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hy are poultry farming regulated so differently in the US and UK? A deep dive into the two countries’ regulatory agencies
Poultry agriculture is an important part of global agricultural production, especially chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese, which serve as the main source of human food. Every year, more than 6 billion chickens are slaughtered around the world. Faced with such a huge number, countries adopt completely different strategies for poultry supervision. In the US, regulation of poultry farming is managed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while in the UK it is managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
According to the Worldwatch Institute, 74% of the world’s poultry meat and 68% of eggs are produced using high-intensity agricultural models. This staggering figure has triggered widespread debate on modern agricultural models.
Differences between regulatory agencies
The FDA in the United States is responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of food. The FDA develops a series of regulations to protect the health of consumers by monitoring food sources, drug use and production environments. Under this system, farms often use FDA-approved drugs to prevent and treat disease, which raises concerns about drug resistance.
In contrast, the UK's DEFRA focuses on environmental protection, food safety and animal health. The difference is that DEFRA has stricter management standards for free-range and organic breeding, especially in terms of animal welfare. The British government has specific requirements for the living environment of chickens.
The evolution of poultry farming methods
Poultry agriculture has undergone many transformations over the past few decades. The United States mainly adopts a high-intensity intensive breeding model in order to quickly achieve production targets. Although the UK also has intensive agriculture, it has gradually increased the proportion of free-range and organic farming in recent years. Consumers' emphasis on animal welfare has prompted changes in the market.
Animal welfare and health issues
Although intensive farming can increase yields, the long-term health problems for animals cannot be ignored. In high-intensity feeding environments, chickens are more susceptible to problems such as respiratory diseases and leg deformations.
British animal welfare laws require a better living environment for poultry, which means that farms need to provide them with enough space and natural environment so that chickens can only exhibit clean and healthy natural behaviors.
Future challenges and prospects
With increasing attention to the environment and animal welfare, poultry agriculture faces many challenges. In the future, how to balance production efficiency and animal welfare will become an important issue for regulatory agencies in various countries. In addition, how to reduce the problem of antibiotic resistance while ensuring food safety is a major challenge that poultry agriculture in the United States and the United Kingdom needs to face.
Ultimately, regulatory agencies in each country have different philosophies and enforcement standards for poultry agriculture. This gives poultry production a diverse look. As regulatory policies change and consumer demand grows, where does the future of poultry agriculture go?
