Australia's chicken growers are calling for industry change, saying the processors hold too much power. As the cost of living continues to bite, chicken is the most affordable meat in Australia. But growers say they are going backwards because of what they describe as 'unscrupulous' behaviour by powerful processors in one of the nation's most highly concentrated markets. Every Australian, on average, eats about 50kg of chicken a year — a figure that has doubled over the past three decades.
The Australian Chicken Growers Council (ACGC) argues chicken's popularity has come at a great cost to farmers. '180 million chickens go into consumers' mouths a year … but of that $14/kg that you're paying for your breast meat or thigh meat, the grower gets around $1,' ACGC chief executive Joanne Sillince said