Sri Lanka’s poultry industry is beginning to move beyond its traditional role as a domestic food supplier, with New Anthoney’s Farms emerging as a case study in how sustainability, traceability and international finance could reshape the country’s protein industry.
The company’s recognition among global sustainability leaders at Soy Connext 2026 in Chicago marks a significant milestone for a Sri Lankan poultry producer. Its use of the “Sustainable US Soy” and “Fed with Sustainable US Soy” labels placed New Anthoney’s alongside major international agribusiness players at an event organised by the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC), attended by more than 800 delegates.
The achievement is rooted in a decision taken three years earlier. In 2023, New Anthoney’s became the first company in South Asia to obtain the Sustainable US Soy licence, verified under the US Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol.
That move has given the company an advantage in an increasingly demanding global food market, where consumers, investors and regulators are paying greater attention to where animal feed originates and how livestock is produced.
The significance extends beyond one company. Sri Lanka became the world’s largest market for containerised US soybean meal in 2025, importing approximately 255,000 tonnes. With the domestic animal feed industry producing nearly 1.3 million tonnes annually and poultry representing its largest customer, sustainable feed sourcing could become an increasingly important competitive factor.
Sixteen Sri Lankan poultry producers and feed millers currently hold the Sustainable US Soy licence, indicating that the practice is gradually spreading through the industry.
Nevertheless New Anthoney’s most distinctive proposition remains its antibiotic-free production model. After more than four decades of operations, the company says it is Sri Lanka’s only fully antibiotic-free poultry producer.
That positioning potentially gives it an important opening in premium domestic and export markets, where food safety and production standards increasingly influence purchasing decisions.
The bigger test, however, will be whether sustainability credentials translate into measurable commercial growth.
The International Finance Corporation’s decision in June to invest up to US$10 million in New Anthoney’s Farms Group provides a major vote of confidence. The funding is expected to expand production capacity, improve supply-chain efficiency and increase access to affordable poultry.
By 2032, the company expects annual poultry exports to reach 1,936 metric tonnes, equivalent to about 10% of production and 29% above 2024 levels. The projected exports could generate an additional US$4.95 million in foreign exchange earnings.
But the investment also exposes a broader structural challenge. Smallholders account for around 85% of Sri Lanka’s poultry farms but produce less than 30% of total output.
New Anthoney’s already obtains about 40% of production from smallholders. Its expansion is expected to benefit at least 200 farmers, create more than 900 jobs and extend contract-farming opportunities, particularly among lower-income households.
The real measure of success, therefore, may not simply be how large New Anthony’s becomes. It will be whether its growth creates a stronger, more productive and internationally competitive poultry value chain for Sri Lanka.