazil, and some local producers wanted to enhance the Iraqi poultry industry. The importers stated that a chicken would cost $1 only, and this is very affordable besides, importation will reduce pollution. Those who were in favor of local production of poultry were able to convince the government to establish local industry because of the many benefits such as providing employment for vets and agricultural employees. Unfortunately, the implementation of the project did not go well and people who were in charge of the project were irresponsible. Nonetheless, the government by then was able to control the situation. I recall a conference was held in Babel hotel and several international companies like Bayer, Intervet, and VAPCO were invited. I found out that the Iraqi poultry industry did not suffer outbreaks from diseases such as gumboro compared to other countries like Jordan who had problems with this disease and the economic loss was 70%. In short, I think the proper investment of money given to start a project is the key solution. The industry contents should be all involved starting from the hatchery all the way to the slaughter house. Feed should be produced locally too. This will provide adequate amount of poultry products in the Iraqi market and help protect consumers from consuming unhealthy imported products. Regards.

[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة]
تسلم ايدك دكتورة على التنسيق والترجمة المهنية العاليه ..هكذا انتي كلك ذوق
اننا في المنتدى فعلا فخورين بك لاهتمامك وحرصك على هذا المنتدى الفتي
الف شكر دكتورة ..متمنين لك دوام الصحة والعافية
اخوكم
د.مهند الوائلي

السلام عليك د هناء البطله .....حقيقة أنت مبدعه وبارك الله بجهودك الكبيره في خدمة المهنه من خلال هذا المنتدى ....الله يوفقك ويعوضك الصحه والعافيه وأنا أقول أيظا نحن نفتخر بك كثيرا والله يكثر من أمثالك

[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة]

شكرا دكتورة هناء على الجهود الطيبة

شكراً لحضراتكم على التعليقات الجميلة
و شكراً على المجهود الرائع بكتابة التحليل و التعليقات المفيدة ووفقكم الله لخدمة بلدنا العزيز
Thanks to all of you for the nice comments
Also, thank you doctors for the great effort of putting this study together and posting thoughtful comments. May God supports us to serve our dear country.

[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة]

Thank you dr. Hanaa on this wonderful effort…You are always creative

[ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذه الصورة]

Thanks Dr. Majda for the nice comment.

» Dr. Salman comments about Poultry Industry in Iraq
» عضو جديد
» Stunning in Poultry