Al Rawdah reveals new Abu Dhabi farm details

A new farm in Abu Dhabi being built by Emirates Modern Poultry (Al Rawdah) to produce fresh chicken and frozen chicken products will more than double the company's current output.

Paul Farhat, head of foodservice at the business, revealed details about the development to Caterer Middle East at Gulfood, which draws to a close on February 25.

He said that while the company's farm in Dubai occupies around 5,000 sq km, the development in Abu Dhabi will be even bigger, partly due to the Emirate's regulations that stipulate the slaughter house not be located inside the farm. 

"It is going to double our capacity and we are looking at a late 2016/ early 2017 finish. Today we slaughter 45,000 chickens every day. When this farm is finished we are looking at up to 100,000 a day," Farhat shared.

He added: "The farm is by Liwa, near the Saudi Border, and like our farm in Dubai, we want it to be a zero-waste concept."

The addition of a farm has been driven by consumer demand with Farhat remarking that the company is "currently running at full capacity", attributing the rising demand for its produce to a growing awareness "about how chickens are raised, what they eat and how they are slaughtered".

Al Rawdah chickens live cage free, are fed a home-made 100% natural diet and are slaughtered by hand as per halal regulations.