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How to Start a Live Birds Trading Business with Meydan Free Zone
A falcon sold at the Saudi Falcon Breeders Auction in 2025 is worth more than most people earn in a year. A shipment of day-old broiler chicks, arriving by air in a climate-controlled container, can stock a commercial poultry farm overnight.
A pair of breeding pigeons changes hands at Sharjah Bird Market for the price of a dinner, while a pedigree parrot commands thousands. The wholesale trade in live birds is not one market.
There are several, running in parallel, each with its own buyers, price points, and supply chains, and the UAE sits at the intersection of all of them.
The global poultry market was valued at USD 316.77 billion in 2025, projected to reach USD 433.98 billion by 2034 at a 3.56 percent CAGR, according to Market Data Forecast¹. Global trade in poultry alone is a USD 32.5 billion market according to Rabobank's 2025 World Poultry Map².
The UAE imports approximately 418,000 metric tons of chicken meat and products annually according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service³, with poultry re-exports through the Arabian Gulf rising 74 percent over the past four years³. Mordor Intelligence⁴ reports that UAE hatcheries produce 10 million day-old chicks annually, yet the country remains dependent on imports of parent stock and hatching eggs from Europe and North America.
Beyond poultry, the UAE's falconry heritage sustains a high-value raptor trade, and dedicated bird markets in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah operate year-round for ornamental, breeding, and companion birds.
For wholesale traders importing, distributing, and selling live birds across the UAE, this is a market that spans from industrial-scale poultry supply to the most exclusive raptor auctions in the world.
Meydan Free Zone offers 100% foreign ownership, zero corporate tax on qualifying income, full profit repatriation, and a fully digital licensing process, giving live bird traders a compliant and cost-efficient base in one of the region's busiest import and re-export corridors.
Who is this for?
| Audience Segment | Profile |
|---|---|
| Live poultry importers | Traders sourcing day-old chicks, hatching eggs, parent stock, and live broilers from international hatcheries and breeders for wholesale supply to commercial poultry farms, processing operations, and agricultural cooperatives across the UAE and GCC. |
| Falcon and raptor traders | Specialists importing and selling falcons, hawks, and other birds of prey to falconry practitioners, breeding programmes, and government-backed conservation initiatives. The UAE and Saudi Arabia sustain one of the world's most active raptor markets, with auction sales exceeding SAR 13 million in a single Saudi event in 2025. |
| Ornamental and companion bird wholesalers | Businesses importing parrots, songbirds, pigeons, and other companion birds for wholesale distribution to bird markets, pet shops, breeders, and aviculture enthusiasts across the emirates. |
4620.99 - Birds Trading
This activity covers the wholesale trade of live birds. It encompasses all bird species traded alive in wholesale quantities for farming, breeding, sport, ornamental, or resale purposes.
The scope is broad. It covers live poultry (broiler chicks, layer chicks, parent stock, hatching eggs traded with live embryos), raptors and birds of prey (falcons, hawks, eagles), and ornamental and companion birds (parrots, songbirds, pigeons, canaries, finches).
The common thread is that the birds are traded alive and in wholesale volumes.
| Category | Scope |
|---|---|
| Live poultry | Day-old chicks, parent stock and hatching eggs Wholesale of live broiler chicks, layer chicks, turkey poults, and parent stock for commercial poultry operations. Also includes hatching eggs with live embryos sourced from international hatcheries. The UAE's poultry sector produces 10 million day-old chicks annually but remains reliant on imported parent stock and hatching eggs. UAE SUPPLY CHAIN UAE poultry re-exports through the Arabian Gulf have risen 74 percent over four years; Al Ghurair Foods broke ground on a new broiler farm in Abu Dhabi in 2025. |
| Falcons and raptors | Falcons, hawks and birds of prey Import and wholesale of live falcons, hawks, and other raptors for falconry, breeding, and conservation. The UAE's falconry tradition is a UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage, and the falcon trade operates through licensed auctions, exhibitions, and private sales. The Saudi Falcon Breeders Auction alone exceeded SAR 13 million in sales in 2025. UAE CULTURAL CONTEXT Falconry is deeply embedded in Emirati cultural identity; the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) hosts one of the region's largest falcon auctions annually. |
| Ornamental and companion birds | Parrots, songbirds and companion birds Trading in live parrots, macaws, cockatoos, African greys, songbirds, canaries, finches, pigeons, and other companion birds. Dedicated bird markets in Dubai (Al Warsan), Sharjah, Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, and Fujairah serve as wholesale and retail hubs for ornamental and pet birds. UAE MARKET INFRASTRUCTURE Dubai Municipality's Birds and Pets Market in Al Warsan comprises four complexes with 80 trading shops, a pets hotel, veterinary checkup facilities, and quarantine services. |
| Breeding stock and genetics | Avian breeding stock and genetics Wholesale of pedigree breeding pairs, proven laying stock, and genetically selected avian lines for supply to commercial breeders, aviculture facilities, and poultry genetics programmes. INDUSTRY TREND Automated hatcheries capable of processing over 1.2 million eggs daily are now operational globally; the UAE is investing in domestic hatchery expansion to reduce import dependency. |
There are important exclusions to note. It excludes slaughtering, processing, or packaging poultry meat since they fall under manufacturing activities.
Retail sale of individual companion birds to walk-in consumers falls under retail trade. Providing veterinary, boarding, or training services for birds sits outside the wholesale trading scope.
Hence, these are excluded from this scope. This also excludes the wholesale of textile fibres.
The line is simple: if you are buying live birds in wholesale quantities and selling them to farms, breeders, markets, or other traders, you are in. If you are processing them, retailing individual pets, or providing bird-related services, you are not.
Third-Party Approval
No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
References
- ¹ Market Data Forecast — Global Poultry Market Size, Share & Growth (2025–2034) — https://www.marketdataforecast.com/market-reports/poultry-market
- ² Rabobank — World Poultry Map 2025: Slower Trade Growth and Changing Trade Flows Amid Higher Volatility — https://www.rabobank.com/knowledge/q011465995-world-poultry-map-2025-slower-trade-growth-and-changing-trade-flows-amid-higher-volatility
- ³ USDA Foreign Agricultural Service — United Arab Emirates: Poultry and Products Annual — https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/united-arab-emirates-poultry-and-products-annual-4
- ⁴ Mordor Intelligence — UAE Poultry Meat Market Size & Share Analysis (2026–2031) — https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/united-arab-emirates-poultry-meat-market
