Practice and Science Broiler Production Innovation Network

Project Information

BROILERNET

Grant agreement ID: 101060979

DOI

10.3030/101060979

EC signature date 7 June 2022

Start date 1 August 2022

End date 31 July 2026

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 2 598 987,50

EU contribution

€ 2 598 986,25

Coordinated by

SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - BROILERNET (Practice and Science Broiler Production Innovation Network)

Reporting period: 2024-02-01 to 2025-07-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Poultry is expected to become the world’s most widely consumed meat. The challenge for the European poultry meat sector is to provide safe and high-quality poultry meat products that are affordable for consumers around the world. Society demands, e.g. EUs Farm to Fork Strategy, more environmentally sustainable production, more animal-friendly production systems and a way of managing animal health that tackles key challenges, including antimicrobial resistance. Thus, significant adjustment of the broiler production system is needed, which also includes a greater capacity of farmers to cope and adapt their day-to-day farming practices. Recently, it has become obvious that access to knowledge alone is rarely enough to generate innovation by farmers, and the ability of farmers to innovate was influenced by a variety of factors such as institutional context, policy environment, and market forces.
The Horizon Europe funded project BroilerNet is aiming to closing this divide and strengthening research and innovation in the broiler sector through a new and interactive approach to innovation. BroilerNet created thirteen national level innovation networks of broiler farmers and other actors to address the challenges faced by broiler farmers in DE, EI, EL; ES; FI; FR; IT, NL, PL, PT, SE, SI and UK. Furthermore, three EU level networks are focusing around three main fields of concern: (1) environmental sustainability; (2) animal welfare; and (3) animal health management. Through a multi-actor approach, the most urgent Sector challenges of the European broiler farmers were be identified and the networks collected and evaluated good practices that are able to mitigate the Sector challenges. BroilerNet are in the process of also engage with existing and new broiler-focused EIP-AGRI Operational Groups and in order to enhance their impact. The selected best of good practices are spread through communication and dissemination activities to reach the vast majority of broiler farmers in the countries of the participating consortium partners, but also to all broiler farmers across Europe.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In the beginning of the project 13 national Broiler Innovation Networks (BINs) of broiler farmers, advisors etc. were created in each partner countries. The process included the identification of a suitable person from each industry partner, and that had good networks within the national Broiler Sector. This person acted as a Broiler Net Facilitator (BNF) and was trained in group facilitation by BroilerNet project experts. As part of the process an online Participatory Actor Mapping also was performed. The BINs consist of 11-107 members with practical knowledge about broiler production, and in total >400 person are involved in the 13 BINs across Europe.
For the first series of BIN meetings, the facilitators were tasked with asking their BIN for common Sector Challenges experienced across the sector, and then to collect and rank the ideas generated during the discussions. This resulted in a list of Top Sector Challenges from each national BIN.
The 3 thematic expert networks (TENs) in environmental sustainability, animal welfare and animal health management, respectively, were initiated and coordinated by the WP-leaders. Each TEN consists of ~10-12 experts from all partner countries. In total across the three TENs there are ~36 people from across Europe involved. The TENs have used their expertise and research-led knowledge to select and review the lists of the most urgent Sector Challenges facing the European Broiler Sector. A short list of nine of the most pressing Sector Challenges across Europe was developed.
In the second series of BIN meetings, the BINs were tasked with identifying Good Practices (GP) in their country based on the Sector Challenges previously identified, and to discuss these based on guidelines outlined in a Good Practice collection form. Thereafter, the TENs analysed, evaluated and ranked these GPs collected. This has resulted in the selection of nine Best of the Good Practices (three per theme), which are being assessed for their Cost-Benefit ratio. For this purpose, the Cost-Benefit (Effect) Analysis (CBA) method was applied to compare the costs and benefits of an action, expressed in monetary terms. The evaluation included presentation data of the typical farm models and CBA carried out for three of ‘best of GPs’ practices that improve environment per themes (nine in total). However, complete CBA was possible to perform for two of ‘best of GPs’ practices per themes (N=6), due to insufficient monetary data in description of three best of GPs’ practices.
The BroilerNet Championship is based on the outcomes from the developed Good Practice Evaluation Tool (GPET) and reflects the nine Best of the Good Practices (i.e. there are 9 champions in total; i.e. three from each theme). These individuals and groups are expected to promote the GP and will take part in a video tour of their farm/site in the national language with English subtitles, as well as an interview that can be disseminated as a podcast, factsheet, blog and as social media posts.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

BroilerNet has developed Broiler Innovation Networks in 13 counties, and in some of these countries these networks are probably the first national non-commercial network in the broiler sector. In other countries professional networks were already existing, and the knowledge about them could be utilised in the BroilerNet project.
As far as we know, this is the first systematic collection of Sector challenges, as well as, potential Good Practices to mitigate the challenges within European broiler farming that has been performed. The thematic expert networks (TEN) within the BroilerNet ensure that the challenges and the GPs are checked for quality and practicality, and the cost-benefit assessment evaluate the economic impact of the practices.