As 2025 draws to a close, the global poultry industry stands on strong footing, marked by balanced supply, resilient growth, and rising consumer demand for affordable, high-quality, and responsibly produced protein. According to Rabobank’s latest Global Poultry Quarterly (Q4 2025), the sector is expected to maintain a healthy 2.5% growth this year, supported by lower feed costs and sustained demand across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. At the same time, the industry continues to navigate challenges, from tight parent stock supply to ongoing biosecurity risks due to avian influenza.
Against this backdrop, innovation has become a key differentiator. As consumers and producers alike look for greater efficiency, traceability, and animal welfare, automation and AI-driven solutions are stepping to the forefront of poultry production. Nowhere has this been more evident in 2025 than in the rapid evolution of automated sexing technology.
This year has been defined by momentum, milestones, and meaningful partnerships for Targan. From new technology deployments in Europe to progress in the development of our automated vaccination system, the company has continued to deliver on its promise: fostering a sustainable global food supply through prioritizing advancements that enhance animal welfare and productivity, and increasing profitability for protein producers.
Automation Takes Flight
The start of 2025 marked a turning point for awareness around automated feather sexing. As more hatcheries explored ways to improve welfare and efficiency, Targan’s WingScan system quickly emerged as a frontrunner. At IPPE, I joined Poultry World for an in-depth discussion on reaping the benefits of fully automated feather sexing, offering insight into how WingScan is supporting hatcheries and the wider value chain with more efficient sexing, improved chick welfare, increased throughput, and a more consistent product.
In April, Poultry World showcased how Boire & Frères, one of Canada’s leading poultry producers, transformed its operations using WingScan. The case study revealed tangible improvements from a 36% increase in throughput to earlier chick delivery and stronger welfare outcomes. Automation didn’t just make the process faster; it made it smarter.
A Billion Birds and Counting
Each installation represents not just technology adoption but a step toward smarter, more sustainable poultry production.
By mid-year, Targan’s achievements reached a major global milestone: more than one billion birds processed through WingScan systems around the world. With over 40 installations across North America and Europe, the milestone demonstrated not just adoption, but trust – a sign that hatcheries are ready to embrace AI-driven automation as a core part of their future.
This achievement saw demand cross borders into Europe with the announcement of Vincent Fevrier as our VP of Sales & Marketing for EMEA, Asia, and Oceania. Our company had already scaled operations to meet growing global demand for its innovative solutions. For example, our partnership with Pondex S.A.U, part of Spain’s Vall Companys Group, was announced in June and marked another step forward in the adoption of intelligent feather-sexing automation in the region.
The WingScan system at Pondex’s Juneda hatchery is now capable of sexing up to 1.25 million chicks per week, underscoring both the scale and sophistication of modern poultry production.
Smarter Vaccination for Stronger Flocks
While WingScan continued its global rollout, Targan also advanced on another technological frontier: automated vaccination. We also discussed the company’s next upcoming breakthrough with Poultry World: a vaccine delivery system. Leveraging AI and imaging technology, the system is being designed to deliver uniform, targeted vaccine doses to each chick individually, strengthening immunity, improving welfare, and reducing the need for antibiotics.
In September, Poultry World took a deeper look at the science behind the technology in The pursuit of flock-wide protection demands a smarter solution. The article explored how automation could transform hatchery vaccination, from improved dosing accuracy to reduced labor dependence. With validation now entering its final stages, we’re confident our new system will set a new benchmark for disease prevention in 2026.
Collaboration at the Core
Collaboration is what makes progress possible, and 2025 marked a special milestone for us as we celebrated our 10th anniversary in August. Whether through customer partnerships or industry dialogue, Targan has continued to engage with the wider poultry community to share insights and shape the future of production.
That spirit of collaboration takes center stage again with Poultry World’s upcoming roundtable discussion, ‘Maximising efficiency across the broiler production value chain’. Featuring experts from Aviagen, Schothorst Feed Research, and across the industry, the session explores how hatchery, farm, and processing decisions interconnect to drive profitability and sustainability. From feather sexing and genetics to nutrition and waste reduction, the discussion offers a European perspective on building efficiency and resilience across every link of the chain.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As the industry looks toward 2026, Targan is already ramping up for IPPE in Atlanta, where we’re looking forward to sharing some exciting news – will we see you there?
To learn more about Targan, follow us on LinkedIn or go to www.TARGAN.com.
