Australian Chicken
The Australian chicken meat industry makes a major contribution to the national economy with the gross value estimated at $3.9 billion for 2024–25 with retail value exceeding $8 billion. The sector also supports more than 58,000 full-time jobs, many of which are predominantly based in rural and regional communities across Australia.
Chicken meat is the most popular source of animal protein among Australians, with the average person consuming around 51kg each year. In fact, consumption is forecast to grow in 2026 to 56kg per person each year with 68 per cent of Australians enjoy chicken meat as part of a meal at least twice a week. This growth in consumption is driven by chicken’s affordability, broad appeal to households, versatility in recipes and great taste.
According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES), poultry meat production is forecast to reach 1.5 million tonnes (or 1.5 billion kilograms) in 2024–25, highlighting the industry's ongoing growth and significance.
The Australian chicken and turkey industry is a highly vertically integrated sector. Large poultry processors typically own and operate parent breeding farms, hatcheries, some feed mills and processing plants.\
Poultry growers—both family farmers and corporate businesses—own the land, sheds, equipment, and provide the labour to raise birds from chicks to processing age. Growers contribute an estimated 50% of the capital investment in the industry. This model is distinct from many other rural sectors
Two companies dominate the Australian chicken meat market: the family-owned Baiada Poultry and the publicly listed Ingham’s Enterprises, together supplying around 70% of the nation’s meat chickens. A small number of medium-sized, privately owned companies—Cordina Chicken Farms (NSW), Turosi Foods and Hazeldene’s (Victoria), and Golden Cockerel (Queensland) as well as several smaller processors account for the remaining processing capacity.
Most meat chicken rearing is done under contract: approximately 700 contract farms produce around 750 million meat chickens annually. These farms are highly mechanised and occupy smaller areas than traditional farming operations. Meat chickens are never kept in cages; the main production systems are conventional (barn-raised) and free range, with a small proportion grown in certified organic systems. In barn systems, birds are housed on the floor with no outdoor access, while free range flocks can access outdoor areas during daylight once old enough.
Many farms, both conventional and free-range, adhere to third-party accreditation standards such as the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme and the FREPA certification scheme, ensuring animal welfare and production quality across the industry.
