Twelve major poultry producers in the UAE decided their industry had grown large enough for them to have an association of their own.

The newly formed UAE Poultry Association has pledged to protect its industry from dumping. According to its chairman, Shaikh Hamed bin Khadim Al Hamed, the UAE poultry industry has investments worth more than Dh1 billion with production around 270 million eggs and 30 million chicken annually.

He said the producers were compelled to come together faced as they were with a number of problems including a lack of coordination among themselves and unfair competition with foreign producers.

Before setting up the association, representatives of 12 poultry companies met with Dr Abdullah Saleem Abu Rowaidia, environment and public health consultant at the General Secretariat for UAE Municipalities.

Dr. Hussein Hassanain, association coordinator-general and manager of National Poultry Co, said the first members would be major firms that had production facilities such as farms, advanced abattoirs and developed packaging and distribution systems. Other members would be added in the second phase focusing on regulating and protecting the market and upgrading small firms.

Investors will be directed to value-added businesses of the industry, to avoid competition among the national industry and repetition, he explained.

Dr Hassanain said the association would coordinate with the relevant authorities on how to regulate poultry imports in a manner that would protect national products from foreign parties that engaged in selling below the cost price.

"The national industry has successfully expanded its annual production, making the UAE's per capita poultry consumption the highest regionally. New projects are in the construction and implementation phases and production will therefore rise further in the coming years," commented Shaikh Hamed.

"The protection of the industry will expand investment opportunities beyond egg and poultry production to parent chicken, egg hatching, fodder production, vaccination, packing material and veterinary industries."

Association members include Abu Dhabi Modern Poultry Farm, Emirates Poultry Farm and Liwa Poultry Farm in Sweihan; AI Jazeera Poultry Farm and Arabian Farms in Dubai; Arab Poultry Production Co and Biladi Chicken Farm in Fujairah; Ras Al Khaimah Poultry Co, Emirates Modern Poultry Co (Al Rawdah), the National Poultry Production Co in Umm Al Quwein, Village Poultry Farm in Al Ain and Unifood Poultry Farm in Sharjah.