The main aim of the animal production is to produce animal proteins of high
value in a sustainable manner. However, sustainability is not easy to define.
It is a complex phenomenon, which includes integration of economic, social,
and environmental dimensions of the certain production, within a given
socio-economic context. In this respect, poultry production meets first two
dimensions - it provides affordable dietary item for consumers and profit for
producers. It additionally generates up and downstream investment
opportunities and it contributes to the development of the local economy.
However, with the concentration of poultry production and increase in
operation size, considerable environmental problems have occurred. During the
last several decades, the environmental impact of the poultry production has
received an ever-growing attention. Nowadays, producers are under heavy
pressure, from different fronts, to minimize the impact of their production
on the environment and to adopt welfare friendly practices. The major
challenges, which will affect animal production in the future, will likely
deal with the environment. In this paper, the environmental impact of poultry
production and the differences in this respect between the different
production systems are presented.
The environmental impact of poultry production
