Poultry consumption falls by 3 mt

As bird flu fears have grown, sales of chicken have dropped, though there isn't any evidence the virus can be passed on through cooked birds.

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation predicts global poultry consumption will fall by three million tonnes, or more than 3%, this year.

Effect of bird flu on estimated chicken consumption.

Region	2006 consumption (mmt)	Change (%) from previous 2006 estimate
Europe	10.7	-11
Africa	4.1	-5
Russia/CIS	4.1	-5
Asia	28.9	-2
South America	11.2	-2
North America	17.3	-1
Central America	4.5	0
Oceania	1.0	0
World	81.8	-3

Source: FAO

Stocks in poultry businesses have tumbled. In the US, which has not been affected by bird flu, shares of Pilgrims Pride have dropped almost 25% in the past year, and Tyson Foods' stock is down almost 20%.

Editor WorldPoultry