Unveiling the Future of Chicken Meat: How Aussie Legumes Could Revolutionize the Industry
The Chicken Industry's Soybean Dilemma
The poultry industry in Australia is facing a significant challenge: a heavy reliance on imported soybean meal, which leaves it vulnerable to global price fluctuations. This is where Shay Sadr's research steps in, offering a potential solution that could not only strengthen the industry's resilience but also enhance food security. As the 2025 AgriFutures Gary Sansom scholar, Shay's work focuses on the use of Australian-grown legumes, particularly faba beans and field peas, as alternatives to imported soybean meal in broiler chicken diets.
A Sustainable Solution
Shay's research is driven by the understanding that feed is the largest cost in commercial broiler production and a major contributor to environmental impact. By improving protein efficiency, she aims to reduce the industry's reliance on imported soybean meal without compromising productivity or bird health. This approach not only cuts down on costs but also minimizes the environmental footprint of the chicken meat industry.
The Science Behind the Solution
Shay's research is unique in its approach, combining conventional performance measurements with mechanistic (cause and effect) methods such as gene expression and transcriptomics. This allows her to not only understand what happens when broiler chicken diets are altered but also why it happens. By analyzing key digestibility and nutrient utilization, she can develop feeding recommendations that maintain productivity while improving long-term sustainability.
The Results So Far
Shay has completed two major feeding studies, measuring feed intake, growth rate, body weight gain, and the feed conversion ratio. Her results show that faba beans and field peas can replace a substantial proportion of soybean meal without compromising overall performance. However, at higher replacement levels, the most consistent response is a reduction in feed intake, which can translate to lower body weight gain.
The Next Steps
Shay's research is still in its early stages, but the findings so far are promising. Her next steps will involve analyzing the full gene expression data from both trials, which will form the basis of her next publications. Her goal is to develop practical feeding strategies that reduce reliance on imported soybean meal while increasing the use of domestically sourced ingredients, without compromising bird performance or feed efficiency.
The Impact of the Research
Shay's research highlights how quickly poultry research can translate into real-world outcomes. It also underscores the chicken meat industry's focus on efficiency, welfare, sustainability, and continuous improvement. As chicken remains Australia's most popular source of animal protein, the AgriFutures Gary Sansom Scholarship plays a crucial role in validating and valuing research that supports an industry that most Australians rely on for food every week.
A Call to Action
Shay encourages future applicants to "apply with confidence" as it's an invaluable opportunity to kick-start their career in the chicken meat industry. The scholarship not only accelerates progress in PhD research but also creates networking and mentorship opportunities, connecting scholars with industry leaders and researchers. By supporting students who want to contribute to the Australian chicken meat industry long term, the scholarship helps to build a thriving industry that is both economically and environmentally sustainable.
