Turkey Production and Health: Challenges and opportunities

The modern turkey industry aims at high production and better quality at a low cost. Demands continuously efficient and goal-oriented health care to prevent the development of disease conditions. The turkey industry and veterinarians currently face new challenges, which include strong global competition, steady increases in the cost of feed, legislation, changes in social, political and consumer perception and demands and the emergence of some diseases.
The turkey industry is currently under strong global competition. This is accompanying by an economic threat from turkey meat imports, especially from Brazil and Chile, and with the movement of the large producing companies to other countries with lower production costs. This, however, increases the risk of introducing diseases to areas that are consider free from such diseases. Turkey diseases will remain a major challenge to the industry.