,

ARAL REPORT: PROCESSED TURKEY AND CHICKEN MEAT, CHALLENGES OF THE POULTRY SECTOR

Magazine ARAL (download here) has made a complete report on the market for processed turkey and chicken meat During last year. With the participation of several consulting firms and companies in the sector, this analysis shows how the poultry industry It has adapted to the new consumption habits of society, both those derived from the effects of this pandemic and those that had been registered in the preferences of families.

The biggest challenge in the sector has been in the customization of product offering, supported by the innovation and transformation of production companies, as well as the response to a client who seeks to know the origin of the products they consume as well as their production processes.

As pointed out Jordi Montfort, secretary general of Avianza In an opinion article that is part of this study, our sector has placed special focus on transparently showing the pillars that support our activity, such as Quality in raw materials, Sustainability and the Animal welfare.

In this article, we explain how we are gaining the trust of a consumer who is increasingly looking for the quality seal of our products of national origin, and for which we are carrying out digitalization processes of our value chain to reach them in a more direct and accessible way. And as Jordi Montfort points out, «quality and flavor take precedence over price competition, and this is something that the consumer appreciates, who welcomes the new proposals«.

Article written by Fernando Caballo Arcaya.

,

AGRIBUSINESS SPECIAL: AN INDUSTRY COMMITTED TO ANIMAL WELFARE

The newspaper Agribusiness includes in its latest issue a special dedicated to Animal welfare, in which our interprofessional has participated with an opinion article that includes our main actions in this important commitment of the entire poultry industry. Can access the full content of the special on its website. We reproduce here the entire tribune of Jordi Montfort, secretary general of Avianza.

A responsible, innovative poultry industry committed to animal welfare

The Spanish poultry industry is a international benchmark for innovation capacity, transformation and adaptation to the new challenges posed by consumers and the agri-food value chain itself. Occupying this position has been possible thanks to a constant commitment of investment in all production processes, from genetics, raising birds on our farms, logistics and transportation, processing and manufacturing of products, or final marketing. And all this in addition, generating a important contribution to our economy, as well as the revitalization of business activity in rural areas.

Our farms, production centers and the entire ecosystem of companies in general are increasingly more professionalized, more technical, and even more prepared to address the process of internationalization to even more demanding markets, if possible. And in this evolution, Having an “Animal Welfare Commitment” seal is a priority for everyone. Because a large part of the homework has already been done. We are talking about the ability to transparently show that consumer that, for years, our companies and professionals have complied beyond and beyond with the principles set by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in terms of animal welfare, as well as the regulations. of the European Union, such as the European Convention for the Protection of Animals on Livestock Farms. They are facts.

Having an “Animal Welfare Commitment” seal is a priority for everyone

Avianza

For this reason, our interprofessional actively participates in different work committees, both in our sector and with other interprofessionals, to create the common framework that allows us to promote a seal that represents to our consumers the guarantee of poultry production which is governed by the highest standards of animal welfare, as well as ethical criteria. Standards that are applied in areas of biosecurity, food, accommodation and facilities, or animal management.

It is a common responsibility, which is nourished by the improvements proposed by the entire ecosystem of the meat industry, committees of experts involving universities and technology centers, certification entities, operators and the animal protection and defense organizations themselves. Dialogue and respect must be the basis of improvement.

Because in the European Union we have one of the most demanding and advanced regulations in the field of animal welfare, and our companies are guarantors of compliance. When our poultry products compete in international markets, and also the national one, it should be an important competitive advantage, especially given the threat of low-cost poultry meat from markets that are more lax in their production policies. And this is something that we want to highlight in a positive way: Spanish poultry meat is a healthy, safe and quality product.

Our companies and professionals have spent years transforming their facilities into highly advanced complexes, where innovation and digitalization help to control and improve each part of the production process, with a significant investment in traceability. Technologies such as blockchain, or the governance and adoption of data for making better decisions, are part of this transformation process, and their practical application can contribute to giving elderly solidity and transparency to initiatives such as our quality and animal welfare seal.

We have the opportunity to harmonize the certification processes so that the consumer recognizes in a single seal that reality of which we are so proud.

Avianza

From Avianza We want that when consumers go to their shelves they have the guarantee that purchasing a poultry product produced in Spain is synonymous with all the values that we have mentioned previously. And also the efforts of thousands of anonymous professionals and families who work every day to guarantee that Spanish poultry meat is part of the gastronomic heritage of our country.

In 2021 we address important challenges in the internationalization of our products, focusing on markets such as Japan, Hong Kong, the Middle East or the EU itself, especially with a Premium product, and the ability to communicate more widely, efficiently and transparent the good practices in terms of animal welfare that we have applied in all links of the value chain of the meat industry.

,

This is the SWOT of the meat industries, including poultry

25 professionals representing the Spanish meat industries have participated in this complete report of the meat magazine, where the SWOT of each of the sectors, including the Poultry. Through it, the main Weaknesses and Threats, where the report highlights, among others, the tensions in the market prices, also diminished by the COVID19 crisis, as well as the need to carry out more proactive communication work around the properties of meat products and the commitment of professionals to more sustainable and safe production.

As for the Strengths, the professionals consulted highlight the resilient nature of our industries, as well as our objective of internationalization, relying on the good external image of Spanish products, of high quality and with a production model that is an example for the rest. of markets.

As for Opportunities, it precisely affects the potential that the opening of new markets for our meat would mean for our industries, something that, for example, we have been working on since Avianza with the recent agree with ICEX.

Our general secretary, Jordi Montfort, has analyzed for Meat What are the main components of that SWOT applied to our industry (image attached). The Strengths stand out, where our sector has been making significant investments and solid advances in professionalization and technical improvement of our value chain or innovation as a lever for growth and strengthening of our companies.

In addition, it highlights two of the production pillars of our interprofessional, such as biosafety and the quality of our products as a sign of identity and our values.

You can download the full report from their website.

,

NEXT GENERATION FUNDS: THE MEAT SECTOR PROMOTES THE GREEN AND DIGITAL ECONOMY

The meat sector in Spain, including the poultry industry, will promote a 3.5 billion project to accelerate the green and digital economy in our country, within the framework of the funds Next Generation of the European Union.

AVIANZA has joined together with other interprofessional organizations such as Interporc, Asici, Interovic, Provacuno and Intercun to form a working group that represents more than 21 industries. The team is made up of associations and companies, and Manuel García, from Vall Companys.

Two important technological partners also participate in the initiative: Hispasat and Telefónica, whose challenge is to provide infrastructure and technological solutions to accelerate digitalization and innovation in production centers and the rest of the value chain of the Spanish meat industries. Funds Next Generation They are an opportunity to promote your transformation, under the principles of Sustainability, new ways of working, inter-connectivity of different areas of activity, etc.

On the part of the poultry sector, this group has partners from Avianza as Vall Companys Group, Uvesa Group either Coren, among others.

The objective of this project is that 50 % of the financing comes from private funds, while the other 50% is provided by the European “Next Generation” funds, for which they will have to be approved first by the Government, to later pass by the analysis and acceptance of the EU.

These are some of the main commitments collected by this project:

  • In terms of sustainability, The dossier prepared includes the intention to join to the European Green Deal, reduce single-use plastics by 25 % and boost the supply of energy from renewable sources, reaching 70 % in three years.
  • The fight against climate change It also appears in this initiative, since to reduce the carbon footprint it proposes reducing emissions by 15 % for the livestock sector, and by 30 % for the meat industry.
  • In digitalization, both ranchers and the industry propose using “Blockchain” technology, until 50% of exports are reached, 10 % of companies have developed an “online” sales channel and that there is a boost to robotization.
  • The project also reflects actions related to equal opportunities to reach 50 % of female employment in all links of the chain.
  • And also others related to animal welfare, to extend the implementation of the certificate during 2021. Animal Welfare Commitment.

From Avianza We consider this project as a pioneering initiative for our poultry industry, and we trust in the approval of Next Generation funds for its subsequent application over the next three years. Our mission is to contribute to the environmental, economic and social sustainability of our poultry sector, and support our partners at a momentous time to ensure their viability in the face of the serious effects of this pandemic on the economy.

'Revista Cárnica: «Between hope and vindication»

Our president, Antonio Sanchez, analyzes for the Meat Magazine How has the evolution of our poultry industry been in 2020, a year marked by the pandemic and the effects of COVID-19.

As it explains, "Taking stock of a year as complicated as this one can be disheartening, but putting into perspective the challenges addressed and how we have faced them with responsibility and sacrifice, I am left with a feeling of pride.«

We can assert that we have established ourselves as one of the most competitive and innovative meat industries in Europe. 

Antonio Sánchez, President Propollo.

In this article, our president also breaks down the four lines of action of our interprofessional organization in the coming years, focusing on:

  • Internationalization
  • Quality and Sustainability
  • R&D&i investment
  • Animal welfare.

To view the full article, download here.

La Tribuna: Prepared for danger

We analyzed for Promecal, a media publishing company such as La Tribuna de Ciudad Real, how avian flu is evolving in Europe, as well as how our sector is very prepared to address its evolution with preventive measures.

Our Secretary General, Jordi Montfort, explains how «Our industry has strict protocols for action in this type of situation in coordination with national public administrations such as the Ministry of Agriculture and international ones through the European Commission or the OIE, as it is a notifiable disease.»

ANDIn the event of an outbreak or affected area, our companies are prepared to respond early, coordinating with the authorities the necessary actions to limit its incidence and repercussions.

Jordi Montfort, Secretary General Propollo

To see the full article here.

,

'ceci n'est pas un steak', the campaign to call a spade a spade

On October 23, we learned the result of the vote by parliamentarians in Brussels on the names of meat in all vegan products that have been marketed in Europe for months.

Unfortunately all our efforts to support the industry, which poses not to confuse the consumer by correctly naming foods from the meat industry, have been in vain, since the final results confirm that for the moment, it will be legal to speak in terms of "burger" or "Nugetts" to products that are 100% derived from soybeans and other plant products.

The amendment 165, which had already been approved in the Agriculture Committee, established that certain names such as hamburger either steak They should be reserved for “meat preparations”, That is, fresh meat or meat subjected to processes that do not “alter its muscle fiber structure.” However, the majority of deputies believe that a tofu burger cannot be deprived of that name. The amendment has been rejected by 379 votes against, 284 in favor and 27 abstentions.

The bosses' association: 'Ceci n'est pas un burger'

The controversy had mobilized the main European employers, associations and companies. While the possibility of the European Parliament condoning the veggie burger, the European livestock sector, in a nod to Magritte, used the image of that delicacy to launch the campaign Ceci n'est pas un burger ('This is not a hamburger, in French).

“Enough of the surreal names for meat and dairy!”

Statement from the Copa-Cogeca employers' association.

Environmental, vegetarian and vegan entities, among others, had defended the opposite. Large European corporations such as Ikea or Unilever joined this thesis and defended that amendment 165 went “against the growing consumer interest” in alternatives to animal products, whether for reasons of diet, health or the environment. In addition, they maintained that it could act as a brake on competition by introducing entry barriers in the food market.

It is not the first time that the European institutions have faced this debate. In 2017, the Court of Justice of the EU already ruled that soy and tofu products that were presented as an alternative to these foods could not be called “milk” or “butter.” In this regard, the deputies have supported extending this measure to almond drink.

At Propollo we hope that in the future things can be called by their true name.

ICEX and Propollo join forces to boost poultry meat exports abroad

Europa Press echoes the historic agreement between ICEX and Propollo to take our poultry industry to international markets, with an ambitious action plan to promote our products.

Among the different measures, workshops, seminars or debate forums on the internationalization of the sector will be developed, as well as international promotion activities, whether technical conferences, seminars on opportunities in strategic markets or reverse missions of buyers or opinion leaders.

Internationalization is the great challenge of this sector, so through promotional actions or instruments such as personalized market studies this path will be facilitated, identifying commercial partners for the export and investment of their industry."

María Peña, ICEX CEO

To read the full article, see here.

,

Alimarket Report September 2020: The poultry sector promotes digitalization

Due to the effects of the COVID19 pandemic, the meat sector is undergoing important changes. And one of them has been the strong progress towards digitalization, which joins the commitments of our sector, such as Sustainability and the Wellbeing encouragesl, as well as the crucial process of Internationalization.

In this report of Alimarket, in which we have participated since Propollo Contributing our vision and experiences, the "state of the art" of the meat sector in Spain is analyzed, including the poultry industry. These are the main conclusions:

  • He "plant-based” has burst onto the scene of the sector, according to the president of ANICE, “digital and technological tools have become fundamental for the meat industry…”. Declarations that are accompanied by a “Digitalization Plan” to make partners aware of the possibilities that technology and digital tools offer to associated companies.
  • Digitalization in the meat sector is still limited. They will undoubtedly have an impact on the structure of the company itself and its relationship with the customer, in addition to an improvement in production, the adaptation of products, greater safety of its products and workers; and, of course, in communication with clients and attracting new ones.
Source: MAP

The increase in digitalization has been confirmed by Provacuno, another of the interprofessional organizations participating in the report. According to those responsible, there have been increases in online sales platforms, in parallel to the feared decrease in consumption by the HORECA sector during this pandemic, and the increase in interest in exports.

“The poultry sector has been developing important investments in the modernization of facilities, access to new sources of renewable energy, application of circular economies or waste management.", Jordi Montfort, Secretary General Propollo

Alimarket

As the report explains, the meat sector, through ANAFRIC and of Provacuno, in a movement that we also support at Propollo, has requested aid for private storage, the opening of public intervention purchases and direct aid to the producing sector, especially to feedlots or in our case, poultry farms.

In foreign trade, COVID has had a notable influence. International fairs have been almost suppressed, as well as travel and gatherings of people. Traditional trade promotion models have undergone a significant change. Digital transformation now plays a new role.

New markets are opened through online audits, as in the case of Thailand. A path is open for new commercial destinations.

Sustainability and animal welfare

Sustainability and well-being, objectives pursued by the sector before the pandemic, continue to play an important role today. From Propollo We explain how “The poultry sector has been developing important investments in the modernization of facilities, access to new sources of renewable energy, application of circular economies or waste management. But it is a global commitment, and therefore it must continue to be encouraged by public administrations, to extend the possibilities of adopting them to as many companies as possible..”

Another of the topics mentioned refers to the Meat Sector Working Group of the Food for Life-Spain Technological Platform (PTF4LS), which proposes promoting and organizing R&D&i processes, creating structures that allow this innovation to be channeled effective and efficiently structure the relationship between the industry and the world of innovation, identifying common interests and market requirements.

Antibiotic-free production, financing opportunities for R&D&i projects and food safety in fermented sausages are some of the new projects that meat companies have embarked on.

The report also indicates that we cannot forget the appearance of processed meat substitutes in the coming years and that they will compete with traditional products. Another challenge that the meat sector will have to face.

,

AgroBusiness: Towards the new scenario that we have to redraw

Tribune of Antonio Sánchez, President of Propollo, for the 20th Anniversary Special of AgroNegocios magazine.

20 years ago, when he was born AgroBusiness, many of us face “new challenges for new times” under the headlines of the passing of a century and a millennium. And although some of us are part of a generation that has lived through several transitions, from politics to economics, we had to address a new transition focused on technology and globalization.

Today, everything we had learned, all the challenges we had been overcoming, have become the essential tools to face a new scenario that we have to redraw together due to this crisis. And I want to do it optimistically, but also critically.

I have the honor of representing the poultry sector, which has been an example of this journey of resilience over the years, and which has always responded with responsibility, talent and innovation.

During the toughest moments of the pandemic, many spotlights were pointed at us, aware of our role as an industry supplier of such an essential product in the citizens' basket.

Agribusiness

Millions of birds reached consumers in March thanks to the efforts of thousands of families throughout Spain, who They deserve special recognition, united by an impressive feeling of solidarity.

Today our sector represents an industry recognized for the quality of its products, for the ability of its facilities to adapt to the demanding national and international health regulations, for a logistics network that allows more than 1,600,000 tons of chicken, turkey and other meat to be placed birds anywhere in the national geography.

Our professionals have supported part of this necessary transformation in training, digitalization and the new, more collaborative work formalities. Today we are also a more diverse industry, committed to the environment and energy efficiency, and which proudly displays its policies on animal welfare.

WE ARE ALONE AGAIN

But we face this crisis with some not so positive aspects, although it is up to us to provide the answers. The first point is the correlation between our consideration as an essential activity and economic engine with the support we receive. European and national public administrations have repeatedly postponed solutions for a sector that represents 23% of meat consumption in this country, with a wealth generation of more than 2.3 billion euros annually, and for which The fall of the Horeca and tourism sector can mean losses of more than 600 million euros. And we are alone again, without any help or support.

The second point is found in our ability to export. The quality seal of Spanish chicken will allow us to open new markets, but we are doing so at one of the worst times, with pressure in the form of low-cost prices from countries protected by agreements that are currently out of context. The cohesion and responsibility of the entire distribution and restaurant chain is more necessary than ever to respond not only to the sector, but also to consumers, with what they expect from us: product and service.

But let's get back to the essence of this article: hope. In times like this we make our commitment available to society. We open new spaces to share experiences around a product that is so social and linked to our emotions.

Eating chicken has been linked to our confinement and also to de-escalation. It will be in our backpacks when we resume walks with our children in the countryside, at dinners during a summer as strange as this one, or at the family celebration that we return to after a long time, with a good chicken on the table.

It is linked to our Mediterranean diet, versatile, genuine and at the same time exquisite to be an icon of our most prestigious chefs. Therefore, in addition to congratulating AgroNegocios for this 20th anniversary, I join in a greater celebration. Confidence in facing a new decade in a new normal.