What are the key challenges faced by poultry businesses in India?
India is one of the leading producers of eggs and broiler meat across the world. According to a recent report by IMARC, the Indian poultry market was worth INR 1,988 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.2% during 2021-2026. While the industry is poised to register high growth, there are a few challenges that can potentially affect this growth. One of the major challenges faced by poultry producers is the spread of diseases in poultry farms and hatcheries. These diseases adversely affect flock health and performance and can cause significant losses to poultry producers. Another challenge is the lack of cold storage facilities and processing units, impacting transport and storage of poultry in hygienic conditions. Additionally, poultry farms also experience low productivity due to infrastructure related and operational limitations.
How can innovative vaccination solutions help hatcheries and poultry businesses in India?
One of the key challenges faced by poultry producers is ensuring optimum health and hygiene to reduce the risk of diseases. Innovative vaccination solutions are one of the measures that hatcheries and poultry businesses can adopt to improve flock health and performance, thus reducing losses caused by poultry diseases. Boehringer Ingelheim India’s recently launched VAXXITEK® HVT+IBD poultry vaccine aims to do just that. VAXXITEK® HVT+IBD is a vectored vaccine which combats IBD (Infectious Bursal Disease) and Marek’s Disease – two major immunosuppressive diseases which have been known to affect poultry performance. This innovative vaccination solution enables life-long protection to poultry, and can help improve productivity of broilers, layers, and breeders.
What are some of the new technologies and how can they improve vaccination outcomes?
Vaccination is one of the most efficient strategies for poultry producers to prevent the spread of diseases and ensure high quality and throughput. In the last few years, one new category of vaccines, called vector vaccine has gained traction as it addresses select challenges that have been unaddressed by traditional vaccines. A good vaccination solution needs to be safe and be able to produce the desired immune response, convenient for mass administering and cost effective. Vector vaccines fulfil these criteria, thus benefiting poultry producers while being a cost-effective strategy.
What are the solutions offered by Boehringer Ingelheim for poultry producers?
At Boehringer Ingelheim, our Animal Health portfolio includes some of the most efficient and widely used vaccines for poultry offering protection from various diseases. Our innovative solutions for poultry producers facilitate prevention and control of a variety of poultry diseases across all industry segments including broiler, layer, and breeder. Globally, Boehringer Ingelheim offers vaccination solutions to combat Marek’s Disease, Infectious Bursal Disease, Infectious Coryza, Newcastle Disease, Infectious bronchitis, Salmonellosis and Fowl Pox.
Can you shed more light on VAXXITEK® HVT+IBD? How is it different from other vaccines available in India and the benefits it offers to the customers?
VAXXITEK® HVT+IBD is a vectored vaccine which provides life-long protection against two major immunosuppressive diseases – IBD (Infectious Bursal Disease) and Marek’s Disease. Traditional vaccination solutions especially of IBD require replication in Bursa of Fabricius causing immunosuppression and increased susceptibility of secondary infections. Sometimes these vaccines are required to be administered multiple times. VAXXITEK® HVT+IBD instead offers life-long protection in a single dose for all types of chickens like broiler, layer and breeder. Available in one hundred countries worldwide, this was the first vector vaccine launched for the avian market. VAXXITEK® HVT + IBD has become the largest selling poultry vaccine globally in terms of revenue and has witnessed growing demand in the Indian market. It is a simple yet effective solution which offers protection against two avian diseases and eliminates the need for any additional vaccination. Additionally, it offers the following benefits:
- Increase in bird uniformity
- Increase in feed conversion efficiency
- Decrease in mortality
- Improvement in daily weight gain
What is your take on the future of the poultry vaccine market in India?
The poultry market in India continues to register impressive growth against all odds. In order to retain the momentum, it is essential that disease prevention in hatcheries and poultry health management continue to remain a priority. Innovative vaccination solutions that address health-related needs of the Indian poultry market while ensuring cost effectiveness will continue to witness high demand. In addition to this, awareness around vaccination and animal health, ease of access to vaccination and veterinary support will also be essential to enable smaller poultry farmers to adopt vaccination solutions.