The Financial Performance of Poultry Farms in Turbulent Years

In recent years, several events have occurred that may have impacted the economic performance of the entire poultry sector and of individual farms. In particular, in the period 2019-2022, recurrent events, such as the avian influenza epidemics, occurred in conjunction with the exceptional COVID-19 pandemic. This study carries out a finan-cial analysis of a subpopulation of Italian poultry farms over this period, with the aim of assessing the effects on individual farms and identifying different perfor-mance-based profiles. Italy is one of the leading producers of poultry products in Eu-rope, and the poultry sector is a significant part of the national livestock economy. The study applies descriptive statistics and cluster analysis to several items drawn from the balance sheets and income statements of farms. The descriptive analysis reveals that the sector has generally recovered from the negative effects of external shocks. The segmentation analysis reveals the groups of farms with the best financial profiles in terms of economic sustainability, solidity and recoverability, as well as those that emerged from the period in a worse situation.