At more than 22.6 billion South African rand (ZAR; US$1.32 billion), revenue reported by Astral Foods for the financial year ended September 30, 2025 was 10% higher than the previous 12 months.
The country’s largest poultry company has also recorded double-digit increases in profitability. Profit for the period was up 16% year-on-year at more than ZAR876 million, while profit before interest and taxes was 11% higher than in the previous 12 months at close to ZAR1.25 billion.
In the report of its audited results recently released, the company attributes the increase in revenue mainly to a higher volume of chickens slaughtered, and increased sales during the second half of the period. It also notes that selling prices recovered during the latter six months.
Driving the improvements in profitability were adherence to cost-saving programs, and the expansion in production volume, Astral Foods reports. As a result, operating margin was maintained at 5.5%.
Higher output by Poultry Division
Of the total group revenue, the company’s Poultry Division accounted for 82.5%, and its feed business for 17.5%. These shares have changed only marginally from the previous fiscal year.
Astral Foods’ Poultry Division achieved a 10% increase year-on-year in sales at ZAR18.8 billion for the 12 months just ended, driven by higher sales volumes and a marginal improvement in average prices.
Weekly slaughter numbers were up by around 400,000 birds to 5.8 million chickens, and sales volume was almost 8% higher.
The firm reports an overall net margin for this division of 1.5%, making it vulnerable to adverse developments for the sector. A positive margin of 3.9% for the second half of the period helped to offset a negative margin of 1.1% for the previous six months.
Reported operating profit was down 8% year-on-year at close to ZAR534 million. However, the firm reports that the previous year’s result included insurance proceeds, and that the underlying improvement in operational performance was almost 53%.
Furthermore, Astral Foods reports, poultry performance has improved, driven by the genetic potential of the Ross 308 broiler. Despite a small rise in broiler feed prices, the higher feed conversion efficiency of these birds reduced the impact on broiler production costs.
According to the company, poultry imports for the latest 12 months were down 20% year-on-year at around 27,340 metric tons (mt). This development, it says, is linked to outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in some exporting countries, which led to a widespread ban on imports of chicken from those affected.
Operating profit rises for Feed Division
With revenue up by almost 10%, Astral Foods’ feed business generated ZAR10.8 billion in the financial year just ended.
Significant increases are reported by the company in the prices of corn and soybean meal from the previous 12-month period, which pushed up feed selling process.
Overall, sales by its Feed Division were 7% higher than the comparable period. At around 62,507mt, internal poultry feed sales were up 8% year-on-year, linked to the increase in production by the Poultry Division. Meanwhile, stronger demand for the company’s poultry and pig feeds helped boost external sales by almost 6% to around 30,600mt.
Maintaining robust control over operating expenses, Astral Foods reports that the operating profit for this business was close to ZAR719 million — an increase of 31% year-on-year. Operating margin improved from 5.5% in the previous 12 months to 6.6% for the year just ended.
The company notes that an increase in sales has contributed to better financial results for its Zambian feed business, Tiger Animal Feeds.
More on Astral Foods
With its annual output of 257 million chickens, Astral Foods is the largest poultry meat producer in Africa, according to the WATT Poultry Top Poultry Companies survey (2023).
Based in South Africa, Astral Foods is a vertically integrated poultry company with operations also in Eswatini and Zambia. Among its subsidiaries are National Chicks, County Fair, Ross Poultry, Tiger Chicks, Tiger Animal Feeds, and Provimi. As well as broiler production, slaughterhouses, and the sale and distribution of chicken products, the company’s operations also include the manufacture of animal feeds and premixes, broiler genetics, the production and sale of day-old chicks and hatching eggs, chicken breeding, and hatcheries.
Astral Foods has recently announced the resignation of its chief financial officer and executive director Johan Andries Ignatius “Dries” Ferreira, effective end of January 2026.
Earlier this year, Astral Foods became the first company in South Africa to gain official authorization to vaccinate its poultry against HPAI.
