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Poultry Meat Farming in Australia - Market Research Report (2014-2029)

Matt Reeves Matt Reeves Melbourne, Australia Last Updated: December 2024 ANZSIC A0171

Revenue

$831.8m

2024-25

$831.8m

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

$XX.Xm

Employees

1,996

Businesses

887

Wages

$XX.Xm

Poultry Meat Farming in Australia industry analysis

Revenue for the Poultry Meat Farming industry has expanded in recent years. Poultry consumption has inched upwards, despite nearing a point of relative market saturation, as rising health consciousness has boosted consumption of leaner sources of protein, like chicken. Poultry’s relative affordability, compared with substitute sources of protein, like fish, beef and lamb, has supported higher consumption. Inflation-driven poultry price hikes have bolstered revenue, supporting anticipated annualised growth of 2.8% over the past five years, to total $831.8 million in 2024-25. This includes a 1.8% slide in the current year as input costs recede and farmers drop prices to remain competitive.

Trends and Insights

  • Poultry meat farmers often operate under long-term contracts with processors. This has protected many from high input costs in recent years, supporting profitability growth.
  • Nearly all poultry meat sales are made to the downstream Poultry Processing industry. The Poultry Meat Farming industry's downstream markets are therefore divided according to the domestic distribution channels poultry products go through after being processed.
  • The location of downstream processors has the heaviest influence on the geographical spread of poultry meat farmers. Most farms are located within 100 kilometres of processing plants to minimise costs and reduce the difficulties of transporting live poultry.
  • Poultry meat farmers compete to secure supply contracts with major processors. Competition occurs mainly in local regions rather than across the industry as a whole, as farmers compete for contracts with local processors.

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  • Market estimates from 2014-2029
  • Critical performance data and rankings
  • Detailed analysis of competitive forces and the external environment
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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 2.8 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $831.8m in 2024.

Trends and Insights

Poultry consumption has remained robust despite nearing saturation

  • Chicken is the most consumed meat in Australia. While domestic consumption of duck and turkey meat is low, it’s also been growing over the period. Poultry meat's perceived health benefits and affordability compared with other protein sources, like beef and seafood, have supported high consumption.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Poultry Meat Farming in Australia
Revenue (2014-2029)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2024-2029)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

New animal welfare legislation is set to come into force

  • The Federal Government released the Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines in August 2022. The guidelines are voluntary, but state and territory governments endorsed them in July 2023 and are set to adopt these requirements in new legislation over the coming years.

Biggest companies in the Poultry Meat Farming in Australia

Company
Market Share (%)
2025
Revenue ($m)
2025
ProTen
155.7

To view the market share and analysis for all 1 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.

Products & Services Segmentation

Poultry Meat Farming in Australia
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Conventionally farmed chickens, Free-range and organic chickens and Other poultry. Conventionally farmed chickens is the largest segment of the Poultry Meat Farming in Australia.

Trends and Insights

Conventionally farmed chickens’ popularity is weakening despite their lower costs

  • Conventional chicken meat farming entails housing chickens in large barns with littered floors. Litter consists of absorbent rice hulls or wood shavings that simulate ground cover like dirt or grass.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

Industry operators primarily engage in farming poultry that will be processed into poultry meat or in hatching meat breed chicks. Poultry includes chicken, duck, turkey, goose and game birds.

What's included in this industry?

Conventionally farmed chickensFree-range and organic chickensDucksTurkeysGeeseGame birds

Companies

ProTen

Purchase this report to view all 1 major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

BROILERBROODERSHEDDING

Industry Code

ANZSIC 2006

ANZSIC 0171 - Poultry Meat Farming in Australia

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

Poultry meat farmers often operate under long-term contracts with processors. This has protected many from high input costs in recent years, supporting profitability growth.

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
  • Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

Nearly all poultry meat sales are made to the downstream Poultry Processing industry. The Poultry Meat Farming industry's downstream markets are therefore divided according t...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2024
  • Product innovation level

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2024
  • Major market segmentation in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

The location of downstream processors has the heaviest influence on the geographical spread of poultry meat farmers. Most farms are located within 100 kilometres of processin...

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each region
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each region in 2024
  • Number and share of revenue each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of wages each region accounts for in 2024
  • Number and share of employees in each region in 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across Asia Pacific, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Poultry meat farmers compete to secure supply contracts with major processors. Competition occurs mainly in local regions rather than across the industry as a whole, as farme...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

ProTen Pty Limited is Australia's largest poultry meat farming company. The company has expanded significantly through numerous acquisitions and constructing new farms.

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2020 through 2024
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2024
  • Overview of ProTen's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024

Detailed analysis

  • Description and key data for ProTen, and factors influencing its performance in the industry

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

The Poultry Meat Farming industry is moderately regulated. The most relevant industry regulations relate to food safety, environmental concerns and animal health and welfare ...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Charts

  • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 
  • Assistance historical data and forecast (2014-2029) 

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
  • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
  • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

Cost structures for poultry farmers can vary. An operator's size, the type of bird raised and whether the farm has a guaranteed supplier contract with a large poultry process...

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • Average Wage (2014-2029)
  • Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
  • IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
  • Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
  • Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2014-2029)
  • IVA (2014-2029)
  • Establishments (2014-2029)
  • Enterprises (2014-2029)
  • Employment (2014-2029)
  • Exports (2014-2029)
  • Imports (2014-2029)
  • Wages (2014-2029)

Top Questions Answered

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Poultry Meat Farming industry in Australia in 2024?

The market size of the Poultry Meat Farming industry in Australia is $831.8m in 2024.

How many businesses are there in the Poultry Meat Farming in Australia industry in 2024?

There are 887 businesses in the Poultry Meat Farming industry in Australia, which has declined at a CAGR of 1.9 % between 2019 and 2024.

Has the Poultry Meat Farming industry in Australia grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Poultry Meat Farming industry in Australia has been growing at a CAGR of 2.8 % between 2019 and 2024.

What is the forecast growth of the Poultry Meat Farming industry in Australia over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Poultry Meat Farming industry in Australia is expected to grow.

What are the biggest companies in the Poultry Meat Farming market in Australia?

The biggest company operating in the Poultry Meat Farming market in Australia is ProTen

What does the Poultry Meat Farming in Australia include?

Conventionally farmed chickens and Free-range and organic chickens are part of the Poultry Meat Farming industry.

Which companies have the highest market share in the Poultry Meat Farming in Australia?

The company holding the most market share in Australia is ProTen.

How competitive is the Poultry Meat Farming industry in Australia?

The level of competition is moderate and increasing in the Poultry Meat Farming industry in Australia.

Related Industries

Widen your competitive advantage with related industries

Competitors

  • Sheep Farming in Australia
  • Beef Cattle Farming in Australia
  • Egg Farming in Australia
  • Pig Farming in Australia

Complementors

  • Poultry Processing in Australia

International industries

  • Chicken & Turkey Meat Production in the US
  • Chicken & Turkey Meat Production in Canada
  • Poultry Meat and Egg Farming in New Zealand
  • Poultry Raising in the UK
  • Poultry Farming in China

View all industries in Australia

Methodology

How are IBISWorld reports created?

IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in Australia include:

  • Australian Bureau of Statistics
  • Australian Taxation Office
  • Australian Securities & Investments Commission

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

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