Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Continues to Strengthen the Poultry Supply Chain to Support Reliable Egg and Chick Production

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is advancing measures to strengthen Trinidad and Tobago’s poultry sector and ensure a more secure and reliable supply of eggs and day-old chicks for local farmers.

A key component of this effort is the Ministry’s pursuit of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to establish a large-scale poultry breeding and hatchery facility in Trinidad and Tobago. The Expression of Interest for this initiative is currently open.

The proposed facility is intended to produce fertile eggs, breeder stock and day-old chicks locally for both the broiler and layer industries. By developing domestic breeding and hatchery capacity, the Government aims to reduce the sector’s dependence on imported inputs, strengthen biosecurity and food security, conserve foreign exchange, create employment and reduce the risk of disruptions to international supply chains.

The Ministry is also taking steps to manage risks associated with the international poultry supply chain, including the threat posed by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

In addition to the United States, the Netherlands has been approved as an additional source for the supply of hatching eggs and live chicks.

The presence of avian influenza in a country does not automatically result in a blanket prohibition on all imports from that country. Trinidad and Tobago applies science-based, risk-based measures aligned with the standards of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), including zoning arrangements that allow imports from approved disease-free areas, subject to the applicable veterinary and biosecurity requirements.

This approach allows the Ministry to balance the need to protect Trinidad and Tobago’s animal health status with the need to maintain a dependable supply of poultry inputs for local farmers.

The Ministry recognizes that increasing the number of egg farms alone will not necessarily eliminate shortages.

A stable domestic egg supply depends on the strength of the entire poultry value chain, including access to quality layer chicks, feed and feed ingredients, suitable housing, reliable water and electricity, veterinary services, biosecurity, financing, labour, transportation, packaging and stable markets.

Accordingly, the Ministry is focused on strengthening the systems that support sustainable growth throughout the sector.

The proposed breeding and hatchery facility is expected to form an important part of this vision by providing domestic breeder capacity for both the broiler and layer industries, modern hatchery infrastructure, enhanced biosecurity and traceability, and opportunities to develop local technical expertise.

The Ministry will continue to support the planned and sustainable development of the local egg industry, informed by reliable national production and consumption data as it moves to strengthen local production, reduce vulnerabilities in the poultry supply chain and ensure that Trinidad and Tobago’s farmers have more reliable access to the inputs they need to supply consumers.

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