Broiler mortalities are an unavoidable challenge in poultry production. Even on a well-managed farm, some birds may die during a production cycle, leaving the farmer responsible for secure handling and lawful disposal. Burial, incineration, composting and collection by approved waste operators can all have a place, but they may also add cost and operational pressure. This raises a valuable circular-agriculture question: could broiler mortalities be preserved, collected and processed into a useful animal-feed ingredient rather than simply discarded?
One possible model is a direct relationship between broiler farmers and pork producers. A pork producer, cooperative or specialist processor could aggregate routine mortalities from participating broiler farms. Foodpro could potentially be used to preserve and stabilise the carcasses, where the product’s registration and approved label permit this use, helping to limit decomposition while material awaits collection and authorised processing.
The distinction between preservation and feed safety is essential. Adding Foodpro to a carcass bin does not automatically make dead poultry safe or lawful to feed to pigs. Preservation is not the same as sterilisation, rendering, heat treatment, veterinary clearance or farm-feed registration. The credible commercial opportunity is therefore not direct feeding of preserved carcasses, but a controlled supply chain that converts eligible material into a traceable and properly formulated feed ingredient.
Why better broiler mortality management matters
Carcasses can decompose rapidly, especially during warm South African weather. Poorly managed mortalities may attract flies, rodents, scavengers and other animals. They can produce offensive odours and create risks for soil, surface water and farm biosecurity.
A carcass may also contain disease organisms, toxins or veterinary medicine residues. The cause of death is not always obvious, and an unusual increase in mortality may be the first sign of a flock-health problem. Mortalities must therefore be kept separate from live birds, conventional feed and healthy livestock while they await assessment and appropriate disposal or processing.
Farmers developing a mortality-management programme should consult their private or state veterinarian as well as the relevant environmental-health authority. The South African Poultry Association is also a useful source of poultry-production and biosecurity information.
Where Foodpro could fit into the system
Foodpro may have a practical role at the preservation stage, provided that its registered uses, approved instructions and technical evidence cover poultry mortalities destined for an authorised animal by-product process. A suitable preservation system may help slow decomposition, improve odour control and allow more practical collection intervals, particularly where poultry farms are spread across a large area.
Potential operational benefits could include:
- reduced decomposition before collection;
- better control of odour, flies and scavengers;
- more flexible and economical collection schedules;
- safer handling before approved processing; and
- a more consistent material stream for a licensed processor.
These potential benefits should not be represented as proof that preserved carcasses are ready for consumption by pigs. The Foodpro supplier should confirm the exact registered product name, approved application, instructions, restrictions and suitability for use around food-producing animals. If the intended product is called Feedpro rather than Foodpro, the name and registration details should be corrected before any commercial programme is promoted.
A partnership between broiler and pork farmers
A structured partnership could solve problems on both sides of the value chain. Broiler farmers need a dependable way to manage routine mortalities, while pork producers face high feed costs and remain interested in safe, nutritionally valuable feed ingredients. A qualified feed manufacturer, renderer or cooperative could connect these needs.
In a controlled model, participating broiler farms would place eligible routine mortalities into secure, clearly identified containers. Foodpro would be applied only in accordance with approved directions. An authorised operator would collect the sealed containers using dedicated vehicles and documented hygiene procedures.
The collected material would not move directly from the carcass bin to a pig trough. It would first pass through an authorised process that could include veterinary assessment, rendering, heat treatment, sterilisation, laboratory testing and incorporation into a balanced feed. A qualified animal nutritionist would need to determine whether the resulting ingredient is appropriate for pigs and at what inclusion level.
Commercial agreements should specify which mortalities are accepted, how quickly they must be preserved, how containers are sealed, how each collection is recorded, who owns the material at every stage and who carries regulatory responsibility. The model should operate as a formal animal by-product supply chain, not an informal exchange between neighbouring farms.
Preservation does not bypass swill-feeding rules
Swill generally means food waste that contains, or has come into contact with, meat or animal products. Unsafe swill feeding has been associated with the spread of serious pig diseases, including African swine fever. South Africa’s Department of Agriculture has warned pig keepers about disease transmission through infected swill and has stated that swill must undergo the legally required treatment before it is fed. Farmers can read the department’s African swine fever guidance.
Broiler mortalities are not necessarily identical to kitchen swill, but that does not make them unrestricted animal feed. They are animal-derived material whose handling, movement, processing and use may be regulated under animal-disease, farm-feed, meat-safety, environmental and municipal requirements.
South African farm feeds and relevant animal-derived raw materials are regulated under the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, 1947, commonly known as Act 36 of 1947. The government’s farm-feed registration guidance explains that applicable feed products must be registered and supported by accredited laboratory analysis.
The South African Animal Feed Policy identifies rendering as an important process because it destroys most infectious organisms in meat and animal by-products. This is why a preservative should never be marketed as a shortcut around swill restrictions, rendering requirements or veterinary oversight.
Biosecurity and traceability must come first
Aggregation introduces special risks because material from several poultry farms may be brought together. Collection vehicles, containers, equipment and personnel could carry contamination between farms unless the system is carefully designed.
Every farm should follow a documented biosecurity protocol developed with veterinary input. Reusable containers must be cleaned and disinfected at a suitable dedicated location. Collection routes should minimise cross-farm exposure, and vehicles should not enter clean production areas unnecessarily.
Birds associated with sudden, unexplained or unusually high mortality must be excluded immediately and reported to a veterinarian. Mortalities suspected of being linked to a controlled disease must never enter a feed-recovery programme. Official disease-control instructions take priority over any commercial arrangement.
Each consignment should record the source farm, flock or house, collection date, estimated quantity, preservation method and processing destination. This traceability makes it possible to isolate or recall material if a disease, contaminant or residue concern is later identified.
Nutrition and quality control
Even after authorised processing, a poultry-derived ingredient is not a complete pig diet. Its protein, fat, moisture, ash, minerals and amino-acid composition may vary. A qualified animal nutritionist must establish its feed value and formulate a balanced ration for the relevant class of pig.
Laboratory checks should cover microbiological safety and key nutritional characteristics. Depending on the material and production system, testing may also be needed for contaminants, veterinary residues, oxidation and other hazards. The intended outcome is a consistent and compliant feed ingredient, not a variable mixture of preserved carcasses.
Start with a regulated pilot
The idea deserves investigation because it could lower disposal pressure, improve resource efficiency and encourage cooperation between poultry and pork producers. It may also create a new commercial opportunity for specialised collection and processing businesses operating through agricultural platforms such as GroSpace.
A pilot should involve the Foodpro supplier, a veterinarian, an animal nutritionist, an accredited laboratory, an authorised feed manufacturer or sterilising facility, and the relevant regulatory authorities. Together they can test preservation performance, processing requirements, nutrient value, biosecurity controls, traceability and commercial viability before the model is expanded.
The core principle is simple: preserving a mortality does not make it feed-safe. A responsible system preserves eligible material where legally permitted, excludes disease-related deaths, maintains traceability, processes the material through an approved facility and uses the resulting ingredient only within a properly formulated and compliant feed.
With those safeguards, a costly disposal problem could potentially become a useful agricultural resource—without compromising pig health, poultry biosecurity or consumer confidence.
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