Adapting to the future of poultry farming in Australia

ABB Australia Pty Ltd
By Natalie Landrito, ABB Motion Australia Marketing & Public Relations Manager
Thursday, 01 May, 2025

Meeting consumer demands with smart technology and improved operational processes.

Global demand for poultry products continues to rise. Across the Asia Pacific, the poultry farming industry is facing mounting pressure to meet these demands and simultaneously improve animal welfare while considering environmental sustainability. Businesses must do this as they look for new ways to maintain competitiveness and boost profitability.

In Australia, the poultry sector is poised for significant transformation. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are becoming key food buyers, which is influencing consumer trends and expectations around business practices, ethical sourcing, and convenience.

Poultry farmers, retailers, and the food service industry are working hard to adapt to changing consumer demands in order to stay competitive. As they look for new ways to integrate more eco-friendly methods into their operations, businesses are also expected to have a heightened awareness to reduce their energy consumption. Rounding the corner into 2025, Australia saw climate-related reporting turned up a notch with the implementation of the mandatory disclosure of Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, emphasising the importance of making sustainable business practices a crucial progression towards addressing climate change in food and agriculture.

Although this new era presents both challenges and opportunities, it will undoubtedly motivate businesses in this sector to rethink what innovation means for them and adopt more sustainable solutions such as energy-efficient technologies that complement carbon-conscious operations.

In particular, by embracing the now readily available advanced technology, farmers have a platform to position themselves as industry leaders while maintaining cost-effectiveness in an increasingly competitive and environmentally conscious market.

Technological innovations in poultry farming

A June 2024 survey by Roy Morgan found that around 78% of Australian farmers use Agricultural Technology (AgTech). Responses included references to farm management software, precision farming, and remote sensors.

But what type of AgTech should businesses seek out when considering introducing automation technology into operations, and what solution features should they assess in the journey to discover what is best for them?

Key considerations for farmers

The following key considerations can help when assessing modern technology’s likelihood of improving operations and productivity, promoting animal well-being, boosting energy efficiency, or optimising processes to achieve business goals.

Energy Efficiency: Energy-efficient solutions are essential for improving sustainable practices. Modern fan and ventilation systems have been designed to minimise energy consumption while maintaining optimal conditions for poultry farming applications.
Environmental controls: When environmental conditions in poultry farms are refined with control automation, it vitally improves animal welfare and productivity. Consider advanced ventilation systems that ensure stable and efficient climate control. This will also reduce stress and overall health issues in poultry.
Automation and data analytics: Automation and precision farming technologies enable better monitoring and management of poultry farms. Data analytics provide insights, including from remote locations, that can help farmers make informed decisions, improve efficiency, and maintain animal welfare.

Changing consumer behaviour and the role of drives and digital innovation

Gen Z and Gen Alpha are redefining consumer expectations with their strong commitment to sustainability and ethical consumption. They demand transparency in food production in such a way that they will pay a premium price for products that reflect their own values.

In Australia, strict food transparency regulations and increasing requirements around animal welfare and environmental impact reporting in the poultry industry further drive the need for greater accountability in this sector.

Today’s cutting-edge drive technology features embedded communication protocols which enables seamless data sharing and operational equipment insights via cloud connectivity. Farmers can incorporate remote monitoring and efficient management of their farming operations, helping to promote sustainable farming practices thanks to the accessibility of real-time data-driven insights.

Changes in poultry farming — the role of technology in ventilation, digitalisation, and automating remote condition monitoring

As poultry farming advances from caged to cage-free systems, ensuring optimal air quality in barns becomes increasingly vital. Chickens that have the freedom to roam outside the cage experience increased wellness and have been shown to produce better egg and meat quality.

Farmers may want to explore implementing drive technology when making this transition. An important factor to consider when selecting a drive is its ability to offer reliable ventilation fan speed control. The best drives will allow for real-time adjustments when needed to accommodate any fluctuation in environmental conditions as chickens roam freely in the barn.

ABB is a global leader in providing innovative automation, electrification, and digital solutions for the food and beverage industry to help businesses enhance efficiency, sustainability, and safety across their operations.

One of the key innovations that ABB provides to poultry farming is improved ventilation control using advanced drive and programmable logic controller (PLC) technology. PLCs facilitate reliable continuity in ventilation systems, keeping them resilient and robust in the face of power fluctuations which can be extremely problematic and wreak havoc on connected equipment.

PLCs such as ABB’s AC500 PLC unlock a gateway to real-time monitoring and predictive analytics. Designed to seamlessly integrate with smart energy management systems, it optimises power consumption while automating essential farm processes such as fan speed and airflow. They are also an integral part of automating feeding systems, which reduces waste and ensures that poultry get the right amount of nutrition when they need it.

Transforming manual labour into a digitally automated arrangement empowers farmers to remotely monitor critically connected equipment and detect potential issues before equipment failures occur.

Farmers who manage multiple locations can benefit from remote access via smart technology and cloud connectivity. This helps them gain proactive insights into conditions at their various locations, reducing the need for unnecessary service visits by technicians.

Advanced drive technology also utilises cloud solutions for condition monitoring, harnessing cloud computing to oversee equipment status. As farmers gain access to insights and alerts, they can prevent failures and optimise equipment maintenance schedules to meet their own unique requirements.

ABB’s ACS580 variable speed drive can drastically reduce energy bills. By running two fans at half speed* farmers can cut energy consumption by over 70%.
_{*Compared to running one fan at full speed}

In particular, ABB drives come with built-in control functionality by design. This eliminates the need for external components in a farm's system setup. It is a simplified and highly cost-effective solution that requires minimal footprint, encountering less upfront costs attributable to consultation, engineering design, product installation, and commissioning. As a consequence, farming operations can become more predictable and manageable for less.

This guaranteed operational stability and reduction in unplanned downtime also helps to reduce stress in poultry and the risk of other health issues. As a result, business insurance claims and costs incurred relative to livestock loss are minimised.

Maintaining a stable indoor temperature with the right technology is also critical for both the chickens and their dry litter. Successful moisture and waste management will contribute to a clean environment that will boost overall chicken productivity.

As cage-free farming grows, a comfortable and healthy environment becomes essential for encouraging chickens to venture outside their cage and explore. Chickens who are confident enough to do so display better health and produce higher-quality eggs. The positive ripple effect is that consumers are often willing to pay more for meat products where businesses have taken animal welfare into account, such as chickens that have had outdoor access. This means that farmers can support consumer expectations to consider animal welfare in farming practices while synchronously supporting birds' natural behaviours.

How to overcome weak grid problems in farming communities

Farmers in rural areas often struggle with weak electricity grids which can cause severe disruptions in power distribution or the electrical network and interrupt operations. Modern technology helps to mitigate these challenges by providing a more reliable and stable power supply.

Particularly as farmers investigate new ways to integrate renewable energy into their processes, drives that allow for DC supply from solar panels should be considered as a best possible harmonic mitigation solution. ABB's ACS280 reduces dependence on grid power thereby lowering energy costs. This benefits remote poultry farms as reliable power is essential for critically automated applications like ventilation and feeding systems.

ABB’s ACS280 coldplate drive.

ABB’s ACS280 coldplate drive is compact and versatile, seamlessly integrating into machinery with stringent space requirements. It also interfaces effortlessly with existing cooling systems.

Additionally, ABB has introduced the new ACQ80 solar pump drive which enables emission-free pumping by harnessing solar power for water pumping systems that feed animals and crops. The drive automatically switches to grid power when solar power is unavailable, ensuring farming operations consistently stay operational 24/7. With their power being generated from a clean energy source, farmers are also able to lower operating costs.

The ACQ80 necessitates energy-efficient water management to conserve precious resources and promote more sustainable farming.

As regenerative farming gains more momentum in Australia, integrating a solar drive into operations can be particularly beneficial. This approach supports the method’s intention to consolidate livestock, optimise soil health, and generate biodiversity within the farming ecosystem in the most resilient way.

Investing in energy efficiency through precise motor speed and torque control

As Australia ushers in a new era of addressing climate change through policy reforms, the adoption of cleaner technologies in farming operations should be at the forefront. It’s the low-hanging fruit that can spur energy-efficient farming practices. The pressure has reached a tipping point as Australia’s new mandatory climate reporting and disclosure regulations also apply to some large-scale agricultural farming businesses. Now is the time to seize any opportunity to incorporate modern technology into operational systems, as farmers may be impacted in areas of emissions reporting, sustainability practices, or financial investment considerations.

ABB’s ACS580 VSD can help farmers achieve energy savings of up to 50% by offering precise speed control in applications like fan ventilation. When the VSD is paired with an energy-efficient motor, this precision optimisation reduces energy consumption as the drive controls the motor’s speed and torque. As a result, energy wastage is eliminated and the power used is precisely matched to the operation’s actual demand. Being able to deliver maximum efficiency acts as a catalyst for significant energy savings.

An added benefit is that investment in these energy-efficient solutions can typically be recouped within 20 months.

How technology is influencing broader agricultural applications

The modernisation of agricultural operations with leading-edge technology extends far beyond the poultry sector. For example, innovative drives are helping dairy farmers gain regulated control over milking machinery, CO₂ distribution, heat stress for livestock, and general storage conditions.

Greenhouses, including the emerging sector of vertical farming, require top-tier temperature and indoor humidity control to create ideal growing conditions to maximise crop yield year-round. Innovative technology supports greenhouse applications by optimising the environment and managing energy consumption and water usage. With a rapidly growing world population comes an imbalance between food availability and consumer demand. Coupled with Australia’s ambitions to reach Net Zero, a synergistic collaboration between government, industry, and technology manufacturers becomes pivotal to creating resilient food supply chains and preventing further crises as a consequence of the global food shortage.

Australia’s poultry farming industry will need to adapt to advance. Integrating technology like variable speed drives, PLCs, and more energy efficient and digitalised solutions will become paramount in a sector overhaul fuelled by stricter climate-related regulations and demanding consumer expectations.

By partnering with the right providers in collaboration with public and private initiatives, the industry has a chance to strike the right balance, ensuring long-term profitability, whilst boosting operational efficiency, and effectively cater to the changing needs of today’s conscious consumers.