A new breed of French poultry is to be distributed in the local market as from this Wednesday April 30. It was unveiled by BrandActiv, subsidiary of Mauritius fisheries major IBL, on Friday, April 25, 2014. With Mauritian families turning increasingly health-conscious, BrandActiv is responding for this demand through its Label 60 brand even if “good things take time”.
Volailles & Traditions Ltd, in which IBL is an important stakeholder, will be in charge of the chicken breeding of the Landes poultry, which are still known for being raised in pine forests in France, in the most natural manner possible.
Accordingly, the poultry will be reared on the farms of Volailles & Traditions – located to the east of the island – for 60 days, against 35 to 40 days for conventional hens, without artificially expediting the process. Each of the five farms has a specific task to perform in the production of this chicken, which will be of the finest quality. To be fed on a rich supply of corn, these multi-colour-feathered chicksboasthigh nutritional valueand rank high on parameters of quality and taste.
“At BrandActiv, we always lay emphasis on quality products. The introduction of Label 60 marks our continued focus on products which meet the highest standards,” said Jean Michel Rouillard, General Manager of BrandActiv, at the launch. “We are convinced that this product, a unique development forMauritius, will appeal to the demanding tastes of the local clientele,” he added. Jean Michel Rouillard went on to describe the Label 60 poultry as rustic, fed only on vegetables, and notpumped up with any antibiotic or animal meal.
Commenting on the production process, Dominique Lincoln, who is in charge of production at Volailles & Traditions Ltd, said that the reproductive hens which come from France spend approximately 20 weeks on the quarantine farm. Next, they are transferredto the reproduction farm for the production of fertile eggs which are thensent to the hatchery for the production of chicks. He added that these chicks are finally transported to rearing farms where they are fed and raised for 60 days.
Label 60 can be found in the fresh food department and deep-frozen shelf of hypermarkets as from Wednesday. This halal chicken will be marketed for a reference price of Rs 180 per kilo.
Meanwhile, in a related development in the poultry production space in Mauritius, the ministry of Agro-industry isturningto export as the level of chicken production has crossed the food sufficiency threshold.
Balraj Lutchmeea, the ministry Coordinator of the Food Security Fund, dwelt on this project during the launch of an initiative to support the production of small-scale eggs. This initiative concerns the neighbouring islands, the member states of the European Union and the certain niche African markets like Botswana.
The president of ‘Mouvement Autosuffisance Alimentaire’ (MAA), Eric Mangar, explained that the project of eggs production provides vulnerable families the opportunity to increase their income andgain entrepreneurial skills.
Approximately fifteen families of the NHDC of Dubreuil will get ten plots of land reserved for both agricultural production and breeding as well as five hens will be given to each of them.
Image (Company): The poultry will be reared on the farms of Volailles & Traditions – located to the east of the island – for 60 days, against 35 to 40 days for conventional hens, without artificially expediting the process.
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