Advances in improved egg production and animal welfare

Jazi 1 Sh-p.k. is the second largest egg producer in Kosovo, a wholesaler of dairy, eggs and edible fats/oil products. The company also produces and sells animal feeds.

Established in 2005, the company initially focused on egg production and later expanded its business to animal feeds, thereby gaining a significant competitive advantage over other egg producers, which have to purchase the animal feed. Of course, today animal feed is also sold to other producers.

The company decided to improve several aspects of its business:

• • Increasing sales and thereby effectively decreasing the need for egg imports into Kosovo
  • Improving waste management (automated manure collection)
  • Improving product quality by improving the living condition of hens

With the help of the Kosovo SME Competitiveness Support Programme, the company invested in new laying and automated egg collection facility for 27,300 hens, including modern ventilation, lighting and cooling systems, new egg packaging machinery, processing 36,000 eggs per hour and in the upgrade of the existing hen house to modern standards and to accommodate the requirements of the new machinery installed.

Jazi received free technical assistance to optimize its investment project and a 15% cash-back grant after the successful project verification, funded by the European Union. 

With the investment, the company now meets a wide variety of European standards, including:

• • Council Directive 1999/74/EC laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens
  • Machine for egg packaging will be aligned to Directive 2006/42/EC on machinery,
  • Council Directive 91/676/EEC of 12 December 1991 concerning the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources due to modernized manure collection system.
  • Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency
  • Directive 2009/125/on Eco design requirements for energy-related products