Business Update: Pig research & expansion
This edition of the Business Update is dominated by research, from nutrition to the power of pig manure. There are also a couple of expansions and let us not forget a 50 year jubilee. Get up-to-date with this overview.
New website for French trade show SPACE
International animal husbandry show SPACE, held annually in September in Rennes, France, has completely revamped its website. By putting more emphasis on visuals, news and special content for exhibitors, visitors, journalists and partners, the show organisation hopes to have improved the website’s navigation and interactivity. New features will be gradually integrated before SPACE 2016. The 30th edition of the show will be held 13-16 September, 2016.
BioZyme: New trial unit
US animal nutrition company BioZyme has brought a new pig trial unit into use for R&D purposes for its recently launched supplement LiquiFerm. The unit is for piglets post-weaning and can be found at the company’s Winding River Research Farm in Savannah, MO, USA. The nursery is located at the farm’s main facility office and maintenance building and contains 16 raised pens constructed with plastic flooring. The nursery can accommodate up to 64 post-weaned pigs for short-term studies. Since its opening late 2015, research staff have conducted 2 trials focused on decreasing post-weaning stress in pigs.
Fermentation product against E. coli
Diamond V shall release new research on the impact of a lactic acid fermentation product in a herd with enteric problems post-weaning. At the upcoming annual meeting of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV; February 28), the company will inform about how SynGenX, its Lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, may assist weaned piglets coping with endemic E. coli K88 and Salmonella infections before they cause disease. The presentation shall be done by independent researcher Sarah Probst Miller, DVM and co-authors Iowa State University researcher Alex Ramirez, DVM and Diamond V researchers Dr Benjamin Bass and Dr Jason Frank.
Farmex signs China agreement
Farmex, a Berkshire, UK-based energy and control company, has signed a collaborative agreement with Kcomber, a Chinese company based in Guangzhou, employing 200 people. This follows an exploratory visit in May 2015 by Farmex managing director, Hugh Crabtree, under the UK government-funded Lancaster China Catalyst Programme (LCCP). Kcomber undertakes market research for all kinds of businesses and is particularly interested in field data analysis, an area which Farmex has developed rapidly in recent years. Kcomber is applying for £100,000 (€129,000) grant from the local Guandong province’s department of science and technology to help research the structure of the Chinese pig industry, particularly the building and equipment sector.
MS Schippers celebrates 50 year jubilee
The year 2016 marks MS Schippers‘ 50th anniversary, which shall be celebrated in various ways in the coming year. For the celebration, the company designed a jubilee logo for the event, with the slogan ‘Celebrating 50 years of Passion for Farming’. Since the family firm’s establishment in 1966, MS Schippers has grown on all fronts. The company that once started out with the takeover of a cigar shop is now active in more than 40 countries. The company aims to offer weekly deals in its webshop throughout the year. The real 50-year jubilee celebrations are planned for EuroTier, Hanover, Germany, 15-18 November 2016.
EW Nutrition looking for pig signals
Employees at the German company EW Nutrition had a 2-day visit of Dr Kees Scheepens, a Dutch pig specialist who informed the company about detection and interpretation of pig signals. Scheepens has implemented the concept in the Netherlands, Germany and other countries. On the first day the ‘pig whisperer’ approached the topic in theory and new insights in pig nutrition. On the second, learnt experience was put in practice on a modern sow farm. The visit included intensive practical analysis on-farm with checklists, stopwatch, fog-, ammonia-, and CO2-meters and clinical thermometers.
InVivo NSA acquires Agrindustria
French-based InVivo Animal Nutrition and Health (Invivo NSA) has acquired Agrindustria, an Italian analytical laboratory specialised in research and analysis: agribusiness, animal science, toxicology and pollutants. This acquisition strengthens the company’s support capacity worldwide. The acquisition of Agrindustria enables InVivo Labs, the lab analysis subsidiary of Invivo NSA, to strengthen its positions in southern Europe. Based in Modena for over 30 years, Agrindustria develops chemical and microbiological analyses for animal nutrition, human nutrition and the wine industry. The company also conducts contamination diagnostics and environment-related inspection plans (soil, air and water).
Medi-Nova: Distributor in North America
Innovative Reproductive Technologies (IRT), a family-owned business in Northfield, MN, United States will be the exclusive distributor of Medi-Nova products in North America. Medi-Nova is located in Reggio di Emilia, Italy, and is specialised in diluents for boar semen since 1996. Under the distribution agreement, completed in December, a new product has been introduced into the North American market. The novel diluent Formula passed a specific testing protocol by IRT during 2015 in farms in North America to confirm its effectiveness. Based on this initial data and research from Italy, the green light was given for this modulated energy formula that allows the product to combat bacterial contamination.
Vion Food: Success with animal friendly pork
Meatpacker Vion Food announced breakthroughs with its pig meat concept Good Farming Star. The packer closed a deal with various retailers in the Netherlands around the concept. Good Farming Star is a demand driven, dynamic concept, developed by Vion Food, with special attention for animal welfare. A transparent chain is created from farm to consumer and all pork products have a known, Dutch origin and are fully traceable. The concept which has been existing for 5 years, meets the requirements for one star in the Dutch animal welfare label ‘Beter Leven’ (Better Life). The concept is due to be developed further in cooperation with both chain partners including pork producers and consumers.
Pig manure to run 3.3 MW biogas plant
Pig manure shall be one of the components that will keep the Nordmethan biogas plant in Falkenhagen, Germany, running. Nordmethan, a subsidiary company of biogas plant manufacturer Weltec Group, acquired the currently decomissioned biogas plant in January 2016. The plant is expected to resume operations towards the end of 2016. The pig manure will be supplied by local farmers. Also maize silage will be used to get the facility running. The plant with its 5 digesters, 5 post-digesters, 5 digestate storage units and 6 combined heat and power (CHP) plant will generate 3.3 MW of electricity.
Pancosma discusses non-nutrition concept
A group of 60 distinguished scientists and leading players of the feed industry gathered in Luzern, Switzerland, 3-4 February 2016, for the 5th edition of the Pancosma Worldwide Scientific Exchange (PWSE). This scientific congress hosted by the Swiss feed additives manufacturer Pancosma discussed the latest cutting-edge concepts in animal nutrition and health. This year’s event was titled ‘The 21st century animal nutritionist: the master of non-nutrition’. Main theme was to demonstrate the beneficial effects of non-nutrition on animal health and productivity.
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