In 2019, around 15.8 million tonnes of poultry meat were produced across the EU. Of this, around 1.8 million tonnes of poultry meat was produced in Germany. Footpad lesions in poultry have been studied for many years to assess animal health and welfare. The causes of footpad lesions in poultry are complex and multifactorial, but damp litter is considered a major risk factor. Moist litter can lead to increased emission of ammonia and increased exposure to pathogenic bacteria. In turn, increased ammonia levels in the barn air have been shown to negatively affect animal welfare.
In order to sustainably improve animal health and welfare, the OG CAReFUL (Residue biomass to activated carbon: Prevent foot pad lesions in poultry husbandry) focuses on the development and testing of plant and plant activated carbon produced from regionally available residual biomass as an additional litter substrate in poultry farming.
