Pictures & event details

13 COOPID ambassadors (poultry breeders, agricultural technicians, and consultants specialised in poultry and agronomists) from 9 different European countries visited the Agricultural Poultry Cooperative of Ioannina PINDOS in the region of Epirus, Greece. The showcase visit to the cooperative was organised by the COOPID Partner GAIA EPICHEIREIN.

About PINDOS

PINDOS is the leading cooperative specialising in poultry meat in the country, located in a mountainous area largely protected, which led PINDOS to invest from the beginning in environmental protection. PINDOS is based on a successful and virtuous model fully integrated for the production of chicken eggs from 550 cooperating primary producers, meat processing and the distribution of poultry-based products. This integrated model allows PINDOS to monitor all the production parameters such as the chicken breeds, the veterinary treatments, the feed ration, and the livestock management.

PINDOS plans to invest heavily in additional bioeconomy facilities. Currently, PINDOS is equipped with a rendering plant where the dead poultry processes and heat are produced that are used to drive turbines in order to produce electricity used in the PINDOS slaughterhouse and some installations. Moreover, at PINDOS Organic Fertilizer Factory premises the collected chicken manure through the process of aerobic digestion is converted into the high-quality organic fertilizer AGROSYN. It also produces feed pellets for pet food or food for farmed fish from its slaughterhouse by-products. During the next years, it is expected that a significant part of the energy needs of the cooperative and its members will be met with the construction and operation of a biogas plant supplied by livestock chicken manure.

The visit to the facilities

The visitors first visited the chicken hatchery that produces 600.000 eggs/week. Then they had the chance to meet a free-range breeder and take a tour of its new modern facilities. PINDOS’ quality manager then explained the experiments conducted under real conditions in the experimental chamber on chicken feed. Finally, the visit ended with a demonstration of the ready-baked industrial line producing nuggets.

Full of new knowledge gained that day, the ambassadors will be able to compare PINDOS processes with those commonly existing in their own country or own regional context.