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By Roy Graber, WATTPoultry
Despite challenges with disease, competition from other proteins and export uncertainty, ground turkey and thigh meat demand show promise.
Mark Jordan, executive director for LEAP Market Analytics, says he considers himself a pretty positive guy, but he couldn’t avoid saying what many people in the turkey industry are already thinking: that the sector is going through a “dismal time.”
Jordan talked about turkey industry dynamics during the Poultry Market Intelligence Forum, held January 29 at the 2025 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Georgia. And while Jordan spent more time going through the industry’s laundry list of struggles, he was also able to find some positives as near the conclusion of his talk.
Disease
Two major disease events are causing havoc for producers and greatly impacting the supply: avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
“Avian metapneumovirus has been very destructive in terms of knocking out fertility,” Jordan said. “Probably 5% or more of the production hit we took in 2004 was because of that, at least. Obviously, some individual breeders took bigger hits.”
He also spoke of HPAI, which has consistently been appearing in commercial turkey flocks, resulting in depopulations and disruptions to the supply.
“So, poult numbers dropped 7.3% last year, as reported by the USDA, and that’s just some very difficult times in terms of fighting through these disease issues and trying to get a handle on that,” he said.
Competition from other proteins
With a reduced turkey supply brought on by disease situations, that drives up the price. And that increased price makes it difficult for turkey to compete with proteins such as chicken breast and boneless hams, which have been enjoying lower prices.
And even one traditional symbol of stability for the turkey industry is even in question.
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