Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Agriculture Min. Denies Slaughtering Rare Egyptian Poultry Breeds due to Lack of Fodder


Fri 15 Dec 2023 | 08:52 PM
Taarek Refaat

The Ministry of Agriculture denied the news published by some websites and social media regarding the Agricultural Research Center slaughtering some rare Egyptian poultry breeds under the pretext of lack of fodder.

Mohammad Al-Shafi’i, Director of the Animal Production Institute at the Agricultural Research Center said that the news circulating in this regard is completely false.

He added that the Institute's primary role is to preserve animal genetic resources, including poultry breeds, as the Institute owns 14 local breeds, all of which are preserved in 8 stations affiliated with the Institute, and work as research herds on which experiments are conducted to improve them genetically and productively and then distribute them to the rural poultry sector. A strain that is placed in more than one research station to preserve it in the event of the emergence of diseases.

Al-Shafi’i stressed that all means of care are provided for these herds, including fodder, fortifications, and housing systems that are appropriate for each breed, especially since these breeds are characterized by their low nutritional needs to suit the rural sector and to reduce the cost of producing chickens and eggs.

He added that the institute does not slaughter breeds at all because they are used to improve production, and slaughtering them is considered a huge economic loss, in addition to the fact that the institute is not a producer of commercial chicken meat.

The Ministry of Agriculture calls on all various media outlets and social media users to ensure accuracy and objectivity in publishing news, and to communicate with the relevant authorities to confirm before publishing information that is not based on any facts and leads to creating confusion among citizens.