Rural poultry is highly diverse in nature and varies according to the country
There are no comprehensive data available on the economic importance of rural poultry.
However, as an example, the production of rural meat poultry represents approximately:
In Italy: 50 million coloured chicks of which 10 million are sold to other countries in Europe. Rural poultry represents approximately 15% of national consumption and covers the activity of 1,500 people directly and 5,000 indirectly.
In France, 160 million coloured chicks of which 120 million are Label Rouge traditional free range poultry produced by 7,000 farmers and sold under 31 PGI. Label Rouge chickens represent 1/3 of the purchases by French households.
In Spain: 24 million coloured chicks for a level of rural poultry production of 46 to 48,000 T.
