Last year we gave training courses on how to improve poultry welfare on local farms and during catching in Sunyani, Ghana. We realized that none of the pens had perches. Together with the farmers, WACPAW/EonA organized the construction of 40 perching facilities and this week we placed them all into the aviaries! The team was also pleased with the level of improvements since last year as most of the poultry farmers are using deep-litter loose housing systems with low density, which is much better than the cages. The cage system is unfortunately being promoted in Ghana by western companies wishing to sell their equipment – horrible! The birds also had enough water and feed. There was also some shade for them in the afternoon.
But the farmers complained of high costs as they have to compete with poultry meat coming into Ghana from the EU, especially coming from the Netherlands. The poultry meat from the Netherlands costs 50% less for the local consumers, but that means business and profit for the Dutch but not for local Ghanaians. Even Storteboom, the Dutch poultry company, floods the Ghana market with their cheap poultry meat.
