- Poultry Industry in UAE
The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) poultry industry functions within a highly strategic structure that is adapted to the country’s food security objectives and extremely dry climate. The domestic sector is shifting to a technology-driven, highly intensive production model under the control of large localized corporate companies like Al Ain Farms, Emirates Modern Poultry, and growing greenfield initiatives like Fili Poultry.
Total Production: Owing to government incentives, modern, climate-controlled housing facilities, and feed support, the UAE’s domestic chicken meat production is expected to reach about 75,000 metric tons (MT) annually.
Import Reliance: Only roughly 15% of domestic consumption is met by domestic output, notwithstanding industrial scale. For the remaining 85% of its market demands, the nation depends on imports from around the world, mostly from Brazil.
Total Consumption Baseline: The country’s total consumption of chicken meat is anticipated to be 480,000 MT, largely due to the growth of the expatriate population, the construction of big workforce housing developments, and the thriving tourism industry.
Poultry Meat Consumption: The UAE registers one of the highest per-capita meat consumption rates globally, averaging around 85 kg per capita annually. Chicken dominates this intake, commanding roughly 40% to 49% of the total meat portfolio, which translates to an exceptional 35 to 42 kg of poultry meat per capita per year.
Table Egg Consumption: Local table egg production exceeds 850 million to 1 billion eggs annually. Driven by industrial catering and retail demand, the per-capita consumption stands at approximately 120 to 150 eggs annually.
- Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) Brief
For several decades, strains of the Newcastle Disease virus have been rapidly spreading throughout the Middle East, reflecting the development of extensive backyard holdings and commercial trading centers throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
The three main pathotypes of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) strains in birds are lentogenic (low virulence, mild/no symptoms), mesogenic (moderate virulence), and velogenic (very pathogenic, causing severe respiratory/nervous manifestations and significant mortality).
- Etiology: The disease is caused by virulent strains of Avian Orthoavulavirus 1, family Paramyxoviridae (formerly known as Avian Paramyxovirus 1 or APMV-1). It is an enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus.
- Transmission: The virus spreads via inhalation or ingestion of contaminated secretions. Migratory birds act to introduce new strains into local poultry populations.
- Clinical Signs: Infected birds shows severe respiratory distress, greenish diarrhea, and neurological signs, as torticollis and leg paralysis.
- Pathology: Postmortem examinations typically shows proventricular, cecal tonsils, and intestinal lymphoid patches hemorrhages, in addition to catarrhal tracheitis. The amino acid motif at the viral Fusion (F) protein’s cleavage site is the main factor that determines NDV pathogenicity.
- Most Prevalent Genotypes and Recent Outbreaks
The molecular epidemiology of Class II Newcastle Disease viruses in the UAE is linked to intense commercial farming, live pigeon racing cultures, and desert animal conservation activities.
Two main lineages that are currently causing clinical challenges across the nation have been found through phylogenetic sequencing of the fusion gene:
- Genotype VII (sub-genotypes VII.1.1 and VII.2): This velogenic lineage is widespread in the Middle East. It has been often isolated from both symptomatic commercial flocks and wild bird populations, and it is the main hazard to commercial chicken operations.
- Genotype VI (Pigeon Paramyxovirus-1 / PPMV-1): Heavily circulating throughout localized domestic and racing pigeon networks.
The Cross-Species Milestone: Researchers at the CVRL discovered a virulent sub-genotype VIg strain from the nasal swab of an aborted dromedary camel fetus in a significant epidemiological incident in Dubai. The camel dairy farm was placed in close proximity to an infected pigeon flock, illustrating the cross-species transmission capability of the virus to animals under intense environmental circumstances.
The relationship between conservation breeding projects and peridomestic wild birds is a major concern in the United Arab Emirates. In Abu Dhabi’s arid environment, surveillance networks have revealed an overall NDV seroprevalence of 18.9% among peridomestic wild birds.
These natural populations act as active maintenance reservoirs, continuously spreading the virus to multi-species private zoological collections and particularly susceptible, captive-bred Houbara Bustards (Chlamydotis macqueenii) under national conservation initiatives.
- Control, Recommendations, and Vaccination
Controlling Newcastle Disease in the UAE requires a dual approach that addresses both high ambient heat stresses and the antigenic diversity of contemporary field strains. Antigenic mismatch, in which conventional Genotype II live vaccines (such LaSota, Clone 30, or Hitchner B1) are unable to totally halt the shedding of circulating Genotype VII field viruses, has historically been a problem in the field.
- Bivalent Genotype-Matched Regimens: Commercial farms are moving toward bivalent inactivated vaccines, such as Valley Vac H5Plus NDVg7 platforms, which combine local, homologous Genotype VII sequences with avian influenza (H5 or H9). This particular matching increases antibody titers and dramatically reduces environmental virus shedding.
- Climate Control Optimization: Birds’ upper respiratory tracts can become dry due to high desert temperatures and dust, which paralyzes their tracheal cilia and leaves them open to virus infection. Negative-pressure cooling pads and ventilation systems require strict upkeep.
- Wildlife Exclusion Barriers: To totally separate feed and water lines from wild, peridomestic bird populations, commercial establishments and open aviaries housing exotic birds must erect high-density mesh and physical barriers.
- Routine Molecular Surveillance: poultry complexes must undertake routine real-time RT-PCR screening and sequencing of the fusion protein cleavage site. In addition to preventing covert transmission throughout the Emirates, this enables early identification.
You can view the Vaccine Valley solutions from the link below
https://www.vaccinevalley.com/product-category/poultry/
