Victam News

The fast-track approval of the Hananui Aquaculture Project off Rakiura/Stewart Island is expected to bring significant benefits to Southland and New Zealand’s economy, Ministers for Infrastructure Chris Bishop and Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones say.

The project is the 31st to be approved through the Fast-track process and the first aquaculture project to receive approval under the scheme.

Ngāi Tahu Seafood Resources Limited lodged its application in November 2025, with approval granted around five months later following the appointment of an independent expert panel.

“The Hananui project has taken around seven years to progress. Ngāi Tahu applied for consent under the RMA in 2019, which was later withdrawn. They then reapplied through the COVID-19 Fast-track process in 2020. Subsequently, in August 2023, the application was declined,” says Mr Bishop.

“Alongside this approval, our planning reforms will further support Māori commercial aquaculture, including by making it easier for iwi to unlock the potential of Aquaculture Settlement Areas provided for under the Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004, making the process easier, faster and more efficient.”

Mr Jones says that once fully operational, Hananui is projected to produce 14,400 tonnes of salmon per year, generate more than NZ$310 million in sales and create 415–480 jobs in the region.

“This is almost as much salmon as was produced by all of New Zealand’s salmon farms in 2025–2026,” Mr Jones says.

“The global appetite for our king salmon is extremely high, representing a massive opportunity for New Zealand. To take full advantage of it we need to increase supply to meet this demand, and the approval of Hananui is an incredibly positive step in this direction.

“This Government has made aquaculture growth a focus, setting a NZ$3 billion annual revenue target for the sector by 2035. A key pillar to achieving this goal identified in our Aquaculture Development Plan is large-scale open-ocean farming such as Hananui.

“Fast-track approval means these projects can proceed sooner, supporting jobs, regional growth and export earnings, as well as New Zealand’s position as a leader in sustainable seafood production.”

The fast-track approval of the Hananui Aquaculture Project off Rakiura/Stewart Island is expected to bring significant benefits to Southland and New Zealand’s economy, Ministers for Infrastructure Chris Bishop and Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones say.

The project is the 31st to be approved through the Fast-track process and the first aquaculture project to receive approval under the scheme.

Ngāi Tahu Seafood Resources Limited lodged its application in November 2025, with approval granted around five months later following the appointment of an independent expert panel.

“The Hananui project has taken around seven years to progress. Ngāi Tahu applied for consent under the RMA in 2019, which was later withdrawn. They then reapplied through the COVID-19 Fast-track process in 2020. Subsequently, in August 2023, the application was declined,” says Mr Bishop.

“Alongside this approval, our planning reforms will further support Māori commercial aquaculture, including by making it easier for iwi to unlock the potential of Aquaculture Settlement Areas provided for under the Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004, making the process easier, faster and more efficient.”

Mr Jones says that once fully operational, Hananui is projected to produce 14,400 tonnes of salmon per year, generate more than NZ$310 million in sales and create 415–480 jobs in the region.

“This is almost as much salmon as was produced by all of New Zealand’s salmon farms in 2025–2026,” Mr Jones says.

“The global appetite for our king salmon is extremely high, representing a massive opportunity for New Zealand. To take full advantage of it we need to increase supply to meet this demand, and the approval of Hananui is an incredibly positive step in this direction.

“This Government has made aquaculture growth a focus, setting a NZ$3 billion annual revenue target for the sector by 2035. A key pillar to achieving this goal identified in our Aquaculture Development Plan is large-scale open-ocean farming such as Hananui.

“Fast-track approval means these projects can proceed sooner, supporting jobs, regional growth and export earnings, as well as New Zealand’s position as a leader in sustainable seafood production.”

The Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has appointed its first sector advisory committee, bringing together experts from across Scottish aquaculture and beyond to provide their experience and knowledge.

The 15-member committee brings together hundreds of years of combined industry experience from producers and across the supply chain. Its role is to help ensure SAIC’s support for research and development reflects the needs and priorities of the wider sector.

Representatives from finfish and flatfish producers include Eduardo Jiménez Fernández, head of research and development at Otter Ferry Seafish, part of the Amar Seafood Group; Charles Greenwood, head of modelling at Cooke Aquaculture; Innes Weir, production manager at Loch Duart; and Su Cox, communications and business development director at Bakkafrost Scotland.

They are joined by industry association representatives Rhianna Rees, CEO of Seaweed Scotland; Oliver Robinson, who serves on the board of the British Trout Association; Eleanor Adamson, head of fisheries at The Fishmongers’ Company; and Iain Berrill, technical director at Salmon Scotland. Together, they bring perspectives from across the aquaculture sector.

Reflecting the importance of fish and shellfish health and wellbeing to the sector’s R&D, the committee also includes Meritxell Diez-Padrisa, business unit manager UK and senior fish health adviser at PatoGen; Sam Martin, director of the Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre at the University of Aberdeen; and Antonios Chalaris, founder of AC Aquaculture Consulting.

The aquaculture supply chain will be represented by Mikey Clarkson, commercial manager at feed producer BioMar; Keith Drynan, managing director of breeding and genetics company AquaGen Scotland Ltd; and Roar Paulsen, senior vice president and country manager for the UK at Aquafarm Equipment.

Completing the committee is Mike Montague, lead specialist for aquaculture at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), who will bring an environmental regulatory perspective to discussions informing SAIC’s strategic direction.

SAIC enters new chapter

The appointments follow a new chapter for SAIC. In April, the innovation cluster became independent from its longstanding host, the University of Stirling, and relocated to the Highlands after receiving £1.4 million in new annual funding for a minimum of five years from Crown Estate Scotland.

SAIC will continue to play a central role in driving innovation in aquaculture through collaborative R&D projects. The move has also seen the organisation broaden its scope, creating more opportunities to engage with SMEs and support all parts of the sector, including shellfish, seaweed and other species.

Sarah Riddle, principal officer at SAIC, said: “With our first sector advisory committee, we wanted to ensure that SAIC’s work truly reflects the needs, priorities, and ambitions of the entire aquaculture sector. This group brings together expertise from finfish, flatfish, shellfish, seaweed, academia, health, the supply chain and even the regulator, giving us access to a broad range of voices and perspectives.

“As SAIC enters a new chapter, it’s vital that we draw on as many points of view as possible. The committee will ensure we prioritise the needs of the sector so that we can maximise the impact, reach, and output of collaborative R&D, delivering tangible benefits for producers of all species. At the same time, it will support our aims strengthening innovation across Scotland and the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of the sector.”

Innovation is widely regarded as critical to helping Scotland’s aquaculture sector, which contributes £468 million in annual gross value added (GVA) to the economy, grow sustainably. From its inception in 2013 to the beginning of 2026, SAIC invested £10.8 million in collaborative R&D projects and secured £70.6 million in additional funding.

As part of its next chapter, SAIC recently called for expressions of interest in new project funding, receiving an unprecedented level of interest from the sector.

Rob Wilson, chair of SAIC, added: “We’ve been hugely encouraged by the volume and quality of expressions of interest we’ve received since we shared our initial plans for a new funding call. It’s clear that right across the sector – from finfish and shellfish to seaweed and emerging species – there is real appetite to push forward with collaborative R&D.

“The calibre of the people who have joined the sector advisory committee gives us even greater confidence in SAIC’s future direction. Together, they bring an exceptional breadth and depth of experience, as well as valuable insight from across the sector. Their collective knowledge will ensure we can support projects that deliver meaningful impact for producers, the supply chain, and the wider Scottish aquaculture community.”

The Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has appointed its first sector advisory committee, bringing together experts from across Scottish aquaculture and beyond to provide their experience and knowledge.

The 15-member committee brings together hundreds of years of combined industry experience from producers and across the supply chain. Its role is to help ensure SAIC’s support for research and development reflects the needs and priorities of the wider sector.

Representatives from finfish and flatfish producers include Eduardo Jiménez Fernández, head of research and development at Otter Ferry Seafish, part of the Amar Seafood Group; Charles Greenwood, head of modelling at Cooke Aquaculture; Innes Weir, production manager at Loch Duart; and Su Cox, communications and business development director at Bakkafrost Scotland.

They are joined by industry association representatives Rhianna Rees, CEO of Seaweed Scotland; Oliver Robinson, who serves on the board of the British Trout Association; Eleanor Adamson, head of fisheries at The Fishmongers’ Company; and Iain Berrill, technical director at Salmon Scotland. Together, they bring perspectives from across the aquaculture sector.

Reflecting the importance of fish and shellfish health and wellbeing to the sector’s R&D, the committee also includes Meritxell Diez-Padrisa, business unit manager UK and senior fish health adviser at PatoGen; Sam Martin, director of the Scottish Fish Immunology Research Centre at the University of Aberdeen; and Antonios Chalaris, founder of AC Aquaculture Consulting.

The aquaculture supply chain will be represented by Mikey Clarkson, commercial manager at feed producer BioMar; Keith Drynan, managing director of breeding and genetics company AquaGen Scotland Ltd; and Roar Paulsen, senior vice president and country manager for the UK at Aquafarm Equipment.

Completing the committee is Mike Montague, lead specialist for aquaculture at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), who will bring an environmental regulatory perspective to discussions informing SAIC’s strategic direction.

SAIC enters new chapter

The appointments follow a new chapter for SAIC. In April, the innovation cluster became independent from its longstanding host, the University of Stirling, and relocated to the Highlands after receiving £1.4 million in new annual funding for a minimum of five years from Crown Estate Scotland.

SAIC will continue to play a central role in driving innovation in aquaculture through collaborative R&D projects. The move has also seen the organisation broaden its scope, creating more opportunities to engage with SMEs and support all parts of the sector, including shellfish, seaweed and other species.

Sarah Riddle, principal officer at SAIC, said: “With our first sector advisory committee, we wanted to ensure that SAIC’s work truly reflects the needs, priorities, and ambitions of the entire aquaculture sector. This group brings together expertise from finfish, flatfish, shellfish, seaweed, academia, health, the supply chain and even the regulator, giving us access to a broad range of voices and perspectives.

“As SAIC enters a new chapter, it’s vital that we draw on as many points of view as possible. The committee will ensure we prioritise the needs of the sector so that we can maximise the impact, reach, and output of collaborative R&D, delivering tangible benefits for producers of all species. At the same time, it will support our aims strengthening innovation across Scotland and the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of the sector.”

Innovation is widely regarded as critical to helping Scotland’s aquaculture sector, which contributes £468 million in annual gross value added (GVA) to the economy, grow sustainably. From its inception in 2013 to the beginning of 2026, SAIC invested £10.8 million in collaborative R&D projects and secured £70.6 million in additional funding.

As part of its next chapter, SAIC recently called for expressions of interest in new project funding, receiving an unprecedented level of interest from the sector.

Rob Wilson, chair of SAIC, added: “We’ve been hugely encouraged by the volume and quality of expressions of interest we’ve received since we shared our initial plans for a new funding call. It’s clear that right across the sector – from finfish and shellfish to seaweed and emerging species – there is real appetite to push forward with collaborative R&D.

“The calibre of the people who have joined the sector advisory committee gives us even greater confidence in SAIC’s future direction. Together, they bring an exceptional breadth and depth of experience, as well as valuable insight from across the sector. Their collective knowledge will ensure we can support projects that deliver meaningful impact for producers, the supply chain, and the wider Scottish aquaculture community.”

The Indian Marine Ingredients Association (IMIA) has announced the second milestone in its national sustainability initiative with the integration of the Maharashtra-Goa Small Pelagic FIP and Indian Westcoast Multi Species Trawler FIP into IMIA’s national framework for responsible fisheries development.

The announcement was made at a press meet attended by industry leaders, association representatives and stakeholders from various coastal regions. The event highlighted IMIA’s continued commitment to developing a unified and credible sustainability platform for India’s marine ingredients sector.

IMIA, the national representative body of the Indian marine ingredients industry, has been promoting the sustainable development of the fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) sector through responsible sourcing, improved resource utilisation, scientific management and collaboration among stakeholders.

The marine ingredients sector plays a significant role in the national economy while supporting the livelihoods of thousands of fishers, workers, processors and others across the fisheries value chain. The industry uses low-value, short-lived and naturally abundant pelagic fish species, along with fish processing by-products, unavoidable bycatch and post-harvest losses, contributing to resource efficiency and the circular economy.

IMIA has been advocating the vision of ‘One India — One Fishery Improvement Project (FIP)’ to establish a harmonised national framework that enhances India’s credibility in international markets, improves access to sustainability-focused buyers, reduces duplication of efforts and creates a coordinated pathway for responsible fisheries management across the country.

Second milestone for national FIP initiative

“It is a moment of great pride to witness the second milestone being achieved today with the integration of Maharashtra-Goa Small Pelagic FIP and Maharashtra Westcoast Trawler Recent FIP into IMIA, which will soon be extended to Tamil Nadu through the proposed West Coast and East Coast FIPs.” The statement was made by Dr Mohamed Dawood Sait, President, IMIA.

On the occasion, Mr Manoj Kushe of Omega Fishmeal and Oil Company expressed his support for the initiative, backing IMIA’s efforts to establish a nationally coordinated Fishery Improvement Project structure for India’s marine fisheries and marine ingredients sector.

The integration marks a development in India’s fisheries sustainability efforts and represents a shift from fragmented initiatives towards a broader, coordinated national platform. It also lays the foundation for future expansion into additional coastal states, including Tamil Nadu, under the proposed West Coast and East Coast FIPs.

Representatives from IMIA and industry stakeholders across different regions reiterated the need for collective action, stakeholder cooperation and nationally aligned sustainability measures to support the long-term future of India’s marine fisheries and marine ingredients industry.

IMIA reaffirmed its commitment to working with industry participants, fishers, processors, exporters, technical experts and government stakeholders to promote sustainable fisheries and strengthen India’s position in global marine ingredients and seafood markets.

The Indian Marine Ingredients Association (IMIA) has announced the second milestone in its national sustainability initiative with the integration of the Maharashtra-Goa Small Pelagic FIP and Indian Westcoast Multi Species Trawler FIP into IMIA’s national framework for responsible fisheries development.

The announcement was made at a press meet attended by industry leaders, association representatives and stakeholders from various coastal regions. The event highlighted IMIA’s continued commitment to developing a unified and credible sustainability platform for India’s marine ingredients sector.

IMIA, the national representative body of the Indian marine ingredients industry, has been promoting the sustainable development of the fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) sector through responsible sourcing, improved resource utilisation, scientific management and collaboration among stakeholders.

The marine ingredients sector plays a significant role in the national economy while supporting the livelihoods of thousands of fishers, workers, processors and others across the fisheries value chain. The industry uses low-value, short-lived and naturally abundant pelagic fish species, along with fish processing by-products, unavoidable bycatch and post-harvest losses, contributing to resource efficiency and the circular economy.

IMIA has been advocating the vision of ‘One India — One Fishery Improvement Project (FIP)’ to establish a harmonised national framework that enhances India’s credibility in international markets, improves access to sustainability-focused buyers, reduces duplication of efforts and creates a coordinated pathway for responsible fisheries management across the country.

Second milestone for national FIP initiative

“It is a moment of great pride to witness the second milestone being achieved today with the integration of Maharashtra-Goa Small Pelagic FIP and Maharashtra Westcoast Trawler Recent FIP into IMIA, which will soon be extended to Tamil Nadu through the proposed West Coast and East Coast FIPs.” The statement was made by Dr Mohamed Dawood Sait, President, IMIA.

On the occasion, Mr Manoj Kushe of Omega Fishmeal and Oil Company expressed his support for the initiative, backing IMIA’s efforts to establish a nationally coordinated Fishery Improvement Project structure for India’s marine fisheries and marine ingredients sector.

The integration marks a development in India’s fisheries sustainability efforts and represents a shift from fragmented initiatives towards a broader, coordinated national platform. It also lays the foundation for future expansion into additional coastal states, including Tamil Nadu, under the proposed West Coast and East Coast FIPs.

Representatives from IMIA and industry stakeholders across different regions reiterated the need for collective action, stakeholder cooperation and nationally aligned sustainability measures to support the long-term future of India’s marine fisheries and marine ingredients industry.

IMIA reaffirmed its commitment to working with industry participants, fishers, processors, exporters, technical experts and government stakeholders to promote sustainable fisheries and strengthen India’s position in global marine ingredients and seafood markets.

Russian fertiliser companies earned an estimated UK£500 million (US$635 million) in additional revenues during the first three months of the US-Israel-Iran conflict as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent global urea prices soaring, according to an investigation by Greenpeace Unearthed.

Russia, already the world’s leading nitrogen fertiliser exporter, earned an estimated additional UK£5 million per day from urea between March and May 2026. The analysis found the price of urea – the most widely used nitrogen fertiliser – almost doubled between late February and late April.

The Strait of Hormuz normally handles a third of global seaborne fertiliser trade and 20 percent of natural gas shipments, needed to make nitrogen fertilisers such as urea. Russia’s Baltic export routes, however, were largely unaffected by the closure, allowing producers to benefit from the price surge.

“Russia’s weakened yet still functioning economy and military industry are tightly interlinked,” said Dr Svitlana Romanko, executive director of Ukrainian campaign group Razom We Stand. “Export earnings from energy-intensive and gas-based products help sustain a Russian state-driven industrial base whose strategic focus is expanding weapons production.”

US imports at record levels

Almost half of the estimated windfall – approximately UK£226 million – came from the United States. US imports of Russian urea reached record levels during the early months of the conflict, coinciding with the US spring planting season. Imports in April 2026 were nearly double those of the same month the previous year.

Joseph Glauber, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) , noted the irony: “This was made more acute because of the closure of the Gulf. At a time when we ostensibly have sanctions on Russia … we are at the same time buying fertiliser products from them.”

UK and European imports

The UK imported approximately 33,900 tonnes of Russian urea between March and May, generating an estimated UK£8 million in additional revenues for Russian producers. EU imports generated around UK£11.5 million.

While the EU introduced staged tariffs on Russian fertiliser in 2025, and the UK closed a gap in its 2022 tariffs by including nitrogen products in July 2025, imports continued during the price surge.

Food security concerns

The price shock has intensified fears over global food security. The United Nations has warned that rising fuel, fertiliser and food costs could push millions more people into hunger, with African countries likely to be hit hardest.

Selena Victor, senior policy director of humanitarian organisation Mercy Corps, said: “A global price rise quickly becomes a question of whether farmers can plant and whether families can afford to eat.”

The countries most exposed to this supply and pricing shock are fragile, import-dependent nations already facing conflict and severe weather events, including Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Lebanon and Myanmar.

Martin Lines, CEO of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, said British farmers are highly reliant on imported nitrogen: “This exposes us to global price shocks and means putting more money into the pockets of fertiliser companies and nations around the world. The transition to nature-friendly farming is vital if UK agriculture is to be resilient to the climate crisis and geopolitics.”

Methodology

Unearthed compared average monthly urea prices during March, April and May 2026 with the average February 2026 price of US$471 per tonne. By late April, prices had nearly doubled, peaking at US$882 per tonne. Russian export volumes were estimated using “mirror data” – imports reported by Russia’s trading partners.

The European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC) and the Brazilian Feed Industry Association (Sindirações) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen cooperation between the European and Brazilian feed sectors, focusing on feed safety, animal health, biosecurity and sustainable production.

The feed industry trade agreement was signed on the margins of the 19th International Feed Regulators Meeting (IFRM), jointly organised by the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

A key element of the FEFAC Sindirações MoU is the exchange of regulatory developments and expertise, helping both organisations follow legislative initiatives in areas such as feed legislation, ingredient approvals, labelling requirements and maximum residue levels. The agreement also covers cooperation in global organisations including Codex, WOAH and the WTO to promote science-based international standards.

“We welcome this reinforced partnership between FEFAC and Sindirações, which strengthens cooperation between two important compound feed-producing regions,” said FEFAC President Nicolas Coudry-Mesny. “Brazil represents a region of great significance in global feed production and trade with feed ingredients. It is fundamental to maintain market access to ensure EU feed security and a competitive and sustainable livestock production in Europe.”

The EU-Brazil feed cooperation will facilitate implementation of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement, which entered into provisional application on 1 May 2026, contributing to stakeholder dialogue on trade of feed ingredients including soy products, feed grains, co-products from biofuel production and essential feed additives.

“Preserving market access is essential to safeguarding the EU’s feed supply while supporting competitive and sustainable livestock production across Europe,” said Sindirações President Roberto Ignacio Betancourt. “Through close cooperation, Europe and Brazil can foster the continued growth and resilience of their feed industries.”

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and surging energy costs are threatening India’s rapidly growing feed industry and agricultural sector, with fertiliser production declining by nearly 25 percent in March 2026 as natural gas imports face disruption.

The Indian animal feed sector, one of the world’s fastest-growing, faces significant headwinds as the ongoing military conflict in West Asia puts pressure on production costs for domestic feed manufacturers, according to government reports and industry sources.

Fertiliser output dropped by 24.6 percent in March compared to the same month in 2025, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The decline is attributed to disruptions in natural gas supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly a fifth of global crude oil trade and a substantial share of the world’s LNG shipments.

Impact on feed production costs

India’s animal feed market, projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 4.52 percent to reach US$15.4 billion by 2028, is heavily reliant on imported raw materials and energy inputs. The poultry sector, which accounts for a significant share of feed demand, is particularly exposed to rising input costs.

Exporters said the biggest immediate fallout would be through energy prices rather than shipping disruptions. “The disruption is simply getting prolonged,” said Ajay Sahai, Director General of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations.

Pankaj Chadha, Chairman of EEPC India, said manufacturers had begun receiving better gas supplies after an initial truce and gas prices had started softening. “Now, it appears the situation will reverse again. Gas prices are likely to rise and industries that had just begun recovering from shortages may once again face the same problems.”

Fertiliser crisis

The timing of the disruption is critical, with India’s Kharif sowing season set to begin in June and July. Both periods are heavily reliant on timely fertiliser supplies to support staple crops such as rice and wheat. The government announced an 11 percent increase in fertiliser subsidies in April, aiming to shield farmers from sharp price increases.

“The sharp fall in fertiliser output coincides with escalating hostilities in the Middle East, particularly after Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a report by the Economic Times.

The impact extends beyond fertilisers. India’s fertiliser industry is heavily dependent on imported raw materials such as urea, rock phosphate, phosphoric acid and potash. A prolonged disruption in maritime trade could recreate the supply tightness witnessed in March-April 2026, according to government sources cited by The Hindu Business Line.

Long-term outlook

The disruption has also sharpened concerns around fertiliser security and global food production, with fertiliser prices rising sharply since the outbreak of the war and the closure of the Strait. Higher war-risk insurance premiums and elevated freight costs are adding another layer of strain to energy-importing economies.

For India, the closure poses structural challenges to the economy, which is deeply linked to imported hydrocarbons and petroleum products that are embedded across aviation, power generation, transport, cooking fuels and industrial activity.

As energy and logistics costs rise, the pressure is transmitted through the import bill, inflation, public finances, retail prices and industrial competitiveness. The war has intensified risks not only for India’s macroeconomic stability but also for its sectoral growth, including logistics, petrochemicals, textiles, ceramics, consumer durables, metals, cement and construction.

Economists and industry experts are urging India to accelerate efforts to diversify both its sources of fertiliser imports and its domestic production capabilities. There is renewed discussion around boosting indigenous production of critical raw materials and investing in alternative fertiliser technologies.

Devenish Nutrition North America has appointed Ryan Mortvedt as Swine Director. The appointment adds an experienced livestock industry professional to the company’s leadership team as it continues to strengthen its swine business and customer support efforts.

Ryan Mortvedt has joined Devenish Nutrition North America in the role of Swine Director. The company says that he brings more than 20 years of experience in swine production, business development, and sales leadership as a proven livestock industry leader.

Mortvedt says, “I am excited to join the Devenish team and look forward to leveraging my industry experience, customer-focused mindset, and passion for people development to help advance Devenish’s vision while creating value for our customers across the swine industry.”

Throughout his career, Mortvedt has managed large-scale production systems, led transformational business initiatives, and built strategic partnerships with producers, veterinarians, nutritionists, and industry stakeholders. His experience includes driving growth, developing high-performing teams, and delivering innovative solutions that improve producer profitability and operational performance.

The company highlighted his commitment to helping individuals and teams reach their full potential through mentorship, coaching, and fostering a culture built on collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Mortvedt and his family live in central Iowa, USA, where they raise sheep and goats as part of a family business.

Devenish NA appoints Ryan Mortvedt as Swine Director yazısı ilk önce Feed & Additive Magazine üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

Innovad Group has appointed Dr Rui A Gonçalves as Global Business Development Director – Aquaculture.

Dr Rui brings more than 20 years of international experience in aquaculture research, nutrition, innovation and commercial development across Europe, Latin America and Asia. Prior to joining Innovad Group, he held a senior leadership role at the Singapore Food Agency, where he led strategic initiatives in aquaculture nutrition and feed innovation.

In his new role, Dr Rui will drive the global development of Innovad’s aquaculture business, working closely with customers and partners to deliver science-based solutions aimed at improving aquatic animal health, performance and sustainability.

Innovad Group has appointed Dr Rui A Gonçalves as Global Business Development Director – Aquaculture.

Dr Rui brings more than 20 years of international experience in aquaculture research, nutrition, innovation and commercial development across Europe, Latin America and Asia. Prior to joining Innovad Group, he held a senior leadership role at the Singapore Food Agency, where he led strategic initiatives in aquaculture nutrition and feed innovation.

In his new role, Dr Rui will drive the global development of Innovad’s aquaculture business, working closely with customers and partners to deliver science-based solutions aimed at improving aquatic animal health, performance and sustainability.

BinSentry has initiated a patent infringement lawsuit against BarnTools in a U.S. federal court, alleging that the BarnTools’ BinTalk feed bin monitoring products infringe one of BinSentry’s patents related to feed bin level monitoring systems.

BinSentry Inc., one of the global leaders in AI-powered animal feed inventory management technologies, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against BarnTools, LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

According to the company’s statement, BinSentry develops agricultural feed bin level monitoring equipment and owns U.S. Patent No. 12,359,958 (“the ’958 Patent”), titled “Bin Level Monitoring System,” issued on July 15, 2025. The patent covers, among other things, a bin level monitoring system that includes a sensor with a mounting bracket, a transmitter, a circuit board, an enclosure, and a transmitter for collecting, processing, and transmitting feed-bin level data.

The complaint alleges that BarnTools infringes the ’958 Patent through its BinTalk products, including BinTalk and BinTalk Pro products.

BinSentry’s CEO, Ben Allen, explained that “BinSentry built a successful business model on a foundation of cutting-edge science and scalable proprietary technology that delivers clear, quantifiable value to our customers.” He went on to state that, “as a technology company, innovation is one of our core values and we must protect our intellectual property.”

The company states that, among other things, the complaint alleges that BarnTools’ own patent filings cited BinSentry’s published patent materials related to the asserted technologies, and that despite BarnTools’ knowledge of BinSentry’s then-pending patent application, BarnTools nevertheless continued to develop and market products that allegedly infringe BinSentry’s patent rights.

“Our technology platform is helping major protein producers and feed millers transition from outdated, inefficient manual systems to automated, real-time feed inventory management that is more efficient, more profitable, safer, and more sustainable,” Allen said. “This lawsuit is about protecting BinSentry’s innovation, standing up for our customers, employees, and investors, and supporting a fair and competitive marketplace.”

BinSentry initiates patent infringement lawsuit against BarnTools yazısı ilk önce Feed & Additive Magazine üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

As grass quality declines through late summer and autumn, rumen-protected fat supplements can help maintain milk production in grazing dairy herds without disrupting rumen function, according to Dr Richard Kirkland, Global Technical Manager for Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients.

While mature pasture generally contains more structural fibre supporting butterfat production, declining grass quality, lower dry matter intakes and reduced energy density can steadily erode milk yield if rations are not adjusted.

“Throughout the end of the summer, the oil concentration in grass begins to increase as it comes out of the reproductive heading phase,” said Dr Kirkland. “The result is a leafier, higher-oil grass that can trigger a similar rumen response to early-season pasture. Being prepared with an appropriate feeding strategy helps minimise the impact on milk quality.”

Protecting rumen function

Protecting rumen function should remain the priority when supplementing grazing cows.

“Late-season grazing isn’t simply about adding more energy,” Dr Kirkland said. “It’s about delivering enough energy to maintain milk production without compromising rumen health. Once rumen function is disrupted, feed efficiency falls and performance quickly follows.”

As pasture digestibility declines, many herds require buffer feeding to maintain energy intake. However, Dr Kirkland warned that increasing cereal inclusion too far can create further nutritional challenges. “High-starch feeds ferment rapidly, increasing acid production in the rumen and lowering rumen pH. That can reduce fibre digestion, increase the risk of subacute acidosis and ultimately compromise both milk yield and milk fat production.”

Rumen-protected fats as a solution

To maintain balance, Dr Kirkland recommends increasing dietary energy density with rumen-protected fat supplements, which are not fermented in the rumen and deliver concentrated energy directly to the small intestine.

“Rumen-protected fats provide around 2.5-times the energy density of cereals without adding to the rumen acid load,” he said. “They allow producers to increase energy supply while maintaining fibre digestion and rumen stability.”

Research evidence

In grazing trials at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture’s Dairy Research Centre, cows supplemented with 250 g/day of Megalac rumen-protected fat produced up to 2.1kg of additional milk at peak lactation and maintained up to 1.5kg/day additional response at 200-days in milk, while maintaining high fertility.

“As grass quality and availability decline, buffer feeding with rumen-protected fat supplements helps meet energy demands without compromising rumen function,” Dr Kirkland concluded.

NOVUS has appointed Dr. Jorge Cruz as Technical Services Manager for ruminants in Mexico. In his new role, he will help expand the company’s C.O.W.S.^® assessment program and support dairy producers with science-based nutrition and herd management strategies.

Dr. Jorge Cruz has joined NOVUS as Technical Services Manager for ruminants, supporting dairy producers across Mexico through technical expertise and science-based nutrition solutions. In his new role, Cruz is working to bring the C.O.W.S.^® Program to Mexico. The company says that he will work alongside the commercial team in Mexico to help customers evaluate opportunities related to cow comfort, oxidative stress, animal welfare and performance while demonstrating the value of NOVUS intelligent nutrition solutions.

According to the company, this assessment program, which has been offered to dairy farmers in the United States for over a decade, analyzes a herd’s daily activities and provides data that can help producers make better management decisions. Through a comprehensive on-farm assessment and benchmarking, the program evaluates cow comfort, facility design and management practices, then delivers customized recommendations that support cow well-being, productive efficiency and long-term sustainability.

“My goal is to support dairy farmers with practical, science-based solutions that help them better understand their herds and make informed management decisions,” Cruz says. “By combining technical expertise with on-farm measurements, we can help producers optimize performance while supporting long-term sustainability.”

Regional Business Manager Armando Enriquez says Cruz joining the team and the expansion of the C.O.W.S.^® Program demonstrate the company’s commitment to supporting dairy operations in Mexico. “Jorge brings extensive dairy nutrition expertise, a strong technical background and a passion for helping producers succeed,” he says. “His experience working directly with dairy operations throughout Mexico will strengthen the support we provide to our customers.”

Cruz says dairy producers in Mexico continue to navigate evolving regulatory policies while balancing environmental challenges, water availability, sustainability goals and profitability. He believes intelligent nutrition and practical management strategies can help producers respond to these changing conditions.

Before joining NOVUS, Cruz spent more than a decade serving the ruminant industry throughout Mexico. Most recently, he was a sales representative for ruminants with Adisseo, where he worked with dairy producers across northern Mexico, supporting sales, conducting field trials and implementing commercial strategies. Previously, he held technical and commercial leadership roles with Nutriad and Alltech.

Cruz earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in veterinary science from Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro Oficial and a doctorate in ruminant nutrition from Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, both located in Mexico.

NOVUS expands dairy support in Mexico with new Technical Services Manager yazısı ilk önce Feed & Additive Magazine üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

by Dr Mahmoud Abdel-Hady, Aquaculture Consultant, Egypt and Prof Abdel-Fattah M. El-Sayed, Oceanography Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Egypt 

Egypt has evolved from a modest fish producer into Africa’s largest aquaculture contributor and one of the world’s leading tilapia producers. The aquaculture sector has made substantial progress and gained considerable achievements over the last three decades. Yet, the sector now faces pressing challenges: how to sustain production, improve resilience and create value in an increasingly resource-constrained future. 

Aquaculture history and current status 

More than 4000 years ago, ancient Egyptians practiced fish (tilapia) farming by developing and managing drainable fish ponds, integrated with crops by water and nutrient reuse. Although aquaculture technologies have changed dramatically since then, the principles of resource efficiency, nutrient recycling and integrated production that underpin modern sustainable aquaculture were already evident in these early systems. Egypt’s aquaculture history, therefore, offers valuable lessons for the future of sustainable production. 

The development of modern aquaculture in Egypt began nearly a century ago. The first experimental farm (The Barrage Farm) was established in 1929, laying the foundation for scientific and commercial advancements in the sector. Consequently, the first commercial fish farm was established in 1957, marking the first step of a modern aquaculture industry that would later evolve into one of the largest and most successful in Africa and among the top contributors in the world. As a result, fish has become one of the most affordable and accessible animal protein sources for Egyptian households, reducing pressure on more expensive, unaffordable red meat and poultry. 

Sixteen aquatic species are currently cultured in Egypt, with an annual production of approximately 1.6 million tonnes. This species diversification would likely reduce market risk while opening opportunities for higher-value domestic and export markets. However, Nile tilapia occupy and will likely continue to occupy, a central place in Egyptian fish production for millennia. The commercial potential of tilapia remained constrained until the widespread adoption of all-male hatchery technologies in the mid-1990s, which transformed the species into the main driver of aquaculture growth. Tilapia production increased from around 22,000 tonnes in 1995 to nearly one million tonnes in 2024, accounting for over 60 percent of aquaculture production. As Egypt’s most important farmed fish species, annual per capita tilapia consumption approaches 10 kg, representing nearly 50 percent of total fish consumption and underscoring its central role in national food security. 

Another major driver of Egypt’s aquaculture expansion was the development of a modern aquafeed industry. Beginning in the early 2000s, feed extrusion technology gradually replaced conventional pelleted feed manufacturing. Today, Egypt has a well-established aquaculture feed industry, comprising over 110 mills, including five multinational companies. This shift improved feed efficiency, growth performance and resource-use efficiency. Feed-credit arrangements further facilitated adoption among small- and medium-scale producers.  

Major achievements of this sector 

Together, advances in hatchery, farming and feed extrusion technologies enabled the widespread adoption of semi-intensive pond farming and substantial productivity gains, allowing production to expand despite the relatively stable farming area and the gradual phase-out of freshwater cage farming in the Nile. Combined with farmers’ accumulated experience, these developments transformed Egyptian aquaculture into the largest aquaculture industry in Africa and the Middle East and the seventh largest globally, producing approximately 1.6 million tonnes annually and supplying nearly 80 percent of the country’s fish production. The sector is also a major contributor to rural livelihoods and economic development, supporting an estimated 203,000 jobs across the value chain. Today, Egyptian aquaculture encompasses a range of production systems and cultured species, including tilapia, mullets, African catfish, seabass, seabream, meagre, shrimp and several emerging marine species. 

Emerging technological developments and industry trends 

Although technologies such as recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), bioflocs, aquaponics and in-pond raceway systems (IPRS) are attracting increasing interest, their adoption remains limited by high capital and energy requirements, land tenure constraints and production costs that are often higher than those of conventional semi-intensive systems in earthen ponds. Nevertheless, efforts to adapt these technologies to local conditions are continuing and their importance may increase in the future as the sector faces growing challenges related to water scarcity, water quality deterioration and climate change. 

Major challenges facing the sector 

While Egyptian aquaculture expanded rapidly over the past three decades, growth has slightly slowed. Future growth will depend on overcoming technical, economic, social, environmental and governance constraints while improving productivity, resilience and resource-use efficiency. 

Despite major advances in hatchery and feed technologies, important constraints remain. Approximately 34 percent of aquaculture production volume and 57 percent of production value still depend on species that rely on wild seed collection, particularly mullets, meagre and a large proportion of seabass and seabream production. This dependence creates uncertainty of seed supply and may limit future expansion of higher-value aquaculture. Increasing production intensity has also heightened concerns about fish health, biosecurity and emerging disease risks. 

The sector also remains highly dependent on imported feed ingredients, particularly soybean meal and maize, exposing producers to global commodity markets, exchange-rate volatility and foreign-currency shortages. Between 2015 and 2024, feed prices increased approximately fivefold, while fuel and electricity costs rose by around threefold and sixfold, respectively. In many cases, production costs have increased faster than fish prices, reducing profitability and limiting reinvestment in farm modernisation.  

Many producers, particularly small- and medium-scale farmers, continue to face constraints related to access to finance, insurance, technical support and long-term investment security. These challenges are compounded by land-tenure issues, especially rapidly increasing rental fees and relatively short lease periods, creating uncertainty and discouraging long-term investment in infrastructure, renewable energy and advanced production technologies.  

Water scarcity is the sector’s most important long-term challenge. Competition for water among agriculture, municipalities, industries and aquaculture is intensifying, while increasing reliance on agricultural drainage water and water-reuse schemes has raised concerns about water quality in some production areas. Aquaculture practitioners are increasingly required to invest in water quality management and expand water recycling systems, such as RAS, Biofloc, aquaponics and IMTA. 

Climate change compounds these pressures. Because much of Egypt’s aquaculture production is concentrated in the low-lying North Nile Delta, the sector remains vulnerable to sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion and extreme weather events. Some assessments suggest that areas currently responsible for 50–55 percent of aquaculture production could face future inundation risks. At the same time, concerns remain regarding data quality and the accuracy of production statistics, highlighting the need for stronger monitoring and reporting systems.  

Although Egypt is one of the world’s largest aquaculture producers, the sector remains heavily oriented toward domestic markets. Export potential is constrained by challenges related to quality control, certification, traceability, risk assessment, processing capacity and cold-chain infrastructure. Tackling these export issues would help unlock considerable export potential. Notably, the recent lifting of the European Union’s ban on Egyptian fish exports presents a major milestone in the development of Egypt’s fish export industry. 

Taken together, these challenges suggest that the next phase of Egypt’s aquaculture development will depend less on expanding production area and more on improving efficiency, resilience, governance and value creation across the aquaculture value chain. 

The way forward 

Future growth of Egypt’s aquaculture sector will depend not only on increasing production but also on improving sustainability, resilience and governance across the value chain. Integrated aquaculture–agriculture systems offer a promising pathway for improving resource-use efficiency, particularly within large agricultural enterprises able to invest in innovation, renewable energy and modern production technologies. 

Nile tilapia will remain the cornerstone of Egyptian aquaculture; yet, substantial gains could be achieved through the adoption of genetically improved strains with faster growth, greater disease resistance and better tolerance to low winter temperatures. Creating an enabling environment that attracts international breeding companies and encourages investment in genetic improvement should, therefore, be a strategic priority. 

The sector must also continue its transition from capture-based aquaculture toward hatchery-based marine aquaculture. Reducing reliance on wild seed, particularly for high-value marine and brackishwater species and replacing trash-fish feeding with formulated feeds would improve sustainability, strengthen biosecurity and reduce pressure on natural fish stocks. 

Government policy will be equally important. Aquaculture should be formally recognised as a legitimate and strategic user of land and water resources, supported by secure tenure arrangements, predictable leasing systems and reliable access to water. Greater availability of suitable saline and low-productivity lands could also create opportunities for responsible expansion where environmental conditions permit. 

The sector must accelerate the adoption of renewable-energy technologies as rising energy costs increasingly affect profitability and competitiveness. Wider adoption will depend on access to finance, long-term investment security and supportive policy frameworks. 

Equally important is strengthening the institutional foundations for the industry. Establishing a comprehensive and timely aquaculture statistics system would support evidence-based planning and investment decisions. Meanwhile, closer collaboration between research institutions and industry would help ensure that research priorities address producers’ needs. Expanding certification, traceability and quality assurance systems will also be essential for improving market access and unlocking export opportunities. 

Finally, the future of Egyptian aquaculture will have to depend on stronger collaboration among producers, researchers, policymakers, investors and industry organisations. If these efforts succeed, Egypt can build on its achievements and develop a more competitive, resilient and globally recognised aquaculture sector for the decades ahead. 

by Dr Mahmoud Abdel-Hady, Aquaculture Consultant, Egypt and Prof Abdel-Fattah M. El-Sayed, Oceanography Department, Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Egypt 

Egypt has evolved from a modest fish producer into Africa’s largest aquaculture contributor and one of the world’s leading tilapia producers. The aquaculture sector has made substantial progress and gained considerable achievements over the last three decades. Yet, the sector now faces pressing challenges: how to sustain production, improve resilience and create value in an increasingly resource-constrained future. 

Aquaculture history and current status 

More than 4000 years ago, ancient Egyptians practiced fish (tilapia) farming by developing and managing drainable fish ponds, integrated with crops by water and nutrient reuse. Although aquaculture technologies have changed dramatically since then, the principles of resource efficiency, nutrient recycling and integrated production that underpin modern sustainable aquaculture were already evident in these early systems. Egypt’s aquaculture history, therefore, offers valuable lessons for the future of sustainable production. 

The development of modern aquaculture in Egypt began nearly a century ago. The first experimental farm (The Barrage Farm) was established in 1929, laying the foundation for scientific and commercial advancements in the sector. Consequently, the first commercial fish farm was established in 1957, marking the first step of a modern aquaculture industry that would later evolve into one of the largest and most successful in Africa and among the top contributors in the world. As a result, fish has become one of the most affordable and accessible animal protein sources for Egyptian households, reducing pressure on more expensive, unaffordable red meat and poultry. 

Sixteen aquatic species are currently cultured in Egypt, with an annual production of approximately 1.6 million tonnes. This species diversification would likely reduce market risk while opening opportunities for higher-value domestic and export markets. However, Nile tilapia occupy and will likely continue to occupy, a central place in Egyptian fish production for millennia. The commercial potential of tilapia remained constrained until the widespread adoption of all-male hatchery technologies in the mid-1990s, which transformed the species into the main driver of aquaculture growth. Tilapia production increased from around 22,000 tonnes in 1995 to nearly one million tonnes in 2024, accounting for over 60 percent of aquaculture production. As Egypt’s most important farmed fish species, annual per capita tilapia consumption approaches 10 kg, representing nearly 50 percent of total fish consumption and underscoring its central role in national food security. 

Another major driver of Egypt’s aquaculture expansion was the development of a modern aquafeed industry. Beginning in the early 2000s, feed extrusion technology gradually replaced conventional pelleted feed manufacturing. Today, Egypt has a well-established aquaculture feed industry, comprising over 110 mills, including five multinational companies. This shift improved feed efficiency, growth performance and resource-use efficiency. Feed-credit arrangements further facilitated adoption among small- and medium-scale producers.  

Major achievements of this sector 

Together, advances in hatchery, farming and feed extrusion technologies enabled the widespread adoption of semi-intensive pond farming and substantial productivity gains, allowing production to expand despite the relatively stable farming area and the gradual phase-out of freshwater cage farming in the Nile. Combined with farmers’ accumulated experience, these developments transformed Egyptian aquaculture into the largest aquaculture industry in Africa and the Middle East and the seventh largest globally, producing approximately 1.6 million tonnes annually and supplying nearly 80 percent of the country’s fish production. The sector is also a major contributor to rural livelihoods and economic development, supporting an estimated 203,000 jobs across the value chain. Today, Egyptian aquaculture encompasses a range of production systems and cultured species, including tilapia, mullets, African catfish, seabass, seabream, meagre, shrimp and several emerging marine species. 

Emerging technological developments and industry trends 

Although technologies such as recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), bioflocs, aquaponics and in-pond raceway systems (IPRS) are attracting increasing interest, their adoption remains limited by high capital and energy requirements, land tenure constraints and production costs that are often higher than those of conventional semi-intensive systems in earthen ponds. Nevertheless, efforts to adapt these technologies to local conditions are continuing and their importance may increase in the future as the sector faces growing challenges related to water scarcity, water quality deterioration and climate change. 

Major challenges facing the sector 

While Egyptian aquaculture expanded rapidly over the past three decades, growth has slightly slowed. Future growth will depend on overcoming technical, economic, social, environmental and governance constraints while improving productivity, resilience and resource-use efficiency. 

Despite major advances in hatchery and feed technologies, important constraints remain. Approximately 34 percent of aquaculture production volume and 57 percent of production value still depend on species that rely on wild seed collection, particularly mullets, meagre and a large proportion of seabass and seabream production. This dependence creates uncertainty of seed supply and may limit future expansion of higher-value aquaculture. Increasing production intensity has also heightened concerns about fish health, biosecurity and emerging disease risks. 

The sector also remains highly dependent on imported feed ingredients, particularly soybean meal and maize, exposing producers to global commodity markets, exchange-rate volatility and foreign-currency shortages. Between 2015 and 2024, feed prices increased approximately fivefold, while fuel and electricity costs rose by around threefold and sixfold, respectively. In many cases, production costs have increased faster than fish prices, reducing profitability and limiting reinvestment in farm modernisation.  

Many producers, particularly small- and medium-scale farmers, continue to face constraints related to access to finance, insurance, technical support and long-term investment security. These challenges are compounded by land-tenure issues, especially rapidly increasing rental fees and relatively short lease periods, creating uncertainty and discouraging long-term investment in infrastructure, renewable energy and advanced production technologies.  

Water scarcity is the sector’s most important long-term challenge. Competition for water among agriculture, municipalities, industries and aquaculture is intensifying, while increasing reliance on agricultural drainage water and water-reuse schemes has raised concerns about water quality in some production areas. Aquaculture practitioners are increasingly required to invest in water quality management and expand water recycling systems, such as RAS, Biofloc, aquaponics and IMTA. 

Climate change compounds these pressures. Because much of Egypt’s aquaculture production is concentrated in the low-lying North Nile Delta, the sector remains vulnerable to sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion and extreme weather events. Some assessments suggest that areas currently responsible for 50–55 percent of aquaculture production could face future inundation risks. At the same time, concerns remain regarding data quality and the accuracy of production statistics, highlighting the need for stronger monitoring and reporting systems.  

Although Egypt is one of the world’s largest aquaculture producers, the sector remains heavily oriented toward domestic markets. Export potential is constrained by challenges related to quality control, certification, traceability, risk assessment, processing capacity and cold-chain infrastructure. Tackling these export issues would help unlock considerable export potential. Notably, the recent lifting of the European Union’s ban on Egyptian fish exports presents a major milestone in the development of Egypt’s fish export industry. 

Taken together, these challenges suggest that the next phase of Egypt’s aquaculture development will depend less on expanding production area and more on improving efficiency, resilience, governance and value creation across the aquaculture value chain. 

The way forward 

Future growth of Egypt’s aquaculture sector will depend not only on increasing production but also on improving sustainability, resilience and governance across the value chain. Integrated aquaculture–agriculture systems offer a promising pathway for improving resource-use efficiency, particularly within large agricultural enterprises able to invest in innovation, renewable energy and modern production technologies. 

Nile tilapia will remain the cornerstone of Egyptian aquaculture; yet, substantial gains could be achieved through the adoption of genetically improved strains with faster growth, greater disease resistance and better tolerance to low winter temperatures. Creating an enabling environment that attracts international breeding companies and encourages investment in genetic improvement should, therefore, be a strategic priority. 

The sector must also continue its transition from capture-based aquaculture toward hatchery-based marine aquaculture. Reducing reliance on wild seed, particularly for high-value marine and brackishwater species and replacing trash-fish feeding with formulated feeds would improve sustainability, strengthen biosecurity and reduce pressure on natural fish stocks. 

Government policy will be equally important. Aquaculture should be formally recognised as a legitimate and strategic user of land and water resources, supported by secure tenure arrangements, predictable leasing systems and reliable access to water. Greater availability of suitable saline and low-productivity lands could also create opportunities for responsible expansion where environmental conditions permit. 

The sector must accelerate the adoption of renewable-energy technologies as rising energy costs increasingly affect profitability and competitiveness. Wider adoption will depend on access to finance, long-term investment security and supportive policy frameworks. 

Equally important is strengthening the institutional foundations for the industry. Establishing a comprehensive and timely aquaculture statistics system would support evidence-based planning and investment decisions. Meanwhile, closer collaboration between research institutions and industry would help ensure that research priorities address producers’ needs. Expanding certification, traceability and quality assurance systems will also be essential for improving market access and unlocking export opportunities. 

Finally, the future of Egyptian aquaculture will have to depend on stronger collaboration among producers, researchers, policymakers, investors and industry organisations. If these efforts succeed, Egypt can build on its achievements and develop a more competitive, resilient and globally recognised aquaculture sector for the decades ahead. 

Timothy Graham is Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Arabian Rubyan Aquaculture Company (SARA), a vertically integrated producer of premium Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp operating across three farm sites in the Kingdom under the Arabian Foods Group. He brings more than 30 years of aquaculture leadership spanning hatchery, growout, processing and business development across Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.  

A marine biologist by training, Graham holds a BSc in Marine Biology and Zoology with Honours in Aquaculture from James Cook University. His career includes the production scale up of Clean Seas Tuna, the design and commissioning of a major Singapore aquarium and leadership of the NEOM Regenerative Aquaculture Park masterplan and founding CEO of Topian Aquaculture Co. He has authored various articles and publications and is completing an Executive MBA specialising in Seafood and Aquaculture at NHH, the Norwegian School of Economics, in Bergen. 

Q1.  What initially sparked your interest to pursue a career in aquaculture? 

There is a bit of a story behind that one. I spent my early years in Cairns, in tropical north Queensland, right on the coast, before the family moved to Kalgoorlie, a mining town in the Western Australian desert about 600 km’s from the nearest ocean. The summers there, for what it is worth, are not far off a Saudi summer. The love of the ocean never left me through those desert years and somewhere along the way I decided I wanted a degree and a career that meant I would never live in the desert again and would always be close to the coast. Life clearly has a sense of humour, because I am writing this from Riyadh, smack in the middle of Saudi Arabia. Such are life’s journeys. 

So marine biology was always going to be the path. I studied back in North Queensland at James Cook University, which sits right in the heart of Australia’s tropical aquaculture country and that was the turning point. I went in thinking I would end up in pure research and I came out realising the more interesting question was how you farm the ocean responsibly to feed people, while still protecting nature’s wonders such as the Great Barrier Reef. 

Shrimp was the species that hooked me. It is a deceptively complex animal to grow well. You are managing genetics, water quality, nutrition, health and a fast biological clock all at once, and if you get the fundamentals wrong the pond tells you very quickly. I loved that combination of hard science and real commercial discipline. That is what pulled me out of the lab and onto the farm and thirty plus years later it still does. 

Q2.  What challenges have you faced in developing SARA’s vertically integrated shrimp production model and how have you overcome them? 

Vertical integration is the right model for what we are building but I will be honest, it is the harder road. We are establishing a hatchery, growout, processing and the route to market all at once and each link has to be world class in its own right before the chain is worth anything. There is nowhere to hide. A weakness at any stage shows up everywhere downstream. 

The biggest challenge has been doing this in a genuinely demanding environment. Saudi Arabia gives you heat, high salinity and a thin local supply base for specialist equipment and skills, so you cannot simply lift a model off the shelf from Asia or Latin America and expect it to work. You have to design for the conditions you actually have. 

The way we have addressed it comes down to three things. First, biosecurity and genetics built in from the foundation rather than bolted on, because in shrimp your health status is your business. Second, controlling the critical points ourselves, which is the entire logic of integration, so that quality and provenance are never left to chance. Third, building local capability, investing in our people and our systems so the operation is resilient and not dependent on flying in a fix every time something moves. We have also had to be disciplined about phasing and sequencing, because trying to perfect everything simultaneously is how projects come unstuck. 

Q3.  You have also spoken about transforming SARA into a global benchmark for premium, sustainable shrimp. What are the key pillars underpinning this vision? 

Let me be clear about where we play, because that shapes everything. The global commodity market is flooded with shrimp. Ecuador alone shipped roughly 1.4Mt’s last year and finished around US$7.5 billion in exports and they are still growing. We are not trying to out compete that on price or volume and frankly nobody should try to be Ecuador except Ecuador. Our game is different. 

The vision rests on four pillars. Biosecurity and genetics first, because a clean, disease-free, healthy shrimp is the price of entry for the premium end. Sustainability as the baseline and regeneration as the goal, designed into the system rather than claimed after the fact, because for us a low environmental footprint is simply the minimum expectation and the real ambition is to leave the environment better than we found it. Food safety and traceability to international standards, so a buyer can follow our product from broodstock to plate. And freshness and provenance, which is where local production really earns its keep. 

That last point is the heart of our differentiation. We produce inside the Kingdom, close to the market, which lets us put a fresh, traceable, locally grown premium product in front of customers who would otherwise be eating frozen commodity shrimp that has travelled halfway around the world. It also sits squarely within the food security ambitions of Vision 2030. Interestingly, it now appears even the big exporters now agree the future of value is in differentiation through sustainability, traceability and full standards compliance, so we are building exactly where the market is heading, just from a premium, local starting point. 

Q4.  You played a key role in the development of the NEOM regenerative aquaculture complex. Looking back, what were the most valuable lessons you took away from that experience and how are they influencing your work today? 

NEOM was an extraordinary chapter. As acting Head of Aquaculture and founding CEO of Topian Aquaculture Co, I led the master planning of a regenerative aquaculture park of around 1200 hectares, designed to produce in the order of 80,000 tonnes of native finfish a year. Working at that scale, on a blank sheet, teaches you things you simply cannot learn retrofitting an existing operation. 

The most valuable lesson was that sustainability has to be a design principle, not a marketing layer and that sustainability itself is really only the starting line. When you build from scratch you have the rare luxury of engineering environmental performance, native species and genuine regeneration into the foundations. Treating a low footprint as the minimum expectation and regeneration as the actual goal is dramatically cheaper and more credible when it is built in from day one rather than bolted on later.  

The second lesson was about ambition and execution. Bold vision is necessary, but it has to be matched with discipline on phasing, de risking and proving each stage before you scale the next. The third was the importance of people and stakeholder alignment. A project lives or dies on whether the team and the partners are genuinely pulling in the same direction. 

All three travel directly into SARA. We are designing biosecurity and sustainability in from the start, we are phasing the build rather than betting everything on a single leap, and we are putting as much energy into the team as into the technology. 

Q5.  The global shrimp sector continues to face a range of challenges, from disease outbreaks and biosecurity risks to market volatility and rising production costs. Which of these do you see as the most pressing for producers today and why? 

I would split these into the risk that can kill you overnight and the pressure that grinds you down day after day. 

Disease and biosecurity are the ones that keep every shrimp farmer awake at night. The major pathogens are always one lapse away from wiping out a crop and that biological risk never really goes away. It is the deepest challenge in our industry and it always will be. 

But if you ask me what is most pressing commercially right now, it is the margin squeeze and it is relentless. Globally speaking there is an oversupply driven largely by Ecuador’s volume growth, which impacts farmgate prices down across the board. At the same time, input costs have gone the other way. Feed and fishmeal supply is tight and prices are elevated, and energy and logistics have not given producers any relief. Layer on top of that the trade and tariff turbulence reshaping global flows, with India under serious pressure from import duties and supply routes shifting around it and you have a genuinely volatile operating environment. 

So, the honest answer is that disease is the catastrophic risk you manage relentlessly, while the price and cost squeeze is the structural pressure defining the industry’s economics today. The producers who come through this will be the ones who are cost-controlled where it matters and clearly differentiated where it counts, rather than stuck competing in the undifferentiated middle. 

Q6.  As sustainability becomes an increasingly important focus for both industry and policymakers, which emerging trends or innovations do you believe will have the greatest impact on the future of sustainable marine systems and aquaculture? 

A few things genuinely excite me and the common thread is that the winners will be the ones who pair productivity with environmental performance rather than trading one off against the other. 

Genetics is the quiet revolution. Continued advances in selective breeding for disease resistance/tolerance and performance will do more for sustainability than almost anything else, because a healthier, more efficient shrimp needs less feed, less water and far less intervention. 

Recirculation and low discharge systems are the second. This is close to my own technical roots and the progress in RAS, ozone, UV and biofiltration is letting us produce more with a smaller environmental and water footprint, which matters enormously in regions like ours. 

Third is precision aquaculture. Sensors, automation and AI-driven feeding and health monitoring are turning farming from an art into a data led discipline, catching problems early and cutting waste. Fourth, and critically, is feed innovation. Reducing our dependence on wild caught fishmeal through single cell proteins, algae, insect meal and other novel ingredients is essential, both for cost and for the credibility of our sustainability story and the current tightness in fishmeal markets only sharpens that case. 

Underneath all of it sits traceability and digital provenance, which is fast becoming the way producers prove their sustainability rather than simply asserting it. The future of sustainable marine systems will belong to operators who can demonstrate, with data, that they are producing more protein with less impact. 

Timothy Graham is Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Arabian Rubyan Aquaculture Company (SARA), a vertically integrated producer of premium Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp operating across three farm sites in the Kingdom under the Arabian Foods Group. He brings more than 30 years of aquaculture leadership spanning hatchery, growout, processing and business development across Australasia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.  

A marine biologist by training, Graham holds a BSc in Marine Biology and Zoology with Honours in Aquaculture from James Cook University. His career includes the production scale up of Clean Seas Tuna, the design and commissioning of a major Singapore aquarium and leadership of the NEOM Regenerative Aquaculture Park masterplan and founding CEO of Topian Aquaculture Co. He has authored various articles and publications and is completing an Executive MBA specialising in Seafood and Aquaculture at NHH, the Norwegian School of Economics, in Bergen. 

Q1.  What initially sparked your interest to pursue a career in aquaculture? 

There is a bit of a story behind that one. I spent my early years in Cairns, in tropical north Queensland, right on the coast, before the family moved to Kalgoorlie, a mining town in the Western Australian desert about 600 km’s from the nearest ocean. The summers there, for what it is worth, are not far off a Saudi summer. The love of the ocean never left me through those desert years and somewhere along the way I decided I wanted a degree and a career that meant I would never live in the desert again and would always be close to the coast. Life clearly has a sense of humour, because I am writing this from Riyadh, smack in the middle of Saudi Arabia. Such are life’s journeys. 

So marine biology was always going to be the path. I studied back in North Queensland at James Cook University, which sits right in the heart of Australia’s tropical aquaculture country and that was the turning point. I went in thinking I would end up in pure research and I came out realising the more interesting question was how you farm the ocean responsibly to feed people, while still protecting nature’s wonders such as the Great Barrier Reef. 

Shrimp was the species that hooked me. It is a deceptively complex animal to grow well. You are managing genetics, water quality, nutrition, health and a fast biological clock all at once, and if you get the fundamentals wrong the pond tells you very quickly. I loved that combination of hard science and real commercial discipline. That is what pulled me out of the lab and onto the farm and thirty plus years later it still does. 

Q2.  What challenges have you faced in developing SARA’s vertically integrated shrimp production model and how have you overcome them? 

Vertical integration is the right model for what we are building but I will be honest, it is the harder road. We are establishing a hatchery, growout, processing and the route to market all at once and each link has to be world class in its own right before the chain is worth anything. There is nowhere to hide. A weakness at any stage shows up everywhere downstream. 

The biggest challenge has been doing this in a genuinely demanding environment. Saudi Arabia gives you heat, high salinity and a thin local supply base for specialist equipment and skills, so you cannot simply lift a model off the shelf from Asia or Latin America and expect it to work. You have to design for the conditions you actually have. 

The way we have addressed it comes down to three things. First, biosecurity and genetics built in from the foundation rather than bolted on, because in shrimp your health status is your business. Second, controlling the critical points ourselves, which is the entire logic of integration, so that quality and provenance are never left to chance. Third, building local capability, investing in our people and our systems so the operation is resilient and not dependent on flying in a fix every time something moves. We have also had to be disciplined about phasing and sequencing, because trying to perfect everything simultaneously is how projects come unstuck. 

Q3.  You have also spoken about transforming SARA into a global benchmark for premium, sustainable shrimp. What are the key pillars underpinning this vision? 

Let me be clear about where we play, because that shapes everything. The global commodity market is flooded with shrimp. Ecuador alone shipped roughly 1.4Mt’s last year and finished around US$7.5 billion in exports and they are still growing. We are not trying to out compete that on price or volume and frankly nobody should try to be Ecuador except Ecuador. Our game is different. 

The vision rests on four pillars. Biosecurity and genetics first, because a clean, disease-free, healthy shrimp is the price of entry for the premium end. Sustainability as the baseline and regeneration as the goal, designed into the system rather than claimed after the fact, because for us a low environmental footprint is simply the minimum expectation and the real ambition is to leave the environment better than we found it. Food safety and traceability to international standards, so a buyer can follow our product from broodstock to plate. And freshness and provenance, which is where local production really earns its keep. 

That last point is the heart of our differentiation. We produce inside the Kingdom, close to the market, which lets us put a fresh, traceable, locally grown premium product in front of customers who would otherwise be eating frozen commodity shrimp that has travelled halfway around the world. It also sits squarely within the food security ambitions of Vision 2030. Interestingly, it now appears even the big exporters now agree the future of value is in differentiation through sustainability, traceability and full standards compliance, so we are building exactly where the market is heading, just from a premium, local starting point. 

Q4.  You played a key role in the development of the NEOM regenerative aquaculture complex. Looking back, what were the most valuable lessons you took away from that experience and how are they influencing your work today? 

NEOM was an extraordinary chapter. As acting Head of Aquaculture and founding CEO of Topian Aquaculture Co, I led the master planning of a regenerative aquaculture park of around 1200 hectares, designed to produce in the order of 80,000 tonnes of native finfish a year. Working at that scale, on a blank sheet, teaches you things you simply cannot learn retrofitting an existing operation. 

The most valuable lesson was that sustainability has to be a design principle, not a marketing layer and that sustainability itself is really only the starting line. When you build from scratch you have the rare luxury of engineering environmental performance, native species and genuine regeneration into the foundations. Treating a low footprint as the minimum expectation and regeneration as the actual goal is dramatically cheaper and more credible when it is built in from day one rather than bolted on later.  

The second lesson was about ambition and execution. Bold vision is necessary, but it has to be matched with discipline on phasing, de risking and proving each stage before you scale the next. The third was the importance of people and stakeholder alignment. A project lives or dies on whether the team and the partners are genuinely pulling in the same direction. 

All three travel directly into SARA. We are designing biosecurity and sustainability in from the start, we are phasing the build rather than betting everything on a single leap, and we are putting as much energy into the team as into the technology. 

Q5.  The global shrimp sector continues to face a range of challenges, from disease outbreaks and biosecurity risks to market volatility and rising production costs. Which of these do you see as the most pressing for producers today and why? 

I would split these into the risk that can kill you overnight and the pressure that grinds you down day after day. 

Disease and biosecurity are the ones that keep every shrimp farmer awake at night. The major pathogens are always one lapse away from wiping out a crop and that biological risk never really goes away. It is the deepest challenge in our industry and it always will be. 

But if you ask me what is most pressing commercially right now, it is the margin squeeze and it is relentless. Globally speaking there is an oversupply driven largely by Ecuador’s volume growth, which impacts farmgate prices down across the board. At the same time, input costs have gone the other way. Feed and fishmeal supply is tight and prices are elevated, and energy and logistics have not given producers any relief. Layer on top of that the trade and tariff turbulence reshaping global flows, with India under serious pressure from import duties and supply routes shifting around it and you have a genuinely volatile operating environment. 

So, the honest answer is that disease is the catastrophic risk you manage relentlessly, while the price and cost squeeze is the structural pressure defining the industry’s economics today. The producers who come through this will be the ones who are cost-controlled where it matters and clearly differentiated where it counts, rather than stuck competing in the undifferentiated middle. 

Q6.  As sustainability becomes an increasingly important focus for both industry and policymakers, which emerging trends or innovations do you believe will have the greatest impact on the future of sustainable marine systems and aquaculture? 

A few things genuinely excite me and the common thread is that the winners will be the ones who pair productivity with environmental performance rather than trading one off against the other. 

Genetics is the quiet revolution. Continued advances in selective breeding for disease resistance/tolerance and performance will do more for sustainability than almost anything else, because a healthier, more efficient shrimp needs less feed, less water and far less intervention. 

Recirculation and low discharge systems are the second. This is close to my own technical roots and the progress in RAS, ozone, UV and biofiltration is letting us produce more with a smaller environmental and water footprint, which matters enormously in regions like ours. 

Third is precision aquaculture. Sensors, automation and AI-driven feeding and health monitoring are turning farming from an art into a data led discipline, catching problems early and cutting waste. Fourth, and critically, is feed innovation. Reducing our dependence on wild caught fishmeal through single cell proteins, algae, insect meal and other novel ingredients is essential, both for cost and for the credibility of our sustainability story and the current tightness in fishmeal markets only sharpens that case. 

Underneath all of it sits traceability and digital provenance, which is fast becoming the way producers prove their sustainability rather than simply asserting it. The future of sustainable marine systems will belong to operators who can demonstrate, with data, that they are producing more protein with less impact. 

Hendrix Genetics‘ Troutlodge has showcased research conducted in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research at WCGALP 2026. The study highlights a methodology designed to improve breeding accuracy and support sustainable rainbow trout production.

Troutlodge, the Salmonids Business Unit of Hendrix Genetics, has presented its study on advances in trout genetics at the World Congress on Genetics Applied to Livestock Production (WCGALP), held July 12–17 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA—one of the most influential scientific events in animal‑production genetics, as the company describes. More than 20 members of the Hendrix Genetics team attended the congress, representing various Business Units.

In the Aquaculture session, Dr. Katharina Correa, geneticist in the Salmonids Business Unit and part of the team supporting Troutlodge operations in Chile, presented the study, “Accounting for Different Ploidy Levels in Trout Genetic Evaluations in a Commercial Breeding Program”. The work was developed in collaboration with specialists from Hendrix Genetics/Troutlodge and Wageningen University & Research.

According to the company, the research addresses a key challenge in genetic improvement programs: how to integrate phenotypic data from triploid fish into the genetic evaluation of diploid broodstock. Triploids—fish with three sets of chromosomes—are widely used in the industry due to their performance and sterility, which reduces environmental risks. However, incorporating their information into commercial genetic models has been complex.

The company highlights that the study proposes a methodology applicable to breeding programs that enables improved selection accuracy for broodstock, integration of triploid data without distorting evaluations, and optimized genetic progress in key production traits. This advancement directly strengthens the competitiveness and sustainability of rainbow trout production.

The company notes that Dr. Correa’s participation in WCGALP reinforces the commitment of Hendrix Genetics and Troutlodge to applied research and the development of genetic solutions that drive global aquaculture forward.

The article, Accounting for Different Ploidy Levels in Trout Genetic Evaluations in a Commercial Breeding Program, is available in the official WCGALP repository, where congress publications are hosted.

Troutlodge highlights advances in trout genetics at WCGALP 2026 yazısı ilk önce Feed & Additive Magazine üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

Trouw Nutrition will bring together feed industry professionals from across Asia and beyond at FeedTechnoVision 2026, taking place on 29–30 September in Jaipur, India. The event will focus on feed technology, quality, safety and operational efficiency through expert presentations and panel discussions.

Trouw Nutrition, Nutreco’s livestock feed business line, hosts its premiere feed event, FeedTechnoVision, on 29-30 September 2026 in Jaipur, India. Held at the Hyatt Regency, Jaipur, FeedTechnoVision 2026 convenes feed mill managers, quality leaders, nutritionists, and feed safety specialists to help shape the future of Asia’s feed industry and inspire progress across the global feed sector. The fourth instalment of FeedTechnoVision explores how science, technology, operational expertise, and collaboration can improve efficiency and strengthen resiliency throughout a rapidly expanding feed production region.

Trouw Nutrition notes that Asia’s feed industry is facing mounting pressures. Across the value chain, stakeholders are dealing with raw material volatility and quality constraints whilst striving to improve production consistencies, manage feed safety, and navigate changing sustainability and regulatory requirements. Markets such as India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are shifting from a complex and rapidly evolving feed production landscape towards a clearer and more consistent process that is increasingly impacting the global feed industry. With these shifts in mind, FeedTechnoVision 2026 examines complexities in the Asian feed-to-food chain and explores practical approaches for solving key concerns. Eleven sessions and three panel discussions led by feed industry experts representing South America, Europe, and Asia address ongoing and emerging challenges impacting Asia’s feed sector.

“Asia’s feed industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace,” says Noel Kim, Managing Director at Nutreco Asia. “New challenges demand new thinking. FeedTechnoVision brings together customers, industry leaders, and technical experts to explore the innovations and capabilities that will define the next generation of feed and animal production. Together, we can build a more productive, resilient, and sustainable future for our industry.”

Pedro Caramona, Global Strategic Marketing Director-X Species at Trouw Nutrition, notes the programme focuses on actionable takeaways. “FeedTechnoVision 2026 is designed as a collective learning journey. By bringing together nutritionists, quality leaders, and operations managers, we aim to create a cross-functional common language around the industry’s biggest challenges,” Caramona says. “Every participant should leave Jaipur with practical ideas they can implement immediately to build safer, more resilient, and higher-performing feed production systems.”

A JOURNEY BUILT AROUND FOUR MAIN OBJECTIVES
FeedTechnoVision 2026 is built around four guiding objectives: cross-functional knowledge sharing, accelerating technology adoption, networking and collaboration, and a continuous feedback loop transforming insights into practical actions. The programme is designed as a progressive customer journey and is organized into three sessions:

29 September – Resilient Ingredients and Integrated Quality Systems to Optimise Feed
Osler Desouzart, CEO of OD Consulting, Market Planning & Strategy, Brazil, opens FeedTechnoVision 2026 with a strategic view of the forces shaping Asia’s feed industry. According to the company, his remarks address global macroeconomic trends, trade dynamics, and lessons from Brazil’s transformation into one of the world’s leading animal production regions. Next on the morning’s agenda, leaders from Nutreco Asia and Trouw Nutrition consider raw material availability, resilience, and sourcing and demonstrate the influence that raw material quality and formulation accuracy have on animal performance.

The afternoon programme moves towards integrated solutions. Speakers show why sustainable improvements cannot be achieved through isolated technologies but require connected systems combining data, risk-based decision making, sourcing, process control, and quality management. Dr. Jean Michel Nebout of Laboratoire d’Analyses Microbiologiques, France, presents a holistic approach to feed production that evolves from quality control to integrated feed safety. Head of the Center for Feed Technology at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Dr. Dejan Miladinovic, shares how operational excellence can reduce risk and improve performance in feed production. Dr. Swamy Haladi, Global Category Director, Moulds & Mycotoxins Management at Trouw Nutrition, presents proactive mycotoxin risk management and Dr. Eugenio Alcalde, Global Portfolio Manager Feed Safety & Processing at Trouw Nutrition, explains how microbial ecology supports more effective prevention strategies.

30 September – From Operational Excellence to The Feed Mill of The Future
The company highlights that day two spotlights practical implementation. Sessions focus on process control, steam quality, moisture optimisation, particle size, thermal processing, and pellet quality to demonstrate how process control and optimisation simultaneously improve feed safety, feed mill efficiency, and animal performance. The event concludes with a panel discussion on the Feed Mill of the Future, examining how digitalisation, automation, and smart data will transform feed manufacturing.

Trouw Nutrition to host FeedTechnoVision 2026 in India yazısı ilk önce Feed & Additive Magazine üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

FAS: Ethanol, feed drive 3% domestic consumption growth

Key part will be exchange of regulatory developments, expertise

Phat Bieu To has been appointed as Jefo Vietnam Technical Sales Manager, where he will provide technical expertise and customised nutritional solutions to feed mills, integrators and livestock producers across the country.

To brings more than 18 years of experience in the animal health and poultry sectors. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine from Can Tho University and previously served as Technical Manager at HIPRA for over seven years.

In his new role, To will support customers in optimising productivity, animal health and profitability through science-based approaches. He will also focus on building long-term partnerships based on trust and collaboration.

“We are pleased to welcome Phat Bieu To to the Jefo team as Technical Sales Manager – Vietnam,” the company stated.

Jefo is a global leader in animal nutrition and health solutions, headquartered in Quebec, Canada.

Conference to be held Nov. 11-12 in Bloomington, Minnesota

by Bert Rodgers, Student of MSc Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Plymouth, UK

In the UK we have learned to see farmed landscapes as the ‘countryside’. The patchwork of green fields and accompanying livestock barns are postcard-ready vistas, familiar to us and part of a national identity. The thought of putting a fish pen or mussel line on a postcard, however, is probably a laughable idea to most. However, both images depict vital food production systems and should be judged on evidence-led portrayals, not on the false perceptions that pervade from the public observer. Such double standards must be addressed for consumers to gain a fair representation of production systems.  

In a review of media samples from aquaculture-producing countries (Budhathoki et al., 2024), the UK was the only country in which negative articles exceeded positive ones (45 percent -ive, 33 percent +ive and 20 percent neutral from 2015 to 2023). UK aquaculture representation was focused on risk prevention with key negative themes of environmental impacts, sea lice, escapees and animal welfare concerns. Reflecting this increased scrutiny, the Global Salmon Initiative adopted a commitment to achieve 100 percent ASC certification across all member farms. Alongside accreditation, there have been reductions in antibiotic use, improved transparency, lower FIFO and FCR, as well as sustained economic growth for rural and coastal communities. However, the messaging that appears to be most relevant to producers is what consumers see on packaging – eco-friendly labels. But are these sufficiently communicating the positive messages of aquaculture?  

This matters because consumers are having to navigate a crowded and confused market of sustainability labels, certifications and green claims. Altintzoglou et al. (2025) found that European consumer awareness of aquaculture production systems remains low, even when their attitudes are positive. Their study identified three consumers groups; trusting, unimpressed and uninformed. The uninformed group was the largest, making them the obvious targets for improved communication. However, they are understandably uninformed and I would advocate for continuing meaningful communication with those more likely to engage – namely the ‘foodies’ and ‘adventurous responsible’ groups as cited by Stancu et al. (2022). With improved understanding, hopefully the personal social connections made through these groups influence the uninformed that are not captured by conventional marketing.  

With intense scrutiny comes opportunity. Public concern surrounding salmon farming has forced the industry into a level of monitoring that is not seen in other forms of farming. In Scotland, aquaculture data exists on a publicly accessible portal including information on environmental monitoring, escapees, emissions, biomass, treatments, leases, permit conditions and movement restrictions. This does not mean every farm performs excellently but rather provides the framework for a more transparent consumer relationship. Despite this progress, reducing mortality remains a key challenge for the industry.  

In the UK, food security has long been treated as a matter of foremost importance and, since World War II, a measure of national resilience. In a recently destabilised global food landscape, this sentiment is still pertinent. National self-sufficiency has fallen from over 80 percent in the 1980s to 65 percent in 2024 (DEFRA, 2025). A growing population and lack of terrestrial space means the solution to improving self-sufficiency lies in offshore and inshore aquaculture. Currently the UK imports 90 percent of seafood consumed (DEFRA, 2024) and Scottish salmon is the UK’s top food export (Salmon Scotland, 2026). UK land is already heavily farmed – agriculture constitutes 69 percent of UK land area, making farmed landscapes the dominant landscape in the UK.  

A 2012 survey by the University of Cambridge (n = 1736) found widespread affection for agriculture despite a surprising level of ignorance about the sector. Public estimate of land farmed nationally was 35 percent. Large numbers of people believed that farming is important for the economy, estimating farming constitutes 24 percent of GDP when at the time it was closer to 1.5 percent. Surprisingly, 75 percent of respondents said farming played an important role in protecting the environment. The author, a research assistant in rural affairs, states “most people’s hearts are in the right place even if they have some misconceptions about it.” If true, aquaculture should aim to win the hearts of the public because it seems to be where most people do their thinking.  

As someone who is passionate about efficient, transparent use of resources to better protect the environment, I find it highly frustrating that cultural familiarity often outweighs environmental evidence. As well as industrial farming resulting in a monoculture of grasses, UK farmland birds have declined by 62 percent since 1970 (JNCC, 2025), UK pollinator distribution indicators were 23 percent lower in 2024 than in 1980 (JNCC, 2026). In 2024, diffuse pollution from agriculture impacted 40 percent of water bodies in England. Farming activities caused 74 serious pollution incidents, including 67 serious incidents to water.  

Furthermore, of the targeted inspections at non-permitted farms, inspectors found non-compliance with environmental regulations in 51 percent of cases (EA, 2025). Comparable environmental performance in aquaculture would likely attract significant regulatory attention because impacts are generally easier to attribute to individual sites. As agricultural pollution is dispersed across catchments, soils and atmospheres, it makes it hard to scrutinise a specific farm. Terrestrial farmers are better protected because they commonly own the land they farm and therefore have associated rights. Agriculture carries the legacy of historical production priorities, whereas aquaculture has developed in an age of environmentalism. Historical practices and traditions are hard to correct whereas, because of present scrutiny, environmental protection has become traditional in aquaculture. This is a message that should be conveyed to the public, alongside the vast economic opportunities that aquaculture presents.   

Equal scrutiny should exist for terrestrial farming systems and comparisons should be made using equal metrics including land use, feed conversion ratio, GHG emissions, welfare and mortality, economic value etc. Trust will be won by showing the evidence of benefits within aquaculture, explaining its system and asking to be judged by the same standards as land-based farming. The introduction of a public portal, with appropriate support available, that makes it mandatory for farmers to prove they are protecting the environment, would be a positive step forward. If the UK accepts farmed fields as part of the national landscape with its attached environmental baggage, hopefully, the public will learn to accept well-regulated aquaculture.  

Aquaculture can contribute towards domestic supply significantly more than current public acceptance allows; a more balanced food production network may even positively contribute to terrestrial biodiversity gain by alleviating intensification. Low awareness and understanding are partly a product of negative coverage; I believe it responsible to point out this double standard and to advocate for fair representation for all food production systems. None are perfect, some are simply treated more generously than others. Progress aquaculture communication from green claims, be bold and build aquaculture teachings into everyday culture through youth societies, community shellfish projects, underwater live feeds, bio secure open days and seafood cooking in schools. 

Aquaculture is a necessary part of a secure and sustainable food future in the UK and globally. If the above practices were adopted, perhaps one day the public may view a seascape of salmon farms and mussel lines in the same light as this green and pleasant land. 

For references, contact editorial@perendale.co.uk   

This article won the inaugural IAF Student Excellence Award, recognising exceptional originality, critical thinking and scientific communication in advancing sustainable aquaculture. The award is presented by International Aquafeed in collaboration with the University of Plymouth

Author Profile

Can you tell us a little about your journey into aquaculture and what inspired you to pursue this field?

My journey into aquaculture was driven by a desire to be part of something meaningful and, if possible, contribute to positive change. After working with Dartmoor National Park and Devon Wildlife Trust, I became increasingly interested in how we can protect landscapes while producing food responsibly. I recognised aquaculture as a growing sector that could strengthen UK food security while shifting some food production into marine environments, potentially freeing up terrestrial space for nature restoration and public access.

I wanted to better understand production systems, particularly how they can become more efficient, generate less waste and operate alongside environmental protection. Aquaculture combines my passion for the sea, food production and practical problem-solving. I also saw it as a sector full of opportunity, and that has already proved to be the case.

You are about to begin a placement year with two organisations in Scotland. What are you most looking forward to and what do you hope to gain from the experience?

I am thrilled to begin my career in aquaculture with two five-month placements, and I am very grateful to the University of Plymouth and Dr Katherine Herborn for making this opportunity possible. I will first be working with Landcatch at its salmon hatchery before joining Tritonia Scientific, a marine consultancy based near Oban. I feel fortunate to experience two very different parts of the aquaculture sector, and I hope they will provide a strong foundation for my career.

At Landcatch, I am looking forward to gaining practical experience in salmon husbandry while learning how a successful aquaculture business operates. Whether it involves egg incubation, nursery management or broodstock genetics, I expect the work to be both varied and rewarding. At Tritonia Scientific, I am excited to learn more about marine consultancy and underwater 3D photogrammetry. Understanding how these technologies are used to monitor and protect the marine environment closely aligns with my aspirations for the future, including supporting the achievement of BBNJ targets.

As someone entering the aquaculture industry, what motivates you to advocate for better public understanding of sustainable food production?

Before this year, I did not fully appreciate the influence consumers have on food production. I had assumed that retailers and producers largely determined what would succeed. I now realise that public awareness drives meaningful change, and that understanding food production systems is the first step towards making informed choices. Education has played a key role in improving sustainability and animal welfare standards, which is why I encourage people to learn more about aquaculture and support responsible production systems.

What motivates me most is the sense that many people have become disconnected from their food. It is easy to take what we have for granted. I find it inspiring to meet people who are passionate about where their food comes from and committed to producing it responsibly, benefiting not only the environment but also the food on our tables.

While researching and writing this article, was there a finding or insight that surprised you the most?

Although I was already aware of it, I was surprised by just how stark the contrast is between public perceptions of agriculture and aquaculture. I expected UK aquaculture to receive negative media coverage, as it often makes for easy headlines. However, I was surprised to learn that the UK was the only country in Budhathoki et al.’s (2024) study where negative articles outnumbered positive ones. It raises interesting questions about our attitudes as a nation.

What I found particularly striking was the 2012 University of Cambridge survey. The results were both baffling and revealing, highlighting how disconnected many people have become from food production. Aquaculture is often portrayed as intrusive industrial development, while agriculture is viewed simply as part of the countryside. That made me realise the issue is driven less by evidence than by cultural perception.

Your article highlights the importance of changing public perceptions. If you could introduce one initiative to help bridge the gap between consumers and aquaculture, what would it be and why?

I would introduce community aquaculture zones within National Marine Parks. This would reflect the ethos of terrestrial National Parks as living, working landscapes, bringing together aquaculture, environmental stewardship, education and recreation. As part of a university assignment, I explored the idea of installing retractable mussel and seaweed lines on breakwaters and harbour walls, removing the need to enter the water during harvesting. The real value, however, lies in accessibility. Aquaculture becomes something people can see, experience and understand rather than something they encounter only through labels or controversy.

Small-scale, well-managed community aquaculture could exist alongside activities such as swimming, diving and kayaking, allowing local communities to watch their food being produced. If people could help monitor mussel lines, record biodiversity benefits and take part in local harvests, they would be far more likely to see aquaculture as something that belongs within their community. Building that emotional connection is one of the sector’s greatest opportunities.

by Bert Rodgers, Student of MSc Sustainable Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Plymouth, UK

In the UK we have learned to see farmed landscapes as the ‘countryside’. The patchwork of green fields and accompanying livestock barns are postcard-ready vistas, familiar to us and part of a national identity. The thought of putting a fish pen or mussel line on a postcard, however, is probably a laughable idea to most. However, both images depict vital food production systems and should be judged on evidence-led portrayals, not on the false perceptions that pervade from the public observer. Such double standards must be addressed for consumers to gain a fair representation of production systems.  

In a review of media samples from aquaculture-producing countries (Budhathoki et al., 2024), the UK was the only country in which negative articles exceeded positive ones (45 percent -ive, 33 percent +ive and 20 percent neutral from 2015 to 2023). UK aquaculture representation was focused on risk prevention with key negative themes of environmental impacts, sea lice, escapees and animal welfare concerns. Reflecting this increased scrutiny, the Global Salmon Initiative adopted a commitment to achieve 100 percent ASC certification across all member farms. Alongside accreditation, there have been reductions in antibiotic use, improved transparency, lower FIFO and FCR, as well as sustained economic growth for rural and coastal communities. However, the messaging that appears to be most relevant to producers is what consumers see on packaging – eco-friendly labels. But are these sufficiently communicating the positive messages of aquaculture?  

This matters because consumers are having to navigate a crowded and confused market of sustainability labels, certifications and green claims. Altintzoglou et al. (2025) found that European consumer awareness of aquaculture production systems remains low, even when their attitudes are positive. Their study identified three consumers groups; trusting, unimpressed and uninformed. The uninformed group was the largest, making them the obvious targets for improved communication. However, they are understandably uninformed and I would advocate for continuing meaningful communication with those more likely to engage – namely the ‘foodies’ and ‘adventurous responsible’ groups as cited by Stancu et al. (2022). With improved understanding, hopefully the personal social connections made through these groups influence the uninformed that are not captured by conventional marketing.  

With intense scrutiny comes opportunity. Public concern surrounding salmon farming has forced the industry into a level of monitoring that is not seen in other forms of farming. In Scotland, aquaculture data exists on a publicly accessible portal including information on environmental monitoring, escapees, emissions, biomass, treatments, leases, permit conditions and movement restrictions. This does not mean every farm performs excellently but rather provides the framework for a more transparent consumer relationship. Despite this progress, reducing mortality remains a key challenge for the industry.  

In the UK, food security has long been treated as a matter of foremost importance and, since World War II, a measure of national resilience. In a recently destabilised global food landscape, this sentiment is still pertinent. National self-sufficiency has fallen from over 80 percent in the 1980s to 65 percent in 2024 (DEFRA, 2025). A growing population and lack of terrestrial space means the solution to improving self-sufficiency lies in offshore and inshore aquaculture. Currently the UK imports 90 percent of seafood consumed (DEFRA, 2024) and Scottish salmon is the UK’s top food export (Salmon Scotland, 2026). UK land is already heavily farmed – agriculture constitutes 69 percent of UK land area, making farmed landscapes the dominant landscape in the UK.  

A 2012 survey by the University of Cambridge (n = 1736) found widespread affection for agriculture despite a surprising level of ignorance about the sector. Public estimate of land farmed nationally was 35 percent. Large numbers of people believed that farming is important for the economy, estimating farming constitutes 24 percent of GDP when at the time it was closer to 1.5 percent. Surprisingly, 75 percent of respondents said farming played an important role in protecting the environment. The author, a research assistant in rural affairs, states “most people’s hearts are in the right place even if they have some misconceptions about it.” If true, aquaculture should aim to win the hearts of the public because it seems to be where most people do their thinking.  

As someone who is passionate about efficient, transparent use of resources to better protect the environment, I find it highly frustrating that cultural familiarity often outweighs environmental evidence. As well as industrial farming resulting in a monoculture of grasses, UK farmland birds have declined by 62 percent since 1970 (JNCC, 2025), UK pollinator distribution indicators were 23 percent lower in 2024 than in 1980 (JNCC, 2026). In 2024, diffuse pollution from agriculture impacted 40 percent of water bodies in England. Farming activities caused 74 serious pollution incidents, including 67 serious incidents to water.  

Furthermore, of the targeted inspections at non-permitted farms, inspectors found non-compliance with environmental regulations in 51 percent of cases (EA, 2025). Comparable environmental performance in aquaculture would likely attract significant regulatory attention because impacts are generally easier to attribute to individual sites. As agricultural pollution is dispersed across catchments, soils and atmospheres, it makes it hard to scrutinise a specific farm. Terrestrial farmers are better protected because they commonly own the land they farm and therefore have associated rights. Agriculture carries the legacy of historical production priorities, whereas aquaculture has developed in an age of environmentalism. Historical practices and traditions are hard to correct whereas, because of present scrutiny, environmental protection has become traditional in aquaculture. This is a message that should be conveyed to the public, alongside the vast economic opportunities that aquaculture presents.   

Equal scrutiny should exist for terrestrial farming systems and comparisons should be made using equal metrics including land use, feed conversion ratio, GHG emissions, welfare and mortality, economic value etc. Trust will be won by showing the evidence of benefits within aquaculture, explaining its system and asking to be judged by the same standards as land-based farming. The introduction of a public portal, with appropriate support available, that makes it mandatory for farmers to prove they are protecting the environment, would be a positive step forward. If the UK accepts farmed fields as part of the national landscape with its attached environmental baggage, hopefully, the public will learn to accept well-regulated aquaculture.  

Aquaculture can contribute towards domestic supply significantly more than current public acceptance allows; a more balanced food production network may even positively contribute to terrestrial biodiversity gain by alleviating intensification. Low awareness and understanding are partly a product of negative coverage; I believe it responsible to point out this double standard and to advocate for fair representation for all food production systems. None are perfect, some are simply treated more generously than others. Progress aquaculture communication from green claims, be bold and build aquaculture teachings into everyday culture through youth societies, community shellfish projects, underwater live feeds, bio secure open days and seafood cooking in schools. 

Aquaculture is a necessary part of a secure and sustainable food future in the UK and globally. If the above practices were adopted, perhaps one day the public may view a seascape of salmon farms and mussel lines in the same light as this green and pleasant land. 

For references, contact editorial@perendale.co.uk   

This article won the inaugural IAF Student Excellence Award, recognising exceptional originality, critical thinking and scientific communication in advancing sustainable aquaculture. The award is presented by International Aquafeed in collaboration with the University of Plymouth

Author Profile

Can you tell us a little about your journey into aquaculture and what inspired you to pursue this field?

My journey into aquaculture was driven by a desire to be part of something meaningful and, if possible, contribute to positive change. After working with Dartmoor National Park and Devon Wildlife Trust, I became increasingly interested in how we can protect landscapes while producing food responsibly. I recognised aquaculture as a growing sector that could strengthen UK food security while shifting some food production into marine environments, potentially freeing up terrestrial space for nature restoration and public access.

I wanted to better understand production systems, particularly how they can become more efficient, generate less waste and operate alongside environmental protection. Aquaculture combines my passion for the sea, food production and practical problem-solving. I also saw it as a sector full of opportunity, and that has already proved to be the case.

You are about to begin a placement year with two organisations in Scotland. What are you most looking forward to and what do you hope to gain from the experience?

I am thrilled to begin my career in aquaculture with two five-month placements, and I am very grateful to the University of Plymouth and Dr Katherine Herborn for making this opportunity possible. I will first be working with Landcatch at its salmon hatchery before joining Tritonia Scientific, a marine consultancy based near Oban. I feel fortunate to experience two very different parts of the aquaculture sector, and I hope they will provide a strong foundation for my career.

At Landcatch, I am looking forward to gaining practical experience in salmon husbandry while learning how a successful aquaculture business operates. Whether it involves egg incubation, nursery management or broodstock genetics, I expect the work to be both varied and rewarding. At Tritonia Scientific, I am excited to learn more about marine consultancy and underwater 3D photogrammetry. Understanding how these technologies are used to monitor and protect the marine environment closely aligns with my aspirations for the future, including supporting the achievement of BBNJ targets.

As someone entering the aquaculture industry, what motivates you to advocate for better public understanding of sustainable food production?

Before this year, I did not fully appreciate the influence consumers have on food production. I had assumed that retailers and producers largely determined what would succeed. I now realise that public awareness drives meaningful change, and that understanding food production systems is the first step towards making informed choices. Education has played a key role in improving sustainability and animal welfare standards, which is why I encourage people to learn more about aquaculture and support responsible production systems.

What motivates me most is the sense that many people have become disconnected from their food. It is easy to take what we have for granted. I find it inspiring to meet people who are passionate about where their food comes from and committed to producing it responsibly, benefiting not only the environment but also the food on our tables.

While researching and writing this article, was there a finding or insight that surprised you the most?

Although I was already aware of it, I was surprised by just how stark the contrast is between public perceptions of agriculture and aquaculture. I expected UK aquaculture to receive negative media coverage, as it often makes for easy headlines. However, I was surprised to learn that the UK was the only country in Budhathoki et al.’s (2024) study where negative articles outnumbered positive ones. It raises interesting questions about our attitudes as a nation.

What I found particularly striking was the 2012 University of Cambridge survey. The results were both baffling and revealing, highlighting how disconnected many people have become from food production. Aquaculture is often portrayed as intrusive industrial development, while agriculture is viewed simply as part of the countryside. That made me realise the issue is driven less by evidence than by cultural perception.

Your article highlights the importance of changing public perceptions. If you could introduce one initiative to help bridge the gap between consumers and aquaculture, what would it be and why?

I would introduce community aquaculture zones within National Marine Parks. This would reflect the ethos of terrestrial National Parks as living, working landscapes, bringing together aquaculture, environmental stewardship, education and recreation. As part of a university assignment, I explored the idea of installing retractable mussel and seaweed lines on breakwaters and harbour walls, removing the need to enter the water during harvesting. The real value, however, lies in accessibility. Aquaculture becomes something people can see, experience and understand rather than something they encounter only through labels or controversy.

Small-scale, well-managed community aquaculture could exist alongside activities such as swimming, diving and kayaking, allowing local communities to watch their food being produced. If people could help monitor mussel lines, record biodiversity benefits and take part in local harvests, they would be far more likely to see aquaculture as something that belongs within their community. Building that emotional connection is one of the sector’s greatest opportunities.

Reducing livestock methane emissions is increasingly recognized as one of the fastest ways to slow global warming, but scientific breakthroughs alone will not determine success. Long-term impact depends on solutions that align environmental benefits with farmer profitability, consumer trust and commercial scalability. This article explores why natural methane-reducing feed technologies, supported by value-driven market strategies, may prove more effective than technological shortcuts in transforming the future of sustainable livestock production.

Deep in the rural heart of the Australian continent, beef cattle stand clustered around their feed. To the untrained eye, it is a timeless scene of rural industry. But to global financial markets, multinational food conglomerates, and the gatekeepers of a warming planet, this feedlot is a laboratory for the ultimate climate-tech gamble.

Every day, these animals consume a tiny fraction — just 0.5 percent — of a delicate, crimson marine plant mixed into their feed: Asparagopsis, a native red seaweed.

The biological sorcery that follows is staggering. Inside the multi-chambered stomach of the cattle, the seaweed systematically short-circuits the biological pathways that produce enteric methane, cutting the animals’ warming footprint by an astonishing 75 to 90 percent. Because methane traps roughly 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeline, cooling the livestock sector is one of the fastest ways to alter the trajectory of climate change.
Behind the endless press releases, however, lies a fierce industrial battle. The race to scale this breakthrough isn’t just a science problem, nor is it a livestock challenge. It is an intricate consumer execution challenge. To understand why the current climate-tech boom is misfiring, one must look past the laboratory and look directly at the grocery shelf, where supply-chain incentives and consumer emotions collide.

THE VALUE-CHAIN GRIDLOCK AND THE EMOTIONAL COMMODITY
Introducing a climate solution into global food infrastructure triggers an immediate collision course between competing motivations across the value chain.
• Governments are bound by global pacts, under intense political pressure to slash baseline national emission inventories.
• Large corporates are chasing verified “Scope 3” reductions to hit corporate net-zero mandates without destroying operational margins.
• Retailers hunt for fresh, exciting products that earn brand loyalty.
• Multi-generational farmers are locked in a daily battle for economic survival.
• Consumers stand at the end of the line, surviving an economically-volatile world, demanding uncompromising value and high-quality nutrition for their families.

If an AgTech venture treats methane reduction as an isolated carbon play and expects an already-exhausted consumer to pay a steep “green premium” at the register just to reduce an invisible gas, it is dead on arrival.

Food is deeply emotional — an intimate commodity governed by culture, identity and an innate desire for purity. Yet, the grocery market has long possessed a powerful precedent for value-led spending. For decades, consumers have willingly paid eye-watering premiums for labels like “organic” or “grass-fed.” They did not do this out of environmental altruism; they did it because they believed it was better for their families and supported independent farmers.

Today, that same consumer psychology is driving a fascinating shift. Transparent, value-led claims that place the multi-generational farmer at the center of the story are now, for the first time, actively outselling organic beef at the supermarket shelf. While the “organic” label has grown vague, fragmented, and confusing, an authentic, farmer-focused narrative offers immediate clarity — and it represents a psychological barrier that a synthetic chemical shortcut simply cannot cross.

Shoppers aren’t waking up thinking about enteric methane or corporate Scope 3 auditing; they are thinking about supporting the food systems and the people that sustain us. The staggering methane reduction must become a silent, embedded byproduct of that choice.

By selecting a product that protects the farmer’s margins and modern license to operate, the consumer effortlessly breaks the ecosystem’s gridlock. It gives the consumer premium value, gives the retailer a fresh differentiator, delivers the Scope 3 reductions the processor demands, and drops baseline inventory cuts straight into the laps of national governments.

For this approach to work, the retail premium must remain strictly in the single digits, and it must completely fund the entire upstream supply chain within that single value-led claim. If a solution requires a double-digit price hike to subsidize an inefficient production model, the consumer engine stalls, the gridlock returns, and the venture fails.

THE SYNTHETIC SHORTCUT AND THE SHIELD OF TRUST
Because winning consumer claims rely entirely on the integrity of the food, the back-end technology must be completely beyond reproach. This is where the complex, whole-plant approach holds an absolute monopoly over synthetic chemical paths or unproven vaccines.

As the realities of scaling seaweed set in, a major faction of the industry retreated into the laboratory. This birthed classic Silicon Valley reductionism: isolate the seaweed’s key active methane-busting molecule — bromoform — and manufacture it synthetically to bypass aquaculture costs.

But nature levied a swift tax on this shortcut. Whole Asparagopsis possesses an evolutionary, complex natural matrix that allows very small amounts to achieve disproportionate methane reductions. When companies attempted to replicate this with synthetic bromoform, published data shows the efficacy per unit is reduced requiring higher doses of the synthetic material to achieve the same results. Further, the synthetic materials create regulatory hurdles requiring veterinary medicine approvals.

Brands might be tempted to use clever semantics like “replicating nature” to dress up a lab-created molecule. But in today’s hyper-connected social media landscape, the consumer will eventually figure it out. When the curtain is pulled back and an artificial intervention is exposed hiding behind a wholesome marketing facade, consumer trust shatters instantly. A synthetic alternative remains an artificial shortcut structurally locked out of the consumer’s emotional circle of trust.

Cajoling or attempting to entice a farmer to risk feeding their herd a synthetic chemical introduces an immediate, systemic risk to public trust. It forces the farmer onto the defensive, explaining an artificial intervention in a pure product like milk or beef. The moment a consumer smells a “chemical shortcut,” the value-led premium evaporates, the retailer loses shelf space, and the processor’s Scope 3 strategy falls apart.

Conversely, a natural aquatic-plant supplement preserves the emotional contract between the producer and the buyer. It acts as a shield, securing the farmer’s modern social license to operate in a carbon-constrained world without forcing them to change who they are.

THE SCALE CHASM: FROM OPEN OCEAN TO TERRESTRIAL INDUSTRIALIZATION
To protect that shield of trust, the industry had to solve the physical problem of scaling a wild marine plant without losing its natural potency.

Early pioneers took to the open ocean, attempting to cultivate Asparagopsis in its native environment. But the ocean remains an uncontrollable medium dictated by unpredictable upwellings, light shifts, and temperature swings. Worse, the moment it is harvested, the plant’s natural defense mechanisms kick in, releasing its key bioactives and making the seaweed highly variable from day to day.

Furthermore, achieving the tens of thousands of hectares required to impact the global market presents a massive engineering chasm. It demands inventing entirely new maritime equipment capable of harvesting at scale while simultaneously stabilizing a volatile bioactive matrix on a boat for hours. Without this, scaling up simply means creating mountains of low-potency biomass.

To secure stability and production control, operations had to come onto land. Yet early land-based startups fell into a secondary trap: relying on traditional aquaculture tanks designed for finfish or shellfish. These vessels proved entirely unsuitable for a specific seaweed that requires a massive footprint to achieve true volume, sending projected costs skyrocketing.

The breakthrough came from systems thinkers who stopped trying to build traditional aquaculture and instead leveraged scaled terrestrial plant-growing knowledge alongside engineering dynamics borrowed from heavy commercial industries like brewing. By radically simplifying infrastructure, it has become possible to build highly efficient, land-based operations on marginal coastal land.

Once grown, the next bottleneck is stabilization. In nature, Asparagopsis keeps its volatile bioactives tightly bound inside specialized, microscopic gland cells. Many startups fell into processing traps that work on a university bench but collapse under the laws of physics—such as the freeze-drying trap, which consumes so much electricity that an AgTech company could unwittingly become one of the largest energy consumers in its host country, or passive oil extraction, which risks batch-to-batch variability and oil rancidity.

Land-based market gardeners bypassed these failures by engineering high-efficiency, low-energy dewatering and stabilization techniques. By controlling light, nutrients, and water flow on land, they achieve a standardized, high concentration of bioactives that wild ocean harvesting can never replicate, ensuring the final product stays well below the taste thresholds of cattle while delivering maximum climate performance.

THE COLD MATH OF THE NEW SKEPTICAL LENDER
This hyper-focus on industrial engineering and airtight unit economics is not just an operational preference; it is a baseline survival mechanism because the macroeconomic landscape has fundamentally transformed.

The pre-2021 era of “patient capital” — where a charismatic founder with a sleek slide deck could secure tens of millions of dollars — is officially over. High-profile, catastrophic bankruptcies in adjacent sectors like vertical farming, insect protein, and plant-based meats have left the investment community deeply cautious. Global AgTech funding has plummeted by 75 to 80 percent.

While early-stage companies can still find venture capital for initial proof, building commercial-scale market gardens on land requires massive capital expenditure. To survive, seaweed companies must now pitch traditional commercial lenders — the institutions that finance airports, toll roads and shopping malls.

Commercial lenders don’t care about a romantic climate narrative; they view a seaweed facility through a cold, mathematical lens. To secure non-dilutive project finance, startups must demonstrate ironclad metrics: minimum gross margins, a capital payback period of four years or less, and airtight, legally binding “take-or-pay” purchase agreements. The future of the industry is being written by those who can bridge the gap between rigorous industrial engineering and practical consumer economics.

Moreover, the macroeconomic footprint of where this capital flows exposes a stark divergence. While the synthetic path funnels capital into centralized chemical manufacturing plants, the land-based market garden approach drives a massive, positive economic footprint directly into coastal and regional communities that desperately need economic revitalization.

A NEW AGRICULTURAL PARADIGM
The final frontier of methane mitigation does not belong to loud, green corporate marketing or punitive government mandates. It belongs to farmer-centric, value-led solutions that protect agricultural livelihoods naturally while respecting the hard laws of biology.

When an animal digests its food, between 8 and 12 percent of its total caloric intake is lost to the atmosphere, burped out as wasted enteric methane gas. This represents a massive, systemic energetic tax on the farmer’s feed bill.

By using a highly standardized, land-grown Asparagopsis supplement, this metabolic leakage is blocked. The carbon stays inside the animal and is reused, allowing the herd to achieve the same weight gain while consuming less feed per day. This fundamental boost in feed conversion efficiency shifts the intervention from a purely environmental cost into a direct operational saving for the producer.

When the economics are engineered this precisely—leveraging low-cost, land-based cultivation to keep the product pure and standardized—the entire ecosystem balances. The consumer doesn’t feel the burden of a changing climate; they simply do what they have always done: buy trusted food from sustainable farms, willingly paying a modest single-digit premium at the register that supports farming. That retail premium completely funds the upstream supply chain, while the backend manufacturing drives a positive economic footprint directly into coastal and regional communities that desperately need economic revitalization.

Nature solved the formulation problem first. By treating this miracle aquatic plant as a terrestrial crop rather than a wild marine resource, future industrial market gardeners are proving that you don’t have to break the laws of nature—or economics—to sustain the planet.

About Dr. Steve Meller
A visionary innovator, strategist, and corporate executive with a PhD, Dr. Steve Meller serves as CEO and Co-Founder of CH4 Global. Throughout his career, he has successfully transformed cutting-edge science into multi-billion-dollar global platforms, including as an innovation leader at Procter & Gamble. He currently drives scalable, market-viable infrastructure solutions to eliminate enteric methane from global livestock.

The great methane gamble: Why the race to cool the planet will be won at the grocery shelf yazısı ilk önce Feed & Additive Magazine üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

Russian, Ukraine conflict wreaking havoc on grain trade

Poultry diets may be formulated to identical nutrient specifications, yet their biological performance can differ markedly due to one often-overlooked factor: feed structure. This first part explores how particle size distribution influences digestive physiology, gizzard development, gut health and feeding behaviour, demonstrating why particle size should be regarded not merely as a milling parameter, but as a critical nutritional characteristic that bridges feed manufacturing and animal performance.

Poultry feed formulation has reached a high level of precision, yet differences in bird performance persist despite identical nutrient specifications. Increasing evidence suggests that these discrepancies are not explained solely by nutrient composition, but also by feed structure, particularly particle size distribution.

This paper examines how grinding, mixing, handling, and pelleting shape feed structure and, in turn, influence digestive physiology, gut health, nutrient utilization, and feeding behavior in poultry. Particular attention is given to particle size distribution—not only its average value, but its overall profile—and its role in feed homogeneity, segregation, and digestive function.

The effects of pelleting on particle size are discussed, together with the need for appropriate measurement methods in finished feeds. Finally, the paper advocates a more integrated approach in which particle size is defined, measured, and managed as a nutritional parameter. Emerging tools for real-time monitoring and process control are highlighted as key enablers of this transition.

Ultimately, particle size should be viewed not as a by-product of grinding, but as a functional feed attribute that must be aligned with nutritional objectives.

ONE FORMULA, TWO OUTCOMES
Two feed mills may produce the same broiler diet on paper, using identical ingredient compositions and meeting the same nutrient and energy specifications. Yet, under commercial conditions, bird performance can differ substantially. Broilers fed from one mill may achieve faster growth, convert feed more efficiently, and superior gastrointestinal development compared with those receiving feed from the other mill. The difference lies not in the formulation matrix itself, but in the extent of feed processing and the resulting physical structure of the finished feed.

Modern poultry nutrition is built on precision. Nutritionists formulate diets to meet biological requirements with increasing accuracy, while feed technologists design processes to ensure throughput, efficiency, and pellet quality. Both disciplines ultimately pursue the same objective: delivering nutrients to the animal in the most effective way. Yet between formulation and feeding, a critical transformation occurs. During grinding, mixing, conditioning, and pelleting, feed is not only processed—it is structurally redefined.

This transformation governs how nutrients are accessed, digested, and utilized by the bird. It shapes how feed is perceived, selected, retained, and broken down in the gastrointestinal tract. Feed structure, and particularly particle size distribution, thus emerges as the missing link between what is formulated and what is biologically expressed.

Despite its importance, this link remains insufficiently integrated into both nutritional formulation and feed manufacturing practices. Particle size is still too often treated as a secondary parameter, reduced to equipment settings or a single analytical value. This paper explores how particle size reduction and feed processing shape both technological outcomes and biological responses and argues for a more integrated approach in which particle size is considered a functional parameter of nutrition.

DEFINING FEED PARTICLE SIZE
Feed particle size (PS) is often reduced, in practice, to a single number: the median diameter, commonly expressed as D50. While useful, this simplification hides a much richer reality. Particle size is not a single point, but a distribution. Two feeds with the same D50 may behave very differently in the animal if one contains a high proportion of fine particles and the other a wider spread including coarse fractions.

Understanding particle size therefore requires moving beyond a single value and considering the full particle size distribution, including its shape, its extremes, and its consistency over time. Characterizing this distribution requires a standardized series of sieves. A set including 100, 200, 500, 800, 1000, 1600, 2000, and 3150 µm provides a practical framework for describing feed granulometry. Beyond D50, the geometric standard deviation (GSD), which reflects dispersion, together with the proportion of each particle fraction, are essential descriptors of feed structure.

From a processing perspective, the properties of the raw materials set the starting particle size. Milling then reduces these particles to smaller sizes, so the final particle size is determined by the milling operation. Depending on plant design, ingredients may be ground together after dosing (post-grinding) or individually before mixing (pre-grinding), the latter offering greater flexibility to tailor particle size distributions to nutritional objectives.

Particle size is shaped primarily by the choice of grinding technology and operating conditions. Hammer mills generally produce broader distributions with a higher proportion of fines, whereas roller mills generate more uniform particles with fewer fines. Beyond equipment selection, screen size, tip speed, throughput, specific energy input, and equipment wear all influence the final distribution. Raw material properties such as hardness, moisture content, fiber structure, and fat level further contribute to grinding behavior and particle size variability.

Targeting a lower D50 generally requires higher specific energy input and is frequently accompanied by a greater proportion of fines and increased dispersion within the particle size distribution. Consequently, particle size should not be viewed solely through its average value, but through the overall balance between mean size, distribution width, and process efficiency.

Particle size is therefore a measurable, traceable, and repeatable technological outcome. When properly defined and monitored, it becomes a genuine feed quality attribute, comparable to pellet durability or moisture content. More than a by-product of grinding, it is a parameter that can be deliberately targeted, controlled, and optimized.

THE ANIMAL’S PERSPECTIVE
During feed manufacturing, most ingredients, particularly cereal grains, are ground prior to incorporation into the final diet. Grinding reduces particle size and alters the physical characteristics of ingredients, improving blending ability and homogeneity, reducing segregation during handling, and facilitating the pelleting process. Particle size reduction is also believed to enhance the accessibility of digestive enzymes to substrates due to the increased surface area of feed particles. However, excessively fine particles may adversely affect the development and functionality of the foregut, particularly the proventriculus and gizzard, which play a critical role in regulating intestinal health and nutrient utilisation. Feeding coarser particles has been associated with improved foregut development, enhanced gut motility, and better digestive function, contributing to overall gut health. Nevertheless, results from studies evaluating the effects of feed particle size on upper gastrointestinal tract development remain inconsistent. These discrepancies are largely attributed to confounding factors, particularly feed form (mash vs. pellets), which can mask or modify the biological effects of particle size.

The influence of feed particle size on gizzard development is well documented. The gizzard possesses a remarkable capacity to mechanically reduce feed particles to a relatively uniform size, regardless of initial particle dimensions. Early work by O’Dell et al. (1959) demonstrated that birds fed purified diets composed predominantly of fine particles exhibited an enlarged proventriculus and a reduced gizzard size compared with birds fed diets containing coarser particles. Diets consisting of fine particles were also shown to pass more rapidly through the gastrointestinal tract (135 vs. 165 minutes). Additionally, birds consuming finely ground diets exhibited increased water intake, likely to facilitate feed ingestion, resulting in a pendulous crop. These observations highlight the physiological consequences of excessive particle size reduction on foregut function.

Hetland et al. (2002) demonstrated in broilers that, irrespective of the original feed structure, the majority of digesta particles measured less than 0.04 mm in diameter upon leaving the gizzard. These findings highlight the gizzard’s critical role in regulating particle size before digesta enters the small intestine. Gizzard weight in broilers is positively correlated with feed particle size when diets are offered in mash form. Broilers fed mash diets containing coarsely ground particles exhibit prolonged digesta retention time in the gizzard, leading to enhanced gizzard development. Increased grinding activity within the gizzard stimulates hypertrophy of the gizzard musculature, which is characterized by well-developed myelinated muscle fibres (Figure 1).

Enhanced gizzard function has been associated with increased pancreatic enzyme secretion, mediated in part by elevated cholecystokinin release (Svihus, 2014), as well as improved gastrointestinal tract motility. A well-developed gizzard generates stronger reverse peristaltic contractions, thereby enhancing the mechanical breakdown of feed and promoting increased proteolysis by pepsin, trypsin, and other endogenous proteases in the small intestine. Gabriel et al. (2003) reported that the inclusion of larger feed particles enhanced pepsin activity in the proventriculus, reinforcing the role of feed particle size in modulating digestive enzyme activity and protein digestion efficiency. Collectively, these physiological adaptations contribute to more efficient digestion and improved nutrient utilisation (Figure 2).

A well-developed gizzard also plays a critical role in regulating gastrointestinal microbial ecology by acting as a physiological barrier against pathogenic bacteria entering the distal gastrointestinal tract. Enhanced gizzard function is associated with increased hydrochloric acid secretion and lower pH in the digestive tract, creating an antimicrobial environment that suppresses acid-sensitive pathogens. Studies have shown that birds fed coarse mash diets exhibit increased populations of beneficial Lactobacillus spp. in the caeca, whereas finely ground and pelleted diets are associated with reduced lactic acid bacteria counts. Increased inclusion of coarse particles has also been linked to higher Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium populations and reduced counts of pathogenic or opportunistic bacteria such as Clostridium, Campylobacter, and Bacteroides spp. In contrast, finely ground feed particles pass more rapidly through the gizzard, limiting exposure to acidic conditions and proteolytic enzymes. The resulting influx of undigested material into the small intestine may promote dysbiosis and facilitate the proliferation of pathogens such as Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli. Collectively, these findings suggest that feed particle size influences gut microbiota through two primary mechanisms: enhanced antimicrobial action mediated by a functional gizzard and the promotion of competitive exclusion via increased colonisation of commensal bacteria.

Poultry are highly sensitive to feed particle size and can distinguish textural differences through mechanoreceptors in the beak from an early age. Birds consistently show a preference for larger particles, and this preference intensifies as they mature. Feed particle size, together with dietary nutrient density, is a primary determinant of voluntary feed intake (FI), with numerous studies demonstrating that changes in particle size alone, without altering diet composition, can significantly influence FI in poultry. Feed selection behaviour further indicates that birds preferentially consume coarse particles, leaving behind fines, underscoring feed particle size as a key driver of feeding behaviour and intake regulation in poultry.

Studies evaluating the effects of feed particle size on FI in broilers fed mash diets have produced inconsistent results, largely due to the influence of multiple confounding factors, including grain type and cultivar, endosperm hardness, particle size characteristics (mean size, uniformity, and distribution), grinding method, and bird age. Amerah et al. (2007) reported that broilers fed coarsely ground wheat mash diets (7-mm screen) consumed approximately 13% more feed than those fed medium-ground diets (3-mm screen), resulting in significant improvements in weight gain and feed efficiency. Yasar (2003) demonstrated that the negative effects of soluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in wheat-based diets were exacerbated by fine grinding. Reducing screen size from 7.0 to 6.0, 5.0, and 4.0 mm progressively increased ileal digesta viscosity (from 7.3 to 18.3 cP), which was associated with reduced FI. This effect was attributed to increased solubilisation of NSP following fine grinding, leading to slower digesta passage rate and consequent suppression of feed intake. Nir et al. (1994) demonstrated that, irrespective of cereal type (maize, wheat, or sorghum), mash diets with a medium particle size, corresponding to a GMD of 966–1266 μm, resulted in the highest FI and optimal growth performance.

However, when diets are pelleted or crumbled, differences in pre-pelleting particle size often result in similar broiler performance outcomes. This convergence in performance is largely attributed to the pelleting process, which tends to homogenize particle size distribution, effectively minimizing structural differences created by grinding intensity (Abdollahi et al., 2011). Particle size reduction during pelleting is thought to occur because larger particles are preferentially fractured under the compressive forces generated by the narrow gap between pellet rollers and the die, as well as the frictional forces within the die channels.

It is noteworthy that the optimal feed microstructure may vary with bird age. During the starter phase, broilers are assumed to have an incompletely developed gizzard, which may limit their tolerance for large feed particles compared with later grow-out phases. Several studies have reported negative effects of high inclusion levels of coarsely ground maize particles in mash diets fed to young birds, an effect commonly attributed to the limited grinding capacity of an immature gizzard. In contrast, when diets are provided in pelleted form, even during the starter phase, broilers exhibit a high tolerance for coarse particles. These findings indicate that pelleting process largely mitigates the negative effects of coarse particles observed in mash diets and allows the inclusion of coarser grains even in young broilers. Therefore, and based on the available literature, responses observed in broilers fed mash diets differing in particle size cannot be directly extrapolated to pelleted or crumbled diets, as particle size differences are largely reduced during the pelleting process. In broilers fed pelleted or crumbled diets, the inclusion of coarsely ground grain does not appear to depress FI and may, in fact, improve feed utilisation. From a feed manufacturing perspective, coarse grinding offers additional advantages, including substantial energy savings with wider grinder screen openings and increased mill throughput.

References are available upon request.

About Dr. Reza Abdollahi
Dr. Reza Abdollahi is currently affiliated with the Monogastric Research Centre, at Massey University as an Adjunct Professor of Poultry Nutrition. He is also the founder of “A2Z Poultry Feed DynamikZ”, an international independent research and consultancy firm. Dr Abdollahi is a globally recognized poultry nutrition expert with over 28 years of experience across academia, research, and industry, with an extensive track record in feed formulation, nutrient utilisation, and commercial poultry performance optimisation.

About Marc Perel
An engineer specializing in feed manufacturing technologies, Marc Perel is the founder of FeedSphere Solutions©, an independent consulting firm serving the global animal nutrition industry. With more than 30 years of international experience and projects spanning over 400 production sites in 45 countries, he provides expert guidance on feed manufacturing, process optimization, and industrial performance, helping companies implement practical, unbiased solutions tailored to their operational needs.

The importance of feed particle size: From milling efficiency to gizzard function – Part I yazısı ilk önce Feed & Additive Magazine üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

Feed is no longer just a basic input for aquaculture; it is a strategic production tool in terms of feed conversion ratio, animal health, water quality, production efficiency, and sustainability. Reaching 55.47 million metric tons in 2025, global aquaculture feed production grew by 4.7% compared to the previous year, showing a strong recovery following several years of a sideways trend. While the recovery in shrimp and salmon production, the transformation of inland aquaculture into an economic and commercial sector, and rapid expansion in Latin America have driven global growth, fishmeal and fish oil supply, feed costs, disease pressure, water resources, and geopolitical uncertainties continue to remain the primary risks for the sector.

By Derya Gulsoy Yildiz
Global aquaculture is shifting toward more intensive, controlled, and efficiency-driven production models as demand for seafood rises and wild capture falls short under increasing pressures. In this transformation, feed is moving beyond being merely an input that drives growth; it is becoming a critical production parameter that directly affects numerous performance indicators such as feed conversion ratio, immunity, gut health, stress management, and the control of nutrient release into the water.

At the same time, growth in the aquaculture feed sector stems not only from the increase in farmed fish and shrimp volumes, but also from the commercialization and modernization of production systems and the widespread adoption of more efficient feeding practices. The increasing penetration of commercial feed in markets like India and Egypt, modernization across Asia, the expansion of shrimp, salmon, and tilapia production in Latin America, and the proliferation of more precise feeding systems are accelerating the structural transformation of the sector. In fact, Alltech’s Agri-Food Outlook 2026 report also highlights the role of modernization and efficiency gains in production systems, alongside demand growth, in the increase of global feed production in 2025.

GLOBAL COMPOUND FEED PRODUCTION AND THE SHARE OF AQUACULTURE FEED
According to Alltech’s Agri-Food Outlook 2026 report, total global compound feed production reached approximately 1.440 billion metric tons in 2025. This figure represents a 2.9% growth compared to the previous year. Data compiled by Alltech from 142 countries and 38,837 feed mills indicates that the global feed sector has maintained its growth despite diseases, climate pressures, input costs, and supply chain challenges.

Aquaculture feed grew by 4.7% in 2025, reaching 55.47 million metric tons. Production increased by 2.47 million metric tons in a single year, rising from 53.00 million metric tons in 2024. Consequently, aquaculture feed accounted for approximately 3.9% of total global compound feed production.

The growth in aquaculture feed production follows a relatively sideways period lasting several years. According to Alltech, the primary drivers of this recovery are improvements in the shrimp and salmon markets, alongside the transition of inland aquaculture systems toward more commercial and intensive production models. However, the report notes that the pace of growth may slow down somewhat in 2026 as supply-demand balances normalize.

REGIONAL AQUACULTURE FEED PRODUCTION
Asia
Asia remains by far the largest hub for global aquaculture feed production. Regional production grew by 2.4% in 2025 to reach 38.017 million metric tons, accounting for approximately 68.5% of total world aquaculture feed production. The region’s dominant global position stems from both its massive production volume and its structural weight in global seafood consumption.

India stands out as one of the key growth engines in Asia. Aquaculture feed production in the country increased by approximately 5.5% to 2.89 million metric tons. Alltech attributes this growth to the widespread adoption of commercial production and the development of inland aquaculture.

While Asia’s primary advantages in the upcoming period will be its large production base and strong domestic demand, the main pressures facing the sector include feed costs, diseases, water resources, and the environmental impacts of intensive production. The further proliferation of commercial feed use in major production centers such as China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia will continue to be one of the core drivers of regional growth.

Europe
European aquaculture feed production increased by 6.7% in 2025, reaching 5.081 million metric tons. Although growth in the region is not as massive in volume as in Asia, it holds strategic importance due to high-value species and advanced farming systems.

Norway achieved the largest absolute production gain in the region, with an increase of 168,000 metric tons. Strong salmon production was a decisive factor in this development. Northern Europe and selected Eastern European markets are also increasing their strategic significance within the European aquaculture feed sector.

Growth in Europe is not shaped solely by tonnage. Sustainable raw material sourcing, traceability, emissions reduction, water management, and higher nutrient utilization efficiency are becoming the primary determinants of feed formulations. Alltech regards 2026 as a turning point where sustainability transitions from a voluntary practice to a legal mandate in many markets.

Latin America
Latin America was one of the fastest-growing hubs in the global aquaculture feed sector in 2025. The region’s aquaculture feed production surged by 11.4% to reach 7.641 million metric tons, representing an additional production gain of 780,000 metric tons.

Ecuador emerged as the primary driver of regional recovery. Shrimp production in the country increased by approximately 15%, reinforcing feed demand. An increase of roughly 8% in salmon production in Chile also contributed to aquaculture feed demand. Meanwhile, Brazil supported growth through the expansion of tilapia production and the widespread adoption of commercial farming in the domestic market.

The region’s strong export capacity creates a significant growth advantage, particularly for high-value species such as shrimp and salmon. However, fishmeal prices and availability continue to be among the variables that must be monitored most closely for the Latin American aquaculture feed sector in 2026.

Africa
Africa was the fastest-growing aquaculture feed region in the world on a percentage basis in 2025. Production surged by 27.5% to reach 2.162 million metric tons, recording an increase of 466,000 metric tons in a single year.

Egypt remains the continent’s primary aquaculture market, with aquaculture feed production in the country increasing by approximately 36%. Despite competitive pressures on water resources, the intensification of production and the widespread adoption of commercial feed are supporting structural growth in Egypt.

The low existing baseline in Africa creates a significant growth space for increasing commercial feed penetration. However, currency volatility, access to financing, raw material costs, infrastructure deficiencies, and pressures on water resources remain the primary risks to regional expansion.

Middle East
Middle Eastern aquaculture feed production increased by 2.2% in 2025 to reach 1.039 million metric tons. Regional growth remained more limited compared to Africa and Latin America, but Iran stood out as a notable market.

Alltech notes that strong seafood export performance in Iran exceeded 600 million US dollars, supporting feed demand. Overall, growth in the region exhibits a character of gradual expansion rather than a rapid surge.

North America
North American aquaculture feed production declined by 2.1% in 2025, falling to 1.281 million metric tons. Although the region’s share of global aquaculture feed is limited, the market holds strategic importance due to high-value-added production, advanced feeding technologies, and precision feeding applications.

Developments in the region demonstrate that competitiveness in the aquaculture feed sector is determined not only by tonnage growth, but also by feed efficiency, health, performance, and resource utilization. Functional additives, precision feeding, and digital feeding technologies stand out as key areas of development in this market.

Oceania
Oceanian aquaculture feed production increased by 6.4% in 2025, reaching 0.250 million metric tons. While the region holds a small share of global production, it is significant particularly in terms of high-value species and advanced farming systems.

COMMERCIAL VALUE AND GROWTH EXPECTATIONS OF THE AQUACULTURE FEED MARKET
The commercial value of the global aquaculture feed market varies significantly depending on differences in market definitions, scopes, product categories, and methodologies employed by research organizations. Current studies indicate market sizes ranging from approximately 51.3 billion US dollars to 81.9 billion US dollars for 2025.

Fortune Business Insights estimates that the global aquaculture feed market was valued at 71.28 billion US dollars in 2025 and projects that the market will reach 131.07 billion US dollars by 2034 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.15%. The company states that the Asia-Pacific region dominated the market with a 73.88% share in 2025.

Grand View Research calculates the 2025 market value at 81.9 billion US dollars and expects it to reach 118.1 billion US dollars by 2033. According to the company, growth is primarily driven by the expansion of aquaculture production to meet increasing seafood demand, particularly in Asia-Pacific and Latin America.

Straits Research provides a market size estimate of 72.03 billion US dollars for 2025 and 129.23 billion US dollars for 2034. The company projects a CAGR of 6.71% for the 2026–2034 period while positioning Asia-Pacific as the largest market region.

Transparency Market Research evaluates the 2025 global aquaculture feed market at 73.5 billion US dollars and expects it to reach 136.8 billion US dollars by 2036. According to the organization, the CAGR during the 2026–2036 period will be 5.7%. The proliferation of intensive aquaculture practices, rising seafood consumption, and demand for high-value species such as shrimp are among the primary drivers of growth.

Mordor Intelligence estimates the 2025 aquaculture feed market at 51.3 billion US dollars using a lower baseline value and expects it to reach 69.4 billion US dollars by 2031. Accordingly, the CAGR for the 2026–2031 period is 5.22%. Mordor identifies Asia-Pacific as both the largest and fastest-growing region.

Future Market Insights places the 2025 market value at 56.6 billion US dollars with a 2035 forecast of 109.2 billion US dollars, projecting a CAGR of 6.8%. The organization attributes growth to intensifying aquaculture operations, rising seafood demand, and the adoption of functional and plant-based feed formulations.

Despite notable differences among the figures provided by research organizations, the collective picture is clear: the global aquaculture feed market will continue to grow in the medium term.

MARKET TRENDS SUPPORTING GROWTH
The growth of the global aquaculture feed sector is supported by mutually reinforcing structural transformations.

The proliferation of commercial and intensive aquaculture systems: The shift of aquaculture toward more intensive and professional production models is driving demand for commercial feed. Specifically, the increasing penetration of commercial feed in Asia, the commercialization of inland aquaculture in India, and the widespread adoption of intensive production systems in Africa are key factors supporting the expansion of the aquaculture feed sector.

The rise in seafood demand: Growing consumer demand for seafood on a global scale supports aquaculture production and, consequently, increases feed requirements.

Expansion in shrimp, salmon, and tilapia production: High-value species played a significant role in the growth of the aquaculture feed sector in 2025. According to Alltech, the primary drivers of global recovery are improvements in the shrimp and salmon markets.

Functional and precision feeding: Competition in the aquaculture feed sector is no longer shaped solely by price and protein content. Objectives such as improving the feed conversion ratio, supporting gut health and immunity, reducing stress, and limiting nutrient losses are driving interest in functional feed and additive solutions. Market research also shows that the use of amino acids, vitamin-mineral solutions, enzymes, probiotics, and other functional additives is becoming widespread. According to Mordor Intelligence, while vitamins and minerals held a significant share of the aquaculture feed additives market in 2025, probiotics rank among the faster-growing categories.

The rise of alternative protein sources: Although fishmeal and fish oil remain among the most critical nutritional sources for the aquaculture feed sector, sustainability and cost pressures are transforming formulations. Alternatives such as soy protein, plant proteins, algae, insect protein, and single-cell protein are taking center stage in research aimed at reducing dependence on marine-derived proteins. Mordor Intelligence expects the innovative protein category to post a 6% growth rate during the 2026–2031 period.

Digitalization and automated feeding: The digitalization of feeding management is becoming one of the most critical technological developments in the aquaculture sector’s pursuit of efficiency. Sensors, data analytics, automated feeding, and AI-powered systems make it possible to adjust feed consumption in real-time according to production conditions.

Sustainability-driven transformation: Sustainability in the aquaculture feed sector is rapidly evolving from a marketing advantage into a legal and commercial necessity. Raw material traceability, emissions measurement, water usage, deforestation risk, and feed-derived environmental impacts increasingly influence producers’ purchasing and formulation decisions. The tracking and reporting of Scope 3 emissions are also becoming steadily integrated into the commercial strategies of feed and aquaculture value chains.

FACTORS AND CHALLENGES RESTRICTING GROWTH
Despite its strong growth potential, the global aquaculture feed market faces significant structural risks that make it difficult to increase production volume sustainably.

Fishmeal and fish oil supply and price volatility: Marine ingredients continue to play a critical role in the cost structure of the aquaculture feed sector. The price and availability of fishmeal and fish oil can directly impact feed costs, particularly for high-species values. Alltech notes that in 2026, the margins of the aquaculture sector will remain sensitive to the cost and availability of marine-derived ingredients such as fishmeal and fish oil. It also highlights fishmeal prices and supply as one of the most important monitoring topics of the year for Latin America.

Water resources and climate pressure: The expansion of aquaculture creates new pressures regarding water resource utilization, especially in water-scarce regions. Alltech points out that although aquaculture growth continues in Egypt, competition over water resources remains a major challenge. Meanwhile, temperature increases driven by climate change, fluctuations in oxygen levels, droughts, and extreme weather events can affect both farming performance and feed consumption. Therefore, in the future aquaculture feed market, production systems capable of adapting to environmental conditions will gain as much importance as feed formulation.

Disease pressure: Diseases represent one of the most critical biological risks capable of rapidly altering feed demand in aquaculture production. In shrimp and fish farming, disease outbreaks can lead to stock losses, adjustments to stocking density, and shortened or extended production cycles. For feed manufacturers, this scenario presents not only a biological risk but also a challenge in demand forecasting and capacity planning. Consequently, biosecurity, functional feeding, and the support of animal health are becoming increasingly vital components of the feed sector’s growth strategy.

Geopolitical uncertainties and supply chain risks: The global trade of feed raw materials can be directly impacted by geopolitical developments and logistical disruptions. According to Alltech’s 2025 research, more than 80% of participants reported being at least somewhat affected by geopolitical tensions. The Russia-Ukraine war, transportation bottlenecks in the Red Sea, and tariff risks exacerbate cost and supply issues for imported raw materials such as protein sources, oils, grains, and premixes. State intervention in feed and processing facilities in Venezuela in 2025, which led to a 7% drop in aquaculture feed tonnage, clearly demonstrates the impact of these risks on the market.

Environmental regulations and sustainability pressure: While sustainability targets present a long-term opportunity for the sector, they can create short-term cost and compliance pressures. Emissions reporting, raw material traceability, deforestation-free supply chains, and water resource management increase the operational burden on feed producers. According to Alltech, measuring, auditing, and reporting Scope 3 emissions will become increasingly important for many companies in 2026. This transformation is embedding data on emissions and resource utilization directly into commercial decision-making.

Production costs and low margins: Since feed is one of the most significant cost components in the aquaculture sector, fluctuations in feed prices directly impact farmers’ profitability. Price increases in high-value raw materials such as fishmeal and fish oil drive feed manufacturers toward alternative protein and energy sources while increasing the importance of formulation flexibility. Alltech projects that aquaculture growth in 2026 may slow down compared to 2025, and cost sensitivity could exert pressure on sector margins.

2026 AND BEYOND: FROM MORE FEED TO MORE EFFICIENT FEED
Growth in the global aquaculture feed sector in the upcoming period will not be measured solely by increases in production volume. For the sector that grew by 4.7% in 2025 to reach 55.47 million metric tons, the pace of growth is expected to slow down somewhat in 2026. However, this does not mean that the market’s structural growth potential has disappeared.

On the contrary, the sector is transitioning into a new phase aligned with targets for higher feed conversion ratios, lower environmental impact, stronger disease resistance, and more controlled production. Latin America maintaining its strong growth outlook, Asia retaining its position as the global hub, and commercial feed penetration accelerating in Africa indicate that global aquaculture feed demand will continue to expand geographically.

In this new era, competitive advantage will stem not just from producing more feed, but from establishing the right nutrient profile for the right species, reliably utilizing alternative raw materials, reducing feed waste, supporting animal health, and making environmental performance measurable.

For producers and feed mills, the fundamental question of the future will no longer be just “how much feed can be produced?”, but rather “how efficiently, profitably, and sustainably can feed be produced under variable conditions?”

References
1. Alltech – Agri-Food Outlook 2026, https://www.alltech.com/agri-food-outlook/results
2. Alltech Agri-Food Outlook 2026 Report (PDF), https://assets.ctfassets.net/yd4nuh0j3lyv/6PUPaUJ2d1mLRQDYiZgPXt/f533f66c13df1cce98c5acfb1d2bfd9c/Alltech_Agri-Food_Outlook_2026_-_English.pdf
3. Fortune Business Insights, https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/aquafeed-market-100698
4. Grand View Research, https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/aquafeed-and-aquaculture-additive-market
5. Straits Research, https://straitsresearch.com/report/aquafeed-market
6. Transparency Market Research, https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/aquafeed-market.html
7. Maximize Market Research, https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/market-report/global-aquafeed-market/31756/
8. Mordor Intelligence, https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/global-aquafeed-market-industry
9. Future Market Insights, https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/aquafeed-market

Global Aquaculture Feed Market: Growth Dynamics, Regional Trends, and Structural Transformation yazısı ilk önce Feed & Additive Magazine üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

WellFish Tech has entered into a commercial partnership with Salmon Group. Headquartered in Bergen, Salmon Group represents 40 owner companies and 62 food-producing companies along the Norwegian coast. Together, the network produces more than 220,000 tonnes of salmon and trout annually, equivalent to more than one billion meals each year. The agreement is the largest commercial contract in WellFish Tech’s history to date.

Under the partnership, WellFish Tech will work with Salmon Group and its owner companies to provide systematic blood biomarker analysis based on blood biochemistry across sites and companies within the network. This will generate fish health data, giving the group a consolidated overview of biological status across its production base. The data will support both operational and regulatory purposes, including member companies’ fish health reporting and their own biological decision-making.

A central element of the partnership is a group-level view developed specifically for Salmon Group, providing a consolidated overview of fish health data across all owner companies in the network. While individual companies currently have visibility into their own biological status, the group view will give Salmon Group a complete picture of conditions across its entire production base at once.

The value of this approach is particularly clear where member companies share fjord systems. Consolidated biological data provides a shared factual basis for coordination between neighbouring sites, structured experience-sharing between companies and coordinated contingency and response plans for biological challenges such as sea lice or disease. This gives Salmon Group a collective resource that no individual member company would have access to on its own.

WellFish Tech has entered into a commercial partnership with Salmon Group. Headquartered in Bergen, Salmon Group represents 40 owner companies and 62 food-producing companies along the Norwegian coast. Together, the network produces more than 220,000 tonnes of salmon and trout annually, equivalent to more than one billion meals each year. The agreement is the largest commercial contract in WellFish Tech’s history to date.

Under the partnership, WellFish Tech will work with Salmon Group and its owner companies to provide systematic blood biomarker analysis based on blood biochemistry across sites and companies within the network. This will generate fish health data, giving the group a consolidated overview of biological status across its production base. The data will support both operational and regulatory purposes, including member companies’ fish health reporting and their own biological decision-making.

A central element of the partnership is a group-level view developed specifically for Salmon Group, providing a consolidated overview of fish health data across all owner companies in the network. While individual companies currently have visibility into their own biological status, the group view will give Salmon Group a complete picture of conditions across its entire production base at once.

The value of this approach is particularly clear where member companies share fjord systems. Consolidated biological data provides a shared factual basis for coordination between neighbouring sites, structured experience-sharing between companies and coordinated contingency and response plans for biological challenges such as sea lice or disease. This gives Salmon Group a collective resource that no individual member company would have access to on its own.

Price indices for cereals, sugar and vegetable oils increase in July

Understanding the requirements for a specific mineral and its effects on the utilization of other dietary nutrients is a key factor determining the overall usefulness of the diet. The following is a discussion of mineral-mineral interactions, as well as their interactions with other nutrients such as vitamins, protein, fat, fiber, and drinking water. This aspect should be duly considered when using diets to meet the demands of various biological functions. The article also examines mineral interactions with environmental conditions, such as heat stress and high altitudes, and the feeding strategies to adopt to minimize these interactions and hence improve animal performance under such conditions.

MINERAL-MINERAL INTERACTION
Certain minerals have antagonistic interactions by forming chemical bonds that inhibit absorption from the intestinal tract. Such interactions are crucial to producers under practical feeding conditions and have thus stimulated a great deal of investigation. For example, elevated dietary calcium can induce zinc deficiency, especially if the diet includes plant proteins.

Also, a competition between minerals such as cobalt and iron for carriers in the intestinal wall has been observed. At the cellular level, antagonistic processes can also result in competition for active centers in enzyme systems. Many of these interaction problems can be alleviated through a proper balance of dietary minerals and an adequate supply of those minerals that are most affected.

The copper-sulfur-molybdenum interaction in dairy cows is a classic example of a “three-way” mineral antagonism. When a cow ingests sulfur (whether from feed or water), rumen microbes break it down into sulfides. These sulfides rapidly bind to molybdenum to form compounds called thiomolybdates, which have a strong chemical affinity for copper. They bind to dietary copper, thereby substantially reducing copper availability for absorption in the animal’s digestive tract. The use of highly bioavailable organic copper sources rather than inorganic sulfates is an effective way to counteract reduced absorption rates.

MINERAL-VITAMIN INTERACTION
Selenium and vitamin E have a powerful synergistic relationship, working as a team to protect cell membranes from oxidative damage, improve muscular growth, enhance immune function, reduce retained placentas and improve reproductive performance. Because of this teamwork, adequate levels of one nutrient can often spare or reduce the requirements of the other. However, it is essential to be cautious with selenium, as it has a very narrow window between safe intake and toxicity, which can lead to gastrointestinal distress and other health problems.

INTERACTION WITH DIETARY PROTEIN
Mineral-protein interactions are fundamental to the role of minerals in bone formation, nutrient absorption, and other functions. This is particularly true with proteins of animal origin, which act as carriers or chelators for minerals. Conversely, plant proteins can bind tightly to dietary minerals like iron, rendering them insoluble and preventing absorption.

An adequate supply of animal protein is also important for improving iron utilization in animals reared in high-altitude areas, where the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood is reduced. In this case, iron would increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood and facilitate its utilization by the cells. Besides, the protein as such is, of course, essential for health, body weight gain, and survivability in high altitudes.

In cases where distiller grains are frequently used as a source of undegradable protein, the mineral supplement should not contain phosphorus or sulfur, as they are already present in high concentrations in the distiller grains. The supply of these minerals should, therefore, be avoided because of cost and toxicity concerns. On the other hand, the distiller grains are deficient in calcium and copper, and the addition of these elements to the diet is thus prompted in this case.

INTERACTION WITH DIETARY FAT
The use of fats of long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), such as plant-based oils, nuts, seeds, and animal fats, can bind with calcium, creating soaps in the rumen that pass through the digestive tract largely unabsorbed, which, in turn, can lead to deficiencies. Adding calcium (often as calcium carbonate) is commonly used to counteract the negative effects of soap formation, thereby improving utilization of calcium.

Further, fat supplementation has been shown to reduce the absorption of magnesium, which increases the risk of grass tetany (hypomagnesemia) in cows grazing lush pastures. To prevent grass tetany, cows require a daily dietary intake of 28 to 56 grams of actual magnesium per head during high-risk seasons. Because the body cannot store magnesium well, the supplement must be provided continuously, ideally starting 30 days before lush spring pastures emerge.

High levels of dietary fat can also increase the requirement for selenium (Se), a trace mineral essential for the function of selenoenzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), which neutralize harmful lipid peroxides and protect cell integrity. While adequate Se helps mitigate the oxidative stress and metabolic dysfunction caused by high-fat (HF) diets, excessive Se intake can promote insulin resistance and lipid accumulation, mimicking the negative effects of high dietary fat.

MINERAL-FIBER INTERACTION
In cows, dietary fiber regulates rumen pH and digestion, but its components, such as lignin, pectin, cellulose, and hemicellulose, would physically interact with both macro-minerals and trace minerals, thereby reducing the amount actually absorbed in the lower digestive tract and used by the animal to perform biological functions. In some feedstuffs, fiber may also contain antinutritional factors such as phytate, which can chelate minerals like calcium, zinc, and iron, preventing their absorption in the small intestine. Although ruminant microbes produce phytase enzymes, which can partially degrade phytate, a portion of minerals remains bound to fiber matrices.

The binding force depends largely on the composition of the diet. Higher levels of by-products (e.g., soy hulls, beet pulp) often have higher amounts of fiber that are less digestible compared to forages. This can lead to increased cationic binding with trace minerals, thereby reducing their absorption more than seen with high-quality forage. Therefore, diets should be evaluated to ensure that dietary fiber, which is essential for maintaining a healthy rumen mat and salivary buffering, does not simultaneously trigger trace mineral deficiencies. Also, high-grain diets often lead to an acidic rumen (pH<5.9), the case in which certain minerals can bind tightly to undigested fiber and solid digesta fractions, rendering them insoluble and difficult to absorb. A proper forage-to-grain ratio should, therefore, be considered if better mineral utilization is sought.

MINERAL-WATER INTERACTION
Mineral-water interaction in cattle is a key factor affecting digestion, absorption, and the overall health of animals. Cattle are often fed a standard mineral supplement without first testing their water. If the groundwater or surface water already contains high levels of iron, sulfur, or sodium, supplementing these minerals at standard rates can push the cattle’s total intake into toxic territory. Over-supplementation is not only an unnecessary expense but can also lead to mineral toxicity in the liver, impaired reproductive performance, and excessive excretion of minerals in manure, which contributes to soil salinity.

To manage mineral-water interactions and maintain herd health, drinking water should be tested to determine the exact mineral and trace element concentrations. Also, diets should be formulated, and mineral premixes should be modified based on the minerals already being supplied through water. If water contains dangerously high levels of antagonistic minerals, it should then be treated using water softeners or oxidation filtration systems to reduce its mineral content.

MINERAL RESPONSE IN CATTLE UNDER HEAT STRESS
Heat-stressed animals often present lower serum concentrations of phosphorus, sodium, potassium, and zinc, probably because of reduced voluntary intake during heat stress and hence the intake of these mineral elements. Therefore, increasing elemental concentrations in the diet is a strategy to offset the reduction in DMI to meet mineral element requirements. Of greatest importance is potassium (K) since more K is required to counteract losses through milk and sweat, thereby prompting the use of supplements, especially with the increased use of concentrates for heat-stressed cows, since most concentrated feeds are potassium-deficient. Potassium supply should be considered alongside sodium (Na) supply, given the increased urinary Na losses during heat stress due to decreased blood aldosterone levels. In one study, heat-stressed cows exhibited superior milk production and other biological functions when supplementing the diet with 1.0 % K and 0.67 % Na.

MINERAL RESPONSE TO HIGH ALTITUDES
Adequate amounts of iron should be supplied at high altitudes where atmospheric pressure is lower, and there is less oxygen in each breath. In this case, iron would increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood and facilitate its utilization by the cells, and would hence improve performance and adaptation to high altitude. It should be noted, though, that most conventional cereals and legumes used in feeding contain non-heme iron, which is poorly absorbed and utilized by animals. Therefore, the diet of high-altitude animals should be duly manipulated to contain sources of heme-iron, such as those of animal origin, as indicated earlier. Heme is a porphyrin ring combined with ferrous iron and protoporphyrin IX and is an essential prosthetic group in proteins that are necessary to perform diverse biological functions, such as those performed by hemoglobin and myoglobin.

References are available from the author upon request.

Mineral interactions in cattle yazısı ilk önce Feed & Additive Magazine üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

Heat stress is becoming an increasing challenge for poultry producers worldwide, particularly in the MENA region, where the layer industry continues to expand. In laying hens, high temperatures can reduce feed intake, egg production, and laying rate, ultimately affecting profitability. Nutrient-dense diets and targeted feed additives can help birds better cope with heat stress and maintain performance.

The poultry sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is playing an increasingly important role in global industry growth, while supporting rising demand for poultry meat and eggs and improving food security across the region. The Middle East is even one of the world’s fastest-growing egg markets, making layer production an increasingly valuable source of animal protein. At the same time, the region faces challenges to sustaining this growth. One of them is the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat events. Recent studies indicate that the number of severe heat stress days is rising by 4-16 days per decade¹, putting additional pressure on poultry production.

LAYERS ARE EXTRA SENSITIVE TO HEAT STRESS
Laying hens are highly sensitive to elevated temperatures and protecting birds from the negative effects of frequent and prolonged heat stress is therefore essential to maintain both productivity and profitability. High temperatures not only affect bird comfort and welfare but also disrupt feed intake, nutrient absorption, and energy allocation^2,3, leading to reduced egg production and compromised eggshell quality². With heat events becoming more frequent, egg producers in the MENA region must adopt strategies that protect both bird health and productivity. Managing heat stress effectively requires a holistic approach that combines proper nutrition, gut health support, and environmental management. Targeted nutritional solutions can help birds maintain feed efficiency, egg production, and shell quality, even during periods of extreme heat.

IMPACT ON FEED INTAKE AND ENERGY ALLOCATION
One of the first responses of laying hens to high temperatures is a reduction in feed intake. Birds eat less feed to decrease the metabolic heat produced during digestion. While this response helps birds cope with heat, it also reduces intake of energy, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals required for egg production. At the same time, hens expend additional energy to maintain a stable body temperature. Birds dissipate heat mainly through panting and increased blood circulation to peripheral tissues, processes that require metabolic energy. As a result, a larger proportion of nutrients is used for maintenance and thermoregulation, leaving less energy available for productive functions such as egg formation. This combination of reduced feed intake and increased maintenance energy needs often leads to a decline in egg mass, reduced laying rate, and poorer feed efficiency^4,5. One important nutritional strategy is the use of nutrient-dense diets. By increasing metabolizable energy, digestible amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, it is possible to compensate for lower feed intake and ensure birds receive adequate nutrients to support egg production⁵.

3 KEY NUTRITIONAL TOOLS TO SUPPORT LAYERS
Proper nutritional strategies can help birds better cope with high temperatures. In addition to increasing nutrient density, several nutritional tools support hydration, digestive health, nutrient absorption, and mineral metabolism.

1. The first key strategy is supporting hydration and osmotic balance. During heat stress, birds lose significant amounts of water and electrolytes due to panting and increased respiration. This can lead to dehydration and disturbances in acid–base balance, negatively affecting performance and welfare4. A practical way is to mix a liquid blend, formulated with betaine HCl, glycine, electrolytes, and plant extracts, to the drinking water. Betaine acts as an osmo-protectant, supporting cells in maintaining water balance and protecting vital cellular functions under thermal stress⁶. Combined with electrolytes, it helps maintain hydration, acid–base balance, and metabolic stability, supporting overall bird resilience and performance during high temperatures.

2. Secondly, the negative effects of heat stress can be prevented by supporting gut health and microbial balance. Heat stress not only reduces feed intake but also disrupts gut integrity and microbial balance, limiting the digestion and absorption of critical nutrients such as amino acids, fatty acids, calcium, and phosphorus^2,3. When the intestinal lining is weakened, birds absorb nutrients less efficiently, further reducing egg production and eggshell quality. Maintaining a healthy gut is therefore essential for sustaining both productivity and resilience under high temperatures. Feed additives containing a combination of tributyrin and selected essential oils, provide energy to intestinal cells and helps maintain intestinal integrity⁷. The essential oils support a balanced microbiota, controlling harmful bacteria while promoting beneficial microbial populations^8,9. Together, these effects improve nutrient absorption, stabilize the gut environment, and support overall bird performance during periods of heat stress.

3. Thirdly, improving nutrient digestibility and feed efficiency is key to keep production levels at the desired level. Heat stress reduces feed intake and can lower digestive efficiency, particularly fat digestion and absorption. Reduced bile secretion and enzyme activity may limit the bird’s ability to fully utilize energy from the feed^10,11, contributing to lower egg weight and poorer feed efficiency. One effective nutritional strategy here is to use a lysophospholipid-based emulsifier in the diet. This product enhances the emulsification of dietary fats, allowing digestive enzymes to break them down more effectively. This improves micelle formation and facilitates the absorption of fatty acids and fat-soluble nutrients, increasing overall energy availability. By improving fat digestion and nutrient absorption, it helps birds maintain egg weight and feed efficiency¹², even when feed intake is reduced during heat stress.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCER SUPPORT
As heat stress becomes an increasingly important challenge across the MENA region, a comprehensive approach is essential to protect both bird welfare and farm performance. Nutrient-dense diets, support for gut health, and optimized mineral and nutrient absorption help laying hens maintain feed efficiency, egg production, and eggshell quality, enabling them to better express their genetic potential under challenging conditions. Combined with effective environmental management, including adequate ventilation, cooling systems, access to clean water, shade, and appropriate stocking density, these nutritional strategies can help producers build more resilient layer operations in a hotter climate.

References 1-12 are available on request.

About Danielle Ayyash
Danielle Ayyash is Layer Technical and Nutrition Unit Head at UTRIX, a premier producer of premixes, concentrates, and feed additives and specialties. At the company, Ayyash focuses on optimizing egg production, feed efficiency, and farm profitability and helps to develop customer-focused solutions that drive sustainable advancements in poultry farming.

Managing layer heat stress across the MENA region yazısı ilk önce Feed & Additive Magazine üzerinde ortaya çıktı.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has presented a blueprint for a new global approach to tackle transboundary animal diseases (TADs), with 110 countries expressing interest in joining the proposed Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GPP-TAD).

The FAO transboundary animal diseases programme is a country-driven, country-led initiative in which the prevention and control of prioritised diseases are strengthened through National Partnership Platforms that bring together governments, the private sector, producers, foundations, farmers’ organisations and financial institutions.

“We must ensure that the next chapter of global animal health is not defined by crisis, but by cooperation, responsibility and shared success,” said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu at a high-level event attended by ministers and government representatives.

Rising threat

Cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever and New World screwworm demonstrate that TADs “are spreading faster, further and with greater impact on economies and livelihoods than ever before,” Qu added.

The Director-General stressed that animal disease prevention costs far less than inaction. FAO’s impact assessment found that the recent introduction of the SAT1 serotype of foot-and-mouth disease into Asia could lead to US$2 billion in annual losses.

New funding model

Previous efforts relied primarily on donor-funded projects. GPP-TAD introduces a diversified, solidarity-based financing model in which all participating countries will contribute according to their capacity, complemented by voluntary contributions from development partners, international financial institutions and the private sector.

At the 44th Session of FAO Conference in July 2025, Members recognised the critical importance of preventing, detecting and responding to the spread of TADs.

Programme structure

GPP-TAD programme will work across five areas: prevention and progressive disease control; digital surveillance and early warning; preparedness and anticipatory action; coordinated emergency response; and legislation, partnerships and financing models.

A Steering Committee will provide strategic guidance, with a technical advisory group including key partners.

Fertilizer prices threatening what could be most promising growing season

Looks at improving quality, reducing risk, strengthening performance

Der Beitrag Zoomark and Petzoo Eurasia strengthen their alliance and announce the launch of a new pet show in Turkey from 2028 erschien zuerst auf petfood pro Technology & Marketing.

Alapala has successfully completed the design, supply and construction of a fully integrated grain milling complex for Moulin du Sako in Côte d’Ivoire, including a 250-tonne-per-day (TPD) wheat flour mill, a steel production building and six grain storage silos.

The project was delivered by Alapala Group companies under a single-source solution. Alapala supplied and commissioned the 250 TPD flour mill with advanced milling technology, while Accon, the steel construction company of Alapala Holding, designed and constructed the complete steel production building and warehouse.

The facility was equipped with six Alapala Accon steel silos, each with a storage capacity of 2500 tonnes, providing a total grain storage capacity of 15,000 tonnes.

The project demonstrates Alapala’s ability to manage complex industrial investments from concept to commissioning through integrated engineering, manufacturing, construction and project management capabilities.

By combining milling technology, grain storage systems and steel construction under one group, Alapala provides customers with a single-source turnkey milling solution that minimises project risks, shortens implementation time and ensures coordination throughout every stage of execution.

The investment will strengthen Moulin du Sako’s production capabilities while supporting food security and sustainable industrial development in Côte d’Ivoire.

Alapala has more than 70 years of experience and has completed projects in over 120 countries.

FAS: Corn imports climb on competitive prices, lower domestic output

Our features in this edition begin with an article discussing ‘Unlocking the Potential of Single-Cell Proteins’ written by Dr Margaret Hegwood, Corporate Engagement Manager, The Centre for Feed Innovation, USA.

As always, our Fish Farming Technology section of is packed with plenty of exciting news and stories this month, including a piece from Dr Robert Ellis, Senior Lecturer in Ecophysiology and Sustainable Aquaculture, University of Exeter, The UK and Prof Rod Wilson, Professor of Integrative Animal Physiology, University of Exeter, UK; which is titled ‘From King Prawns to Blue Transformation: Why land-based aquaculture matters for the UK’

This editions aquaculture spotlight focuses on Iceland and is a great chance to learn more about the long-established sector in the country, along with getting to hear more about some of the companies that are driving the innovations right now!

Finally, this month International Aquafeed was lucky enough to interview Melanie Siggs, Global Head of Seafood, LRQA, UK. This was a great chance for us to sit down and talk with Melanie about responsible seafood systems, innovations in the industry and their impact on the sector along with much more!

Read the full magazine HERE.

Our features in this edition begin with an article discussing ‘Unlocking the Potential of Single-Cell Proteins’ written by Dr Margaret Hegwood, Corporate Engagement Manager, The Centre for Feed Innovation, USA.

As always, our Fish Farming Technology section of is packed with plenty of exciting news and stories this month, including a piece from Dr Robert Ellis, Senior Lecturer in Ecophysiology and Sustainable Aquaculture, University of Exeter, The UK and Prof Rod Wilson, Professor of Integrative Animal Physiology, University of Exeter, UK; which is titled ‘From King Prawns to Blue Transformation: Why land-based aquaculture matters for the UK’

This editions aquaculture spotlight focuses on Iceland and is a great chance to learn more about the long-established sector in the country, along with getting to hear more about some of the companies that are driving the innovations right now!

Finally, this month International Aquafeed was lucky enough to interview Melanie Siggs, Global Head of Seafood, LRQA, UK. This was a great chance for us to sit down and talk with Melanie about responsible seafood systems, innovations in the industry and their impact on the sector along with much more!

Read the full magazine HERE.

First Water has appointed Einar Örn Ólafsson as its new Chief Executive Officer. Bringing decades of leadership experience across banking, corporate finance, aquaculture and investments, he will lead the company through its next phase of development.

“First Water has reached an important milestone and is entering an exciting new chapter. With the completion of the first phase next year, the company will be exceptionally well positioned, with double the production capacity, strong commercial partnerships and a premium product that is in demand in key export markets. As construction continues and production capacity expands, we expect a significant increase in export revenues, providing a strong foundation for the continued development of First Water’s operations in Þorlákshöfn. I look forward to building on the strong foundation that has been established and leading the company through its next phase of growth,” said Einar Örn Ólafsson.

The Board of Directors of First Water and Chief Executive Officer Eggert Þór Kristófersson have mutually agreed that Eggert Þór will step down from the role.

During the past four years, Eggert Þór has led one of Iceland’s most ambitious land-based aquaculture developments. Under his leadership, First Water established its operations in Þorlákshöfn, secured financing for the first phase of its development and reached key milestones in the production and commercialisation of premium land-based farmed salmon.

Last year, the company successfully produced and marketed premium-quality 5 kg gutted land-based salmon, becoming one of the first land-based aquaculture companies globally to achieve this milestone. First Water has also established strong commercial partnerships and developed a high-quality customer base across Europe and North America.

First Water has appointed Einar Örn Ólafsson as its new Chief Executive Officer. Bringing decades of leadership experience across banking, corporate finance, aquaculture and investments, he will lead the company through its next phase of development.

“First Water has reached an important milestone and is entering an exciting new chapter. With the completion of the first phase next year, the company will be exceptionally well positioned, with double the production capacity, strong commercial partnerships and a premium product that is in demand in key export markets. As construction continues and production capacity expands, we expect a significant increase in export revenues, providing a strong foundation for the continued development of First Water’s operations in Þorlákshöfn. I look forward to building on the strong foundation that has been established and leading the company through its next phase of growth,” said Einar Örn Ólafsson.

The Board of Directors of First Water and Chief Executive Officer Eggert Þór Kristófersson have mutually agreed that Eggert Þór will step down from the role.

During the past four years, Eggert Þór has led one of Iceland’s most ambitious land-based aquaculture developments. Under his leadership, First Water established its operations in Þorlákshöfn, secured financing for the first phase of its development and reached key milestones in the production and commercialisation of premium land-based farmed salmon.

Last year, the company successfully produced and marketed premium-quality 5 kg gutted land-based salmon, becoming one of the first land-based aquaculture companies globally to achieve this milestone. First Water has also established strong commercial partnerships and developed a high-quality customer base across Europe and North America.

Nearly 50,000 tonnes shipped as part of the Food for Peace program

Annual report notes company’s restructuring efforts, investments

The Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) has announced the appointment of Jackie Hayes as its new Senior Director of Communications, Marketing and Industry Relations, reinforcing the organisation’s commitment to strengthening industry engagement and expanding its communications strategy across the global grain and grain processing sectors.

Hayes, who was appointed on August 4, 2026, will be in charge of GEAPS’ marketing and communications campaigns and spearhead measures to strengthen ties with members, strategic partners, and important stakeholders along the grain value chain. Her nomination is a testament to GEAPS’s ongoing commitment to fostering industry collaboration, knowledge exchange, and professional growth. Hayes has worked in the agriculture, biofuels, and renewable energy sectors and has a wealth of experience in communications, marketing, business development, client relations, and strategic partnerships. Her varied experience puts her in a position to further strengthen GEAPS’ status as a premier organisation supporting professionals engaged in grain processing and handling.

“We’re honoured to welcome Jackie to GEAPS,” said John Caupert, CEO of GEAPS. “I’ve had the privilege of watching her career develop over more than a decade, and I’ve seen firsthand how she builds relationships, delivers results and elevates every organisation she’s part of. When you have the opportunity to add someone with Jackie’s talent, experience and character to your team, you remove every barrier to make it happen.”
Hayes oversaw communications, marketing, business development, and client relations initiatives at the National Corn to Ethanol Research Centre (NCERC) before joining GEAPS. She also obtained useful experience managing membership for the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and leading business development initiatives for cutting-edge biofuel industry solutions at Whitefox solutions.

Over the course of her career, Hayes has established a solid reputation for creating enduring client relationships, negotiating intricate contracts, and spearheading strategic expansion projects.
“I am honored to join GEAPS at such an exciting time for the grain and grain processing industries,” Hayes said. “My experience in the ethanol sector has allowed me to work alongside innovative leaders focused on efficiency, sustainability and operational excellence. I look forward to strengthening the GEAPS brand, creating greater opportunities for members and helping tell the stories that drive collaboration across the grain value chain.”
With Hayes joining its leadership team, GEAPS hopes to further advance its purpose of supporting, connecting, and assisting experts throughout the grain handling and grain processing industries while fortifying key alliances.

Kemin Industries has held a foundation-laying ceremony for its Kuriosity Centre, a new four-story facility at its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Singapore, representing an investment of approximately US$35 million.

The development, supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), will span 5880 square metres with a proposed gross floor area of approximately 9685 square metres. Designed to accommodate more than 140 employees, the US$35 million R&D facility will connect to Kemin’s existing campus via a covered bridge, creating an integrated environment for research, technical expertise, business operations and customer-facing capabilities.

“I’m thrilled to be establishing the Kuriosity Centre here at our regional headquarters in Singapore, as it demonstrates Kemin’s commitment to our customers, our team, and this region,” said Dr Chris Nelson, President and CEO of Kemin Industries. “Kemin has been serving the region for nearly 40 years, and 33 years ago, my parents broke ground in Singapore to establish our permanent presence. Today, we build on that legacy and lay a foundation for the future.”

The facility will strengthen Kemin’s research and development capabilities and support the company’s growth in the Asia-Pacific region. It is designed to bring together Kemin’s Asia-Pacific business units, supporting cross-functional exchange and collaboration with customers and business partners.

“Kemin’s decision to establish its Kuriosity Centre here will reinforce Singapore’s capabilities as a leading hub for innovative feed and food solutions in Asia,” said Lim Wey-Len, Executive Vice President of EDB.

Kemin has been serving the Asia-Pacific region for nearly 40 years. The company is a global ingredient manufacturer serving the animal nutrition, food technology and related industries.

“Kemin’s expansion reflects the confidence that global companies have in Singapore as a trusted base for innovation, manufacturing and regional leadership,” said Christine Wong, Assistant CEO of JTC.

Associated with a 5%-10% increase

Net earnings jump 315% in second quarter

Facility expands annual capacity to more than 360,000 tonnes

More than 80 participants, including feed regulators, government officials and industry representatives from over 25 countries, took part in the 19th International Feed Regulators Meeting (IFRM), jointly organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) on 30–31 July.

The two-day meeting focused on strengthening international cooperation, advancing science-based regulation and sharing practical experiences to support safe, sustainable, and resilient feed and food systems. Approximately one-third of participants represented government regulatory authorities.

“For nearly two decades, the IFRM has served as the world’s premier forum where feed regulators and the global feed sector come together to exchange experiences, build trust and advance practical solutions to shared challenges,” said Constance Cullman, Chair of IFIF.

Key topics

Discussions covered international feed standards, regulatory convergence, nutritional innovations, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), circular feed sources and emerging regulatory priorities from around the world.

Interactive World Café sessions focused on two key themes: the role of animal nutrition in promoting animal health and welfare while reducing antimicrobial use, and the safe production and use of circular feed sources as part of resilient food systems.

Global participation

Regulators from Latin America, Africa, Europe and North America shared experiences on evolving feed legislation and emerging regulatory priorities. Participants also received updates on Codex Alimentarius activities and the International Cooperation for Convergence of Technical Requirements for the Assessment of Feed Ingredients (ICCF).

“Working together allows us to share knowledge, strengthen regulatory approaches and support safe, sustainable and resilient livestock production systems that contribute to food security and One Health,” said Daniela Battaglia, Livestock Production Officer at FAO.

Alexandra de Athayde, Executive Director of IFIF, added: “The strength of the IFRM lies in bringing together regulators and the feed industry in an open and constructive environment where we can learn from one another and address shared challenges.”

Year-on-year decline of 13% expected due to reduced acreage

Railroad says 30.66 million tonnes shipped for Canada in 2025-26

Our features in this edition begin with a story from James Cooper, Milling and Grain contributor; which focuses on ‘Against the Grain The long game in British milling’

For our readers more interested in the feed section of our magazine, we have an excellent article covering ‘The Next Generation of Feed Additives Alternatives to antibiotics in poultry’ which was written by Dr Julian Wiseman, Emeritus Professor of Animal Production, University of Nottingham, UK.

As always, we have a packed event section this month with plenty for you to either catch-up on or prepare for, including full reports on the IDMA International Milling Expo, which was written by our own Mehmet Uğur Gürkaynak and Asief Aliyar and should catch you up on anything you might have missed from the impressive shows!

Finally, this month Milling and Grain was lucky enough to interview Fontaine Jean-Francois, Vice President, Jefo Group, Canada. Jean has over four decades of experience in the industry, and this was an excellent opportunity for us to sit down and discuss the evolution of non-medicated animal nutrition, industry challenges, the future of the industry and more!

READ THE FULL MAGAZINE HERE.

Imas has unveiled the Multimilla + roller mill at the IDMA Istanbul 2026 exhibition, featuring a mineral casting chassis that provides 20 times better vibration damping than welded steel, direct drive technology, and an optional i-GPC® active grinding pressure control system.

The new Imas Multimilla + roller mill was officially launched during IDMA Istanbul between 25–27 June 2026, combining modern design with what the company describes as “new engineering standards” from the feeding system to the grinding system.

The Multimilla + features a mineral casting carrier chassis developed by Imas‘s R&D team, which provides higher operational reliability and long-term durability. The machine has stainless steel contact surfaces, rounded internal corners and minimised dead areas to meet food safety standards.

The feeding system uses infrared level sensors for precise measurement and feeding management, with a feed roll rotation sensor for safety. Direct drive roller mill technology is standard for feeding rolls, offering efficiency and reduced maintenance.

The grinding system offers new generation torque motors as an option, providing energy efficiency compared to traditional induction motors. The i-GPC® grinding control system automatically monitors and adjusts grinding pressure in real time, eliminating manual gap adjustment.

The machine features fully opening front covers, a sliding feeding group that can be removed as a single unit and grinding rolls that can be changed in approximately 15 minutes. An optional SmartLub® system provides centralised, automated lubrication for roll housings, with the ability to manage all roller mills in a plant from a single system.

Higher crop prices give producers more hope, Purdue survey says

Biofuels facilities achieve record second-quarter production

Supports growing US agriculture, soy opportunities in Asia

Saudi milling company sees profits rise 10% in second quarter

Hayes will also oversee marketing, industry relations

Novus has launched the Novus® Raw Material Compendium, a digital platform designed to support more informed, data-driven feed formulation strategies by centralising nutrient composition data from multiple global references.

The Novus nutrition platform allows nutritionists and feed formulators to evaluate nutrient variability, compare nutrient values across feed ingredient databases, assess internal ingredient data and explore alternative raw materials.

“When formulating, nutritionists normally work with one unique database or source of nutrient information for each of their ingredients. But it is well known that there is ingredient variability based on database used, as well as geographic origin, crop conditions, processing differences, supplier variations and other factors,” said Marisol Castillo, DVM, PhD, Novus Global Swine Solutions Executive Manager. “This new digital platform from Novus puts data from various sources at their fingertips.”

The compendium includes nutrient composition details for plant and animal protein ingredients such as palm kernel meal, soybean meal, dried distillers’ grains, feather meal and fish meal. Data has been authorised for use from established global references including the National Research Council (NRC), AFZ, INRAE, FEDNA, CVB, and the Brazilian Tables for Poultry and Swine.

Users can select feed ingredients and nutrients, compare values across datasets, and export comparison charts and tables. The feed formulation tool also allows users to upload their own ingredient datasets to compare against available references within a private, secure environment.

“Bringing these datasets together in one place supports more consistent evaluation of raw materials and can help streamline formulation decisions,” Castillo added.

The digital format replaces a previously printed version of the data, making it easier to visualise and compare data while expanding accessibility across mobile devices, computers and tablets.

Investment tracks with increased demand for plant-based ingredients

April-June gain ends five-quarter down streak

dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health has appointed Jason McCamy as Poultry Account Manager, where he will partner with the company’s poultry account team to advance commercial priorities and deliver value to customers across North America.

McCamy brings more than 30 years of experience in the poultry industry, with deep expertise in nutrition, feed solutions and strategic account management. He is based in Albertville, Alabama, USA.

“Jason’s industry knowledge and customer-focused approach will further strengthen our ability to support our poultry customers across North America,” the company stated.

Prior to joining dsm-firmenich, McCamy served as a Sales Specialist at Diamond V. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Auburn University.

Alapala has introduced Similago III, its latest generation roller mill featuring direct drive technology, intelligent motor-generator operation and advanced digital controls, designed to reduce energy consumption by up to 20 percent compared to conventional roller mills.

The new platform, developed entirely by Alapala’s in-house R&D and engineering teams, eliminates mechanical transmission components such as belts, pulleys and gearboxes by using a high-efficiency permanent magnet synchronous reluctance direct drive system.

“Similago III is much more than a new roller mill. It represents our vision for the future of milling where intelligent engineering, sustainability and digitalisation work together to deliver measurable value for our customers,” said Görkem Alapala, Group CEO of Alapala.

One of the machine’s key innovations is its intelligent motor-generator operating principle. Unlike conventional systems where both grinding rolls continuously consume electrical power, Similago III enables the second roll to operate either as a motor or as a generator depending on process conditions. Recovered kinetic energy is reused to regulate roll speed, reducing overall energy consumption by up to 20 percent.

Alapala Similago III roller mill also features independent speed control of both grinding rolls, allowing millers to optimise differential roll speeds according to raw material properties and desired flour quality.

Similago III’s industrial design was developed in collaboration with Italdesign, the Italian design and engineering company. The machine incorporates an RFID-based authorisation system that restricts access to machine parameters to authorised personnel, with every parameter change recorded and time-stamped.

A pneumatic locking mechanism within the fine adjustment system physically locks settings once grinding parameters are established, preventing unintended operator intervention during production.

By eliminating belts, pulleys and other mechanical transmission elements, the machine achieves a more compact footprint while reducing maintenance requirements. Routine tasks such as belt replacement and pulley alignment are eliminated.

Offers diverse slate of industry education, networking opportunities

Adds 600 tpd capacity at Saudi milling company's Qassim Branch

FAS sees total grains output falling 8% year on year

Move comes despite an excellent crop, steady demand

CN, CPKC outline preparedness in annual service plans

Retired corn and soybean farmer shares goals at annual meeting

ADM has announced a series of investments to expand North American oilseed crush capacity across four US facilities, unlocking approximately 700,000 metric tonnes of additional annual capacity in response to growing demand for renewable fuels and vegetable oils.

ADM infrastructure investments will target its existing crush facilities in Frankfort, Indiana; Deerfield, Missouri; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Spiritwood, North Dakota – part of the Green Bison joint venture with Marathon Petroleum Corporation. The work is expected to be completed between mid-2028 and early 2029.

“These investments reflect ADM’s continued focus on targeted growth opportunities in areas where long-term demand trends are creating new opportunities for farmers and customers,” said Gary McGuigan, president of ADM’s North America Ag Services and Oilseeds business. “Strong demand – supported by biofuels policy in the US – is driving opportunities for farmers and the broader American agricultural sector.”

Scope of ADM infrastructure investments

The four projects will focus on debottlenecking, storage improvements and equipment upgrades:

• Frankfort, Indiana: Storage improvements, optimisation and multiple equipment upgrades (completion: late 2028)
• Deerfield, Missouri: Capacity unlocking in conveying, flaking, extraction and utility systems (completion: late 2028 or early 2029)
• Lincoln, Nebraska: Meal storage enhancements and debottlenecking to eliminate current restraints (completion: late 2028)
• Spiritwood, North Dakota: Operational optimisation and select equipment improvements (completion: mid-2028)

The combined additions are expected to unlock approximately 700,000 metric tonnes of additional annual crush capacity, equating to more than 25 million bushels of new demand for American farmers. ADM is also evaluating similar investments at other North American crush locations.

The projects follow ADM’s recent investments in its Clinton, Iowa, corn facility and its Optima, Oklahoma, grain elevator.

“These investments will help connect more American farmers to growing domestic and global markets while strengthening the infrastructure that supports US agriculture,” McGuigan added.

Romanian logistics group TTS has completed a EU€23 million (US$26.2 million) expansion of the Canopus grain terminal at the Port of Constanta, raising storage capacity from 110,000 tonnes to 180,000 tonnes.

Construction work ran from January 2025 to 15 July 2026, with the project formally completed on 20 July, according to TTS.

The Constanta grain terminal expansion added six grain storage cells with capacity of 11,000 tonnes each and five buffer cells holding 825 tonnes apiece. The work also included a new intake point for cargo arriving by barge, equipment for two new truck-unloading points, conveyors and elevators connecting the new installations with the existing terminal, and three scales on the shiploading line.

The TTS Canopus terminal can receive agricultural cargoes through barge and truck-unloading points, each with capacity of 400 tonnes per hour. Two existing shiploaders can each transfer 800 tonnes per hour to seagoing vessels.

TTS, founded in Romania in 1997, provides freight forwarding, river transport and port operation services for agricultural products, mineral raw materials and chemical cargoes. The group comprises 14 companies and operates a river fleet with capacity exceeding 800,000 tonnes, 10 floating cranes, three terminals in Constanta and seven terminals at Danube ports.

Canopus Star, the agricultural cargo-handling company operating the terminal, is a joint venture between TTS and Romanian limited liability company Cargill Agricultura SRL.

Ethanol fermentation CO₂ stored underground; expansion planning underway

Alternative pathway supports national quality assurance

by Joy Nelloolichalil, Milling and Grain 

Milling and Grain visited Ottevanger’s production facility in Aalten, the Netherlands, to see first-hand how feed milling equipment is designed, manufactured and tested before it reaches customers around the world. 

When feed mills invest in new equipment, attention naturally falls on performance, efficiency and return on investment. Less often seen is the manufacturing process behind those systems – the people, facilities and engineering decisions that shape the machinery before it reaches a customer’s site. 

During a recent visit to Ottevanger’s production facility in Aalten, the Netherlands, the Milling and Grain team – Roger Gilbert, Darren Parris, Tuti Tan and myself – had the opportunity to see those processes first-hand. Hosted by Jeroen Baars, Business Unit Manager, we were taken through the company’s offices, manufacturing facilities, electrical assembly areas and logistics operations, gaining an insight into how feed milling equipment moves from concept to finished product. 

One company, one vision 

Founded in 1909, Ottevanger has spent more than a century supplying equipment and solutions to the feed and grain industries. Throughout its history, the company has combined Dutch craftsmanship with a commitment to innovation, developing technologies and services designed to meet the changing needs of feed producers. 

Today, the company operates through three business units: Ottevanger Milling Engineering, Process Solutions and Ottevanger Services. Former sister companies Almex, Inteqnion, IVS and PTN now operate under the single Ottevanger identity, bringing together a broad range of engineering, automation and process knowledge. 

Our guide for the day, Jeroen Baars, serves as Business Unit Manager and oversees a wide range of activities, including after-sales operations. Before entering the factory, he provided an overview of the company’s structure and its approach to serving customers across the feed industry. 

The Aalten office itself was opened in 2015 and today employs around 80 staff, including both office and factory personnel. The building presents a modern working environment while remaining closely connected to the manufacturing operations located alongside it. 

As we toured the office, we encountered two visitors from Iowa State University who were also exploring the facility. Their interest was particularly noteworthy as Iowa State operates one of the few universities with a commercially operating feed mill. They were visiting Ottevanger to better understand the company’s technologies and explore whether some concepts or solutions could potentially be incorporated into the university’s own operations. 

The encounter served as a reminder of the international reach of both the feed industry and the technologies that support it. 

Following the manufacturing journey 

After completing the office tour, we moved into the factory. Baars outlined the route we would take through the facility, beginning with the mechanical production area, followed by logistics, electrical cabinet assembly and testing, before returning through other sections of the plant. 

The factory primarily manufactures conveyors, mixers and a range of smaller machines used within feed production systems. While sheet metal fabrication is outsourced, Ottevanger carries out much of the assembly work in-house. 

The sheet metal components arrive from suppliers already cut and bent to specification. The cutting and bending processes are conducted externally, after which the components are delivered to Aalten. From there, Ottevanger’s teams undertake the welding and assembly operations that transform individual parts into finished equipment. 

As we walked through the production hall, we observed several pieces of equipment in various stages of manufacture. Among them was a bucket elevator base being assembled, alongside a vacuum coating double-shaft mixer. 

One of the more interesting pieces of equipment under construction was the vacuum coating double-shaft mixer. The system is designed to add liquids to pellets after the pelleting process. 

As explained during the tour, pellets are introduced into the mixer and a vacuum pump creates a vacuum inside the vessel. Liquid ingredients are then dosed into the product while under vacuum. When the vacuum is released, air is drawn back into the pellets, helping the liquid penetrate and become absorbed within the pellet structure. 

The equipment is based on Ottevanger’s double-shaft mixer platform, which can also be supplied without the vacuum system. This modular design allows the same basic machine concept to be adapted for different applications depending on customer requirements. 

Nearby, we watched fabrication work being carried out on another unit. Steel components supplied by external fabricators were being welded together section by section. Side plates were being attached and structural elements connected as the machine moved towards completion. 

Our hosts explained that once assembly is finished, the equipment is transferred to the paint shop before moving on to the next stage of production. 

The paint shop 

The next stop on our tour was the paint department, where we learned more about Ottevanger’s finishing operations. 

Although sheet metal fabrication is outsourced, painting forms an important part of the company’s in-house activities. The company undertakes its own spray-painting operations, while powder coating is carried out externally when required. 

Our visit happened to take place on a Friday, which provided an opportunity to observe some of the facility’s specialised painting work. According to the production team, Fridays are typically reserved for special coating applications because it makes operational sense to group these jobs together. 

One example we observed was an extruder barrel. The component was receiving a specialised heat-resistant coating, requiring a paint system different from standard equipment finishes. 

Visitors familiar with Ottevanger equipment will recognise the company’s traditional white and blue colour scheme. During our visit, several machines were being painted in these colours. However, customers are not limited to the standard finish. 

We also observed a machine being painted brown for a customer in the Netherlands who preferred a customised appearance.  

Clean assembly and automation integration 

Following painting, components move into a clean assembly area. 

Here, sensors and automation hardware are installed onto the machines before they proceed to the next stages of integration. This area serves as a transition between the mechanical manufacturing process and the electrical and control systems that ultimately bring the equipment to life. 

The emphasis on assembly after painting also helps ensure that sensitive instrumentation and electronic components remain protected during the finishing process. 

The next stage of our visit took us into the electrical assembly and testing departments. 

Here we met Rudy (provide last name), who explained the work carried out in this section of the facility. His responsibilities include hardware checks, configuring control systems and ensuring that all equipment functions correctly before shipment. 

Control cabinets are assembled and tested on-site, forming the operational heart of many feed mill installations. The systems are PLC-controlled, allowing equipment throughout a plant to be monitored and managed through integrated automation systems. 

Testing is a critical part of the process. Every cable connection is checked and verified, while hardware and control functions are configured and tested before release. This level of verification helps ensure equipment arrives on-site ready for commissioning and operation. 

Space for global projects 

The final part of our tour focused on logistics and storage. 

The scale of the storage area immediately stood out. Large open spaces are required because major projects often involve significant quantities of equipment that must be consolidated before shipment. 

Our hosts explained that some projects require multiple containers to be shipped at the same time, making storage capacity an important part of the overall operation. 

During our visit, preparations were underway for a shipment to Ecuador. The project required approximately 12 containers of equipment, illustrating both the size of the installation and the logistical coordination involved in delivering complete feed milling systems to international customers. 

Standing among the equipment awaiting dispatch provided a tangible reminder that the work carried out in Aalten ultimately supports feed production operations far beyond the Netherlands. 

From welding and assembly to specialised painting, electrical integration and testing, each stage contributes to the final product.  

The result is a manufacturing operation that combines in-house expertise with carefully managed external partnerships, all working towards the common goal of delivering equipment ready for operation in feed mills around the world. 

GrainTech India 2026 is set to bring together key stakeholders from across India’s grain processing industry, offering a comprehensive platform for innovation, collaboration and business development. The show, organised by Media Today Group, will be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from November 20 to 22, 2026, and will display the latest technology and solutions driving the country’s burgeoning grain and milling sector.

India’s grain processing industry is one of the country’s greatest contributors to the agri-economy, processing more than 200 million tonnes of grains each year. The sector includes over 10,000 rice mills, 5,000 flour mills and chakki plants, 2,000 pulse mills, 2,000 spice grinding units, 2,000 oilseed crushing plants, 1,000 feed mills, 200 soybean processing units, and 1,000 coffee processing units. Increased investments in innovative technologies assist processors increase operational efficiency, product quality, and overall production.
GrainTech India 2026 will feature innovations that cover the whole grain processing value chain, from cleaning, grading, and milling technology to storage systems, automation, packaging, and post-harvest management solutions. The event is planned to bring together equipment manufacturers, technology providers, food processors, agribusiness firms, financial institutions, certification bodies, and government organisations, providing possibilities for networking, collaboration, and knowledge exchange.

The choice of Gujarat as the host location emphasises the exhibition’s strategic relevance. The state has emerged as a leading centre for grain, pulse, spice, and oilseed processing due to its significant agricultural productivity, modern infrastructure, and established export linkages. Its continuous emphasis on value-added processing and international trade makes it an excellent choice for the show.
The International Conference on Innovations in Grains, Cereals, Pulses, and Oilseed Milling Industry, held concurrently with the exhibition, will feature policymakers, global technology providers, processors, exporters, and industry leaders discussing the most recent developments in sustainability, automation, fortification, digital transformation, and post-harvest efficiency.

With a varied exhibitor and attendee base, GrainTech India 2026 intends to promote industry collaboration while highlighting innovative technologies that might boost India’s grain processing ecosystem. The event is expected to provide an essential forum for firms looking for new market opportunities, technological developments, and strategic alliances.

For further information, registration and participation details, visit www.graintechindia.com.

Twelve Chinese restaurants in the Seoul metropolitan area have filed a damages lawsuit against seven domestic flour milling companies, alleging they suffered financial losses due to a flour price-fixing cartel, according to legal sources cited by ChosunBiz and the Herald Corporation.

The Korean flour price-fixing lawsuit, filed on 26 July by law firm LKB Pyeongsan, targets CJ CheilJedang, Daehan Flour Mills, Sajo Dongaone, Samyang Corporation, Daeseon Flour Mills, Samhwa Flour Mills and Hantop. The plaintiffs are seeking KR₩1 million (approximately US$680) each initially, with plans to increase the claim after reviewing actual purchase records and normal market prices.

The legal action follows a May 2026 decision by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (FTC), which imposed a total penalty surcharge of KR₩671 billion (approximately US$457 million) on the seven companies. The FTC found that the millers had colluded on flour supply prices and volumes 24 times over approximately six years, from November 2019 to October 2025, resulting in flour price increases of between 38 percent and 74 percent.

“Flour is a core ingredient for Chinese restaurant owners, used in dishes such as jjajangmyeon, mandu and sweet-and-sour pork,” the plaintiffs stated. “As flour prices kept rising, we had no choice but to raise menu prices, and we had to bear the risk of falling sales and losing customers.”

Attorney Jeong Tae-won of LKB Pyeongsan said: “The burden created by the cartel among companies with oligopolistic market power was passed on to small business owners and consumers.” He added that he hoped the companies would “actively negotiate with affected businesses to reach a swift agreement and offer compensation.”

The plaintiffs purchased flour through wholesalers during the cartel period, spending between approximately KR₩10.47 million (US$7140) and KR₩99.54 million (US$67,800) each.

Maschinenfabrik Seydelmann KG is deepening its long-standing collaboration with the American Food Equipment Company (AMFEC) — Caldwell, Idaho, USA — thereby marking an important milestone for its continued international expansion. As part of this strategic partnership, Seydelmann is acquiring a 50 percent stake in AMFEC. The primary goal of this investment is the joint expansion of business in semi- and fully automated production lines for the food industry in the North American market.

The two companies have enjoyed a close and trusting working relationship for many decades. During this time, an intensive exchange of expertise, mutual support, and numerous successfully completed projects have formed the foundation of their partnership. With this new investment, this long-standing relationship is being elevated to a new strategic level.

“Our companies have complemented each other exceptionally well for many years—both technologically and culturally. The investment in AMFEC is the logical continuation of a partnership that has proven itself over decades. Together, we aim to pool our expertise and provide our customers with even more comprehensive support in the planning and implementation of modern production solutions in the future,” explains Andreas Seydelmann, Managing Partner of Maschinenfabrik Seydelmann KG.

The collaboration focuses on expanding the range of automated production lines for the food industry. While Seydelmann is known worldwide for high-performance machines for grinding, processing, and mixing food and pet food, as well as for its comprehensive expertise in developing complete production lines with high levels of automation, AMFEC contributes its many years of experience in the areas of mixers, tumblers, conveyor technology, and customized system solutions. By combining their respective core competencies, the two companies are creating high-performance, comprehensive solutions from a single source—ranging from individual machines to turnkey, highly automated production lines for the North American market.

The demand for automation and efficient, custom-tailored production lines is growing steadily. Through this enhanced collaboration, customers will receive even more targeted support in the planning, implementation, and maintenance of complex production lines. At the same time, they benefit from streamlined decision-making processes, a high level of engineering expertise, and close on-site technical support.

The partnership also offers cost advantages for customers. Particularly in conveyor systems such as long conveyor belts, the effort and transportation costs are disproportionate to production costs, thereby unnecessarily driving up overall costs. Local manufacturing eliminates this cost barrier.

Through their investment in AMFEC, both companies are laying the groundwork to integrate their respective strengths even more closely in the future and to offer their customers—particularly in North America—innovative, high-performance, and cost-effective turnkey solutions for food production. The strategic partnership underlines their shared commitment to further advancing technological innovations, the highest quality, and customer focus worldwide, thereby further expanding their market position and actively shaping the future of automated food production.

The existing partnership in North America with Robert Reiser & Co., Inc., which has been in place since 1962, remains unaffected. The close ties between Reiser, AMFEC, and Seydelmann will be further expanded and strengthened.

AMFEC was founded in 1975 and has enjoyed an excellent reputation within the American food industry for decades as a manufacturer of high-quality machines and systems that are precisely tailored to its customers’ requirements. The company employs approximately 150 people and, in addition to mixers and tumblers, manufactures conveying and handling systems as well as complete turnkey production lines. The focus is always on customized solutions that sustainably increase customers’ efficiency, productivity, and profitability.

Maschinenfabrik Seydelmann KG looks back on a corporate history spanning more than 180 years. Founded in 1843, this family-owned business is now in its sixth generation and ranks among the world’s leading manufacturers of high-quality food processing machinery. With its headquarters in Stuttgart, a modern production facility in Aalen, and more than 500 employees, Seydelmann is represented in over 150 countries.

For decades, artisanal butcher shops, medium-sized food manufacturers, and international industrial global cooperations alike have relied on Seydelmann’s high-performance cutters, mixers, grinders, and emulsifiers. In addition, the company has extensive experience in the design and implementation of fully automated production lines. The machines are no longer used exclusively in the production of sausage and meat products, but are equally successful in the pet food, cheese, vegetables, fish, pharmaceutical, confectionery, soup, baked goods, and baby food industries.

In development, design, and manufacturing, Seydelmann uncompromisingly adheres to the highest quality standards in terms of material selection, technology, and workmanship. Continuous research and development, along with a global 24-hour service and support network, ensure the company’s leading international position and market leadership.

Der Beitrag Maschinenfabrik Seydelmann KG Acquires a Stake in AMFEC and Expands Strategic Partnership for the North American Market erschien zuerst auf petfood pro Technology & Marketing.

spoga dog powered by ZZF is already receiving strong support from the industry during the preparation phase: With TRIXIE, mammaly and Landguth, Happy Dog, Bewital, Koch Heimtierweld and Mera Tiernahrung, renowned companies from the pet industry have already confirmed their participation at the premiere in Cologne from 30 January to 1 February 2027. These commitments underline the industry’s interest and send a positive signal for the launch of the trade fair.

Strong signals for the premiere of spoga dog

For Burkhard Friedrichsen, Chief Operating Officer of Trixie Heimtierbedarf GmbH & Co. KG the new platform comes at exactly the right time: “TRIXIE is taking part in the premiere of spoga dog powered by ZZF, because we are convinced that this new platform will bring new momentum to the market and lend the topic of dogs the significance it deserves. For us in such challenging times this is the right moment to demonstrate presence, showcase innovations and set new benchmarks together with the specialised trade.”

With mammaly a further company is on board that views the development of the pet market particularly from the perspective of preventative animal health. “We believe that preventive animal health is the future of the pet market – spoga dog is precisely the place where this future is shaped together with the specialised trade,” said Tanja Viefhues, Senior Key Account Manager at mammaly.

Landguth also provided early confirmation of its participation at the premiere of spoga dog powered by ZZF.  “Landguth is taking part in spoga dog powered by ZZF because we are passionate about co-shaping the future of pet food. We are looking forward to the new format, it is the ideal place for us to share our innovations directly with an interested trade audience,” commented Janina Caspers, Head of Sales at Landguth.

In the opinion of Sebastian Rosito, Vice President Trade Fair Management at Koelnmesse GmbH, the exhibitor commitment confirms the chosen course. “With spoga dog powered by ZZF, we are creating a new B2B format for a market this is evolving dynamically and which poses clear demands in networking, visibility and business development. The fact that renowned companies are confirming their participation at the premiere shows that we are addressing a relevant market need with our concept.”

Gordon Bonnet, Chief Operating Officer of the ZZF – German Pet Trade & Industry Association and of the WZF (Pet Industry Services Company) also emphasised the content-related relevance of the new format: “The dog industry is developing extremely dynamically: Topics such as animal health, functional nutrition, sustainability, premium products and intelligent activities and equipment are driving innovations.
spoga dog powered by ZZF offers an exceptional opportunity to present these trends for dog owners and at the same time leverage the close touchpoints with the equestrian world. This creates additional market potential and access to new business contacts for manufacturers from both the dog and horse sectors.”

Specialised programme enhances new B2B format

A diversified stage programme is planned to accompany the trade fair, which will focus on the latest developments, trends and future themes in the dog industry. Lectures, panel discussions and examples of best practice are to create space for a knowledge transfer, inspiration and exchange. In this way, spoga dog powered by ZZF aims to offer extra added value for the trade, industry and further industry players and strengthen the dialogue within the community.

Companies that would like to become part of the premiere, can register as exhibitors now. Media representatives can also save the date for spoga dog powered by ZZF: The press accreditation is expected to open in the late autumn 2026.

For more information, please visit: www.spogadog.com. 

About the pet industry and the ZZF

People live together with pets in 43 percent of all households in Germany (How many dogs, cats, small mammals and birds live in Germany? | ZZF ). After cats, dogs are the most popular four-legged companion of humans: In total, 10 million dogs are found in 20 percent of Germany’s households.

The ZZF – Central Association of the Pet Industry – was founded in Wiesbaden in 1947 and asserts itself for a responsible and animal-friendly pet keeping and represents the professional and economic interests of pet shops, manufacturers and wholesalers of pet food, care and supply products, pet breeders and wholesalers as well as pet groomers in salons (dog hairdressers).

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The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC), in partnership with rePurpose Global, announced the return of Plastic Recovery July, an industry-wide initiative helping pet companies fund verified plastic recovery projects around the world.

The campaign brings together pet brands, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and retailers to support the recovery of plastic waste that would otherwise pollute communities, waterways, and ecosystems.

The initiative follows a successful inaugural campaign in 2025, when 14 companies across the pet industry collectively funded the recovery of more than 92,000 pounds of plastic waste through impact projects in Kenya, India, and Indonesia.

Those efforts also supported more than 1,070 waste workers through recovery and recycling programs while helping protect coral reefs, mangrove forests, and sensitive ecosystems in the Himalayan foothills. More than 800 women were supported through workforce and leadership opportunities connected to local recovery systems.

“The first year of Plastic Recovery July showed what becomes possible when companies across the pet industry align around shared action,” said the Pet Sustainability Coalition. “Collective investment creates measurable impact at a scale individual companies cannot achieve alone.”

This year’s campaign will continue supporting verified recovery efforts through rePurpose Global’s Verified Plastic Recovery (VPR) framework, which tracks and verifies recovered plastic through ethical collection and end-of-life processing systems. Funds raised through Plastic Recovery July will support one of rePurpose Global’s 13 active impact projects spanning 6 countries across South Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa — from protecting whale breeding grounds on Colombia’s Pacific coast to safeguarding coral ecosystems in Bali to empowering women-led waste collection networks in India. Each project operates through rePurpose’s VPR framework, ensuring every pound recovered is tracked, verified, and tied to dignified livelihoods for waste workers on the ground. Specific project allocation will be shared following the campaign.

Plastic Recovery July was designed to offer companies a practical action they can take today while broader packaging transitions continue to evolve across the industry.

“Plastic Recovery July proves that meaningful impact starts with taking action and amplifies when we act collectively. Fourteen companies came together last year and recovered 92,000 pounds of plastic. We’re proud to partner with PSC to make verified plastic recovery accessible to every company that’s ready.” – Manika Doshi, CEO, rePurpose Global

To date, rePurpose Global has helped recover more than 100 million pounds of plastic waste globally through its recovery and recycling initiatives.

This initiative is made possible thanks to support from World Pet Association (WPA) to underwrite and expand the program to achieve 50 thousand pounds of plastic recovery.

Early supporters for the 2026 campaign include Earth Animal, Printpack, Ahlstrom, Bimini Pet Health, Cloud Star, InClover, Petcurean Pet Nutrition, Polkadog, Material Motion, Morris Packaging, and Royal Canin.

Join the Initiative

Companies participating in Plastic Recovery July receive verified recovery impact along with communication assets and coalition-wide visibility opportunities designed to help share participation clearly and credibly.

Participation levels range from Ally ($1,000) to Torchbearer ($10,000), with PSC members eligible to apply one member credit toward participation while supplies last.

Plastic Recovery July offers companies a way to participate in practical, measurable action today while joining a growing industry movement focused on collective impact.

Get started by emailing: membersupport@petsustainability.org

About the Pet Sustainability Coalition

The Pet Sustainability Coalition is a nonprofit that advances sustainability in the pet industry through collaboration, education, and innovation. Founded in 2013 by eight companies, PSC now serves more than 200 member companies across the pet industry, helping them to progress on their sustainability practices, set and strive for ambitious goals, and report on their achievements. Additionally, PSC leads retailers, distributors, manufacturers, brands, and suppliers in pursuing collaborative solutions to some of the largest industry-wide issues, such as sustainable packaging and protein sourcing. Connect with us on LinkedIn and YouTube. Learn more at www.petsustainability.org.

About rePurpose Global:

rePurpose Global is the world’s leading packaging compliance and sustainability platform, helping 400+ brands take meaningful action on plastic waste and another 100+ stay ahead of evolving regulations. Our Impact Projects enable credible, high-integrity sustainability claims through verified plastic recovery and have collectively recovered over 100 million pounds of plastic waste from the environment, improving the lives of thousands of marginalized waste workers, and delivering waste management services to millions of people. On the EPR compliance side, our purpose-built platform handles reporting across all states, fee forecasting, and source reduction planning, so your team can comply without the operational lift. Trusted by brands like Tillamook, Swarovski, and Oatly. Learn more at repurpose.global.

Der Beitrag Pet Industry Unites for Plastic Recovery July to Fund Verified Plastic Recovery Worldwide erschien zuerst auf petfood pro Technology & Marketing.

Summer is probably the best time of year for dogs and their owners. But between beach chairs and mountain panoramas, there are a number of pitfalls lurking that can overwhelm a dog’s stomach and lead to acute diarrhoea. ida+, which specialises in high-quality dietary supplements for dogs, provides an overview of the typical triggers and explains what to do if your dog does happen to fall ill.

1. From lakes to puddles: these water sources are a cause for concern in summer

Dogs drink a lot in summer, and by no means always from their clean bowl at home. When out and about, there are several risks lurking that every dog owner should be aware of.

• Swimming lakes:Beware of stagnant water. During prolonged heatwaves, toxic blue-green algae multiply rapidly. Even a small sip is enough to cause poisoning, vomiting and acute diarrhoea. Therefore, look out for warning signs on the shore or greenish-blue streaks on the water’s surface.
• Puddles: What looks like a harmless source of water is often a breeding ground for bacteria and parasites in warm weather. Water bowls left in the sun for hours are also risky. So change the water several times a day and carry your own water bottle with you.
• The sea: When your dog is romping through the waves or enthusiastically fetching their favourite ball, they often swallow a surprising amount of salt water. The salt dehydrates the body and can quickly lead to sudden diarrhoea. You should therefore offer your four-legged friend fresh drinking water regularly and take breaks in the shade.

2. Found & Spoilt: The food traps they sniff out

• Spoilt food: Wet food spoils surprisingly quickly in a bowl at summer temperatures. Within a few hours, bacteria multiply rapidly and flies may lay their eggs in it. You should therefore offer food in smaller portions, store opened tins in the fridge and dispose of any uneaten leftovers after an hour at the latest.
• Food scraps on the beach and at barbecue areas: On holiday, your dog is exploring new and exciting surroundings, but it’s worth keeping a close eye on any scraps they sniff out on the ground. Discarded barbecue scraps, greasy bones or dried-out fish remains on the beach or at the campsite are anything but wholesome. Such ‘finds’ are not only hard to digest but may also contain pathogens.
• Ice-cold water or ice cream: however well-intentioned the quick cool-down may be, ice-cold water straight from the fridge or a lick of an ice cream sundae can severely irritate a dog’s stomach. This often results in acute diarrhoea. It is therefore better to offer water that is lukewarm to cool and to avoid ice cream intended for humans. If you want to treat your dog to something refreshing, you can opt for special dog-friendly ice cream recipes made with yoghurt or broth.

3. A change of scenery with side effects: travel & new stimuli

Many dogs are creatures of habit. What for us is a long-awaited holiday initially means excitement for our four-legged friends – and sometimes pure stress, which can upset their stomachs.

• Travel stress & change of scenery: Long car journeys, flights or unfamiliar pet carriers often unsettle dogs. The combination of excitement, lack of exercise and confined spaces frequently leads to the dog developing diarrhoea upon arrival at their destination. Add to this unfamiliar noises, smells and a change in daily routine, and the strain on your four-legged friend is greater than many owners realise. Regular breaks along the way and familiar items such as their favourite blanket or toy help your dog to travel more relaxed and settle in more quickly.
• Climate and dietary changes: Extremely high temperatures at the holiday destination further weaken the immune system. If this is compounded by a change in diet – for example, because the dog’s usual brand is not available at the holiday destination – diarrhoea is often inevitable. It is therefore best to take a sufficient supply of the dog’s usual food with you, or to gradually switch to a brand that is also available whilst travelling, starting a few weeks before departure.

Well-prepared for summer adventures with Diar-Stopp Tabs from ida+

Having a quick, immediate remedy to hand helps to spare the nerves of both dog and owner in such moments. That’s why ida+ has developed the perfect solution: Diar-Stopp Tabs. These chewable tablets provide relief during and after acute diarrhoea and, thanks to their compact form, are the ideal companion for day trips, hikes and that big summer holiday. Their broad spectrum of active ingredients works in two ways: thanks to bentonite, psyllium husks and rice flour, they help maintain normal digestion during acute episodes – whilst selected probiotics and prebiotics containing the gut bacterium Enterococcus faecium promote the balance of the gut flora.

The combination of ingredients can have a positive effect on your dog’s gut health. This helps your four-legged friend get back on their paws quickly, so you can carry on with your holiday together.

These warning signs require veterinary attention

Acute diarrhoea is generally not unusual in dogs and, in many cases, clears up after one or two days. In summer, however, the heat can quickly lead to dangerous dehydration. If the diarrhoea lasts longer than 24 hours, or if the dog appears listless, has a fever or refuses to drink, veterinary advice should be sought immediately.

Diar-Stopp Tabs are a dietary supplement for dogs and cats designed to alleviate acute intestinal malabsorption.
Recommended duration of use: 1–7 days. It is recommended that you seek advice from a vet before use. Avoid simultaneous oral administration of macrolides. Feed only the recommended daily amount.

About ida+

ida+ is a brand of Dr. Hesse GmbH & Co. KG, which has been developing animal health solutions since 1959. Since 2017, ida+ has been offering dietary supplements tailored to the individual needs of dogs. With in-depth expertise, high-quality ingredients and production in Germany, ida+ creates holistic, effective and practical solutions for health, vitality and wellbeing – for every dog and at every stage of life.

Further information: www.idaplus-dogs.de

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The international event connected technology suppliers, producers, researchers and decision-makers through trade, innovation, knowledge sharing and new market development

“Connecting minds, shaping futures”

During the press lunch with the media in Nuremberg, some previews of Zoomark 2027 – taking place in BolognaFiere from 11^th to 13^thMay 2027, were unveiled

 The pet world is evolving, and Zoomark is always one step ahead. With exactly one year to go until Zoomark 2027, the latest news and developments concerning the 22nd edition of the international pet food and pet care trade fair were presented in Nuremberg. The event is scheduled to take place at BolognaFiere from 11^th to 13^th May 2027.

“At a time when supply chains are being reorganised on a global scale, Zoomark is strengthening its role as an international platform supporting the evolution of the pet industry by connecting innovation, business and market access. The growth of the exhibition confirms the value of a trade fair model that goes beyond bringing together supply and demand, acting instead as a relationship of infrastructure for the entire industry ecosystem. For BolognaFiere, Zoomark represents a strategic asset within the Group’s international growth path and a global hub capable of generating connections, fostering new business opportunities and supporting the competitiveness of a sector undergoing profound transformation.”

The remarks of Antonio Bruzzone, CEO of BolognaFiere, introduce the strategic framework and the main topics addressed during the press conference held in Nuremberg on Thursday 14^th May 2026.

Chaired by Enrico Zannini, General Manager of BolognaFiere Cosmoprof, and Luisa Bersanetti, Exhibition Manager of Zoomark, and Pascale Sonvico, Show Office and Sales Manager of Zoomark, the conference featured two distinguished speakers: Giorgio Massoni, President of Assalco and Sahiba Puri, Global Manager Pet Care at Euromonitor International.

The pet market in Italy in the Assalco-Zoomark Report 2026

The presentation of the Assalco-Zoomark Report 2026 captured the attention of those present: the pet market (pet food + pet care) in Italy is worth €5.3 billion in 2025, up +2.5%. In the pet food segment, there has been a return to organic volume growth, following a two-year period of stability and caution driven by price increases.

On the performance of the pet food and pet care sector in Italy and the outlook for the coming months, Giorgio Massoni, President of Assalco, provided an overview: “The new omnichannel interpretation of our sector, coupled with positive market indicators, reaffirms the importance of pets in Italy. The survey conducted among pet owners confirms their widespread presence across all types of households, particularly among families with young children. Given that pets are so deeply woven into the social fabric, we believe it is essential to advocate for fiscal policies aimed at supporting owners in the purchase of pet food — everyday products that ensure the nutritional needs of companion animals are properly met — as well as veterinary services, which are essential to safeguarding pets’ health.”

Zoomark launches PetBridge India

The global success of the Zoomark brand has prompted BolognaFiere to look beyond Italy and Europe, focusing its strategic efforts on Eastern and non-European markets, particularly India, where Zoomark has officially launched PetBridge, a brand-new B2B trade fair designed to literally build a bridge between India’s rapidly expanding pet care sector and the global industry. The event will make its official debut in Mumbai on 25^th and 26^th November 2026 at the NESCO Center.

“India’s pet care sector  – has explained Sahiba Puri , Global Manager Pet Care at Euromonitor International who provided several highlights in her presentation India’s Pet Care Market – is entering its transformation era. It leads the world in large dog population expansion and rising pet cat ownership levels. Driven by stronger pet humanization levels and a thriving start-up landscape, Indian pet care is transitioning from basic care to a wellness-minded ecosystem.”

“Strengthened by our global vision,” said Luisa Bersanetti, “I am delighted to announce this important milestone for our Group. The partnership with PetBridge represents a valuable step in the internationalisation journey undertaken by Zoomark, which today even more concretely embodies a bridge between Europe and the rest of the world.”

The global pet economy will gather at Zoomark 2027

In 2027, Zoomark is expected to welcome more than 1,500 exhibitors and 33,000 high-profile visitors from across the globe, further reinforcing the event’s strong growth trajectory, which has risen by 23% over recent editions.

Zoomark 2027 will further expand the presence of buyers from key established and emerging markets, thanks to several partnerships and the valuable support provided by Italian Trade Agency (ITA/ICE) through its incoming buyer programme, thereby offering genuine growth opportunities for exhibiting companies.

Zoomark will also strengthen key partnerships with leading international trade fairs, including Petzoo Eurasia in Turkey and Saudi Pet&Vet Expo in Saudi Arabia, both serving as strategic gateways to the Middle Eastern market. Zoomark will coordinate the participation of Italian companies in the Italy Pavilion at Pet Fair South East Asia in Thailand and will be exhibiting in China at TOPS and Marca China within the Pet Pavilion, in addition to attending Global Pet Expo, SuperZoo, and Petzoo Africa.

The future of the pet industry at Zoomark 2027

The conference served primarily as a platform to preview the innovations slated for Zoomark 2027, highlighting its new strategic positioning as a creative nerve centre —one capable of capturing emerging trends and projecting them onto the global stage.

In this light, Zoomark 2027 is already poised for success, as demonstrated by the promising results of the registration campaign so far, with more than 50% of exhibition space already secured.

“Zoomark 2027 is already fully engaged in preparations for its next milestone edition” – highlighted Pascale Sonvico, Show Office and Sales Manager – “Our event is a powerful benchmark for the global pet food and pet care market. It is the ideal venue where the industry forges vital connections, distribution embraces innovation, and the future of the sector is shaped.”

Zoomark Days 2026

Despite there being a full year to go before the 22nd edition, Zoomark is already in full swing.

“We are firm believers that professional dialogue must be an ongoing process; it is with this in mind that we have launched Zoomark Days,” explained Pascale Sonvico. “This initiative comprises a series of day-long events scheduled at various locations across the length and breadth of Italy throughout 2026. Tailored to both the industry and the retail sector, these sessions are designed to foster networking, explore shifting market dynamics, and discuss strategic business opportunities.”

Even during the show’s off-year, Zoomark keeps its network closely connected while gathering pace for its return in 2027

Special Areas: Zoomark 2027 launches Beyond

Zoomark 2027 will see the return of its most successful formats, alongside hall events and thematic pathways developed through strategic collaborations—notably the ongoing partnership with the Pet Sustainability Coalition. The show’s dedicated special areas will be both retained and expanded: Factory, dedicated to the supply chain (suppliers of raw materials and semi-finished goods, machinery, packaging, and industry services); Next, focused on start-ups and innovation; Atelier, showcasing excellence in pet fashion, design, and beauty; Pawfect!, a live experience area designed for grooming professionals and pet wellness; Pet Vision, highlighting future trends; and Aqua Project, dedicated to the aquarium and terrarium industry.

There are also extraordinary new developments on the horizon. Among them, revealed for the first time, is the launch of a seventh special area.

“This new area is named Beyond,” explains Pascale Sonvico. “It will play host to companies operating within the bereavement and memorial care sector. Zoomark will be the first international trade fair in the industry to dedicate a specific thematic area and in-depth programme to this segment. It is a rapidly expanding field, driven by an increasingly profound need among pet parents for support when facing the loss of their pets and a desire to honour their memory in a meaningful way.”

The journey of innovation within the pet economy continues apace, building momentum towards the next edition of Zoomark, taking place from 11^th to 13^th May 2027.

www.zoomark.it

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The Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) recognized leading companies from across the pet industry during the inaugural European Pet Sustainability Awards ceremony on May 12, held at the PSC Interzoo Networking Event in the Foyer Brüssel at the Exhibition Centre in Nuremberg, Germany.

Presented in front of global pet industry leaders attending Interzoo, the awards celebrated companies demonstrating measurable progress, innovation, and leadership across key areas of sustainability such as packaging, ingredient innovation, climate action, and industry collaboration.

The awards are exclusive to PSC Accredited companies, which are businesses that have completed the pet industry’s only third-party verified sustainability accreditation process. PSC Accreditation measures and verifies how responsibly a company operates across environmental and social impact areas through a verified assessment and documentation review process. Accredited companies represent a growing global community committed to continuous improvement, transparency, and practical action across the pet industry.

“It’s easy, especially in sustainability, to focus on what’s not working or how far we still have to go,” said Jim Lamancusa, CEO of the Pet Sustainability Coalition. “But the reality is, there has been meaningful progress across this industry. By recognizing and celebrating the work being done, we create momentum. We highlight what’s possible. And we help move the entire industry forward.”

2026 European Pet Sustainability Award Winners

• Industry Collaboration Award
  Winner: MPM / Applaws Recognized for advancing pre-competitive collaboration, transparency, and collective action across the value chain, including leadership in responsible recruitment, climate risk in sourcing regions, and the development of more sustainable packaging solutions.
• Climate Action Leadership Award
  Winner: Corbion Honored for a science-based approach to greenhouse gas measurement and reduction, supplier engagement, and integrating climate considerations into long-term business strategy.
• New Sustainable Product of the Year: Consumable
  Winner: Hemp Heros Awarded for embedding sustainability into product design through certified organic and low-impact ingredients, transparent sourcing practices, lower-impact production methods, and packaging improvements that increase recyclability and reduce material use.
• New Sustainable Product of the Year: Hard Goods
  Winner: Moderna Products Recognized for integrating recycled materials, renewable energy, lifecycle thinking, and transparent reporting into product and operational design.
• Sustainable Packaging Innovation Award
  Winner: Tyler Packaging Honored for scalable packaging solutions designed for recyclability, meaningful use of post-consumer recycled content, transparent disclosure, and advancing circular packaging systems across the pet industry.
• Sustainable Ingredient Innovation Award
  Winner: Corbion Recognized for developing scalable, data-backed, and innovative fermentation-based ingredient solutions that reduce pressure on marine ecosystems while improving supply resilience and lowering environmental impact.

The ceremony took place during PSC’s Interzoo networking event, bringing together sustainability leaders from across the global pet industry for an evening focused on collaboration, innovation, and shared progress. The event was sponsored by Applaws and Tyler Packaging.

Applications Opening Soon: Worldwide Pet Sustainability Awards

PSC also announced that applications for the Worldwide Pet Sustainability Awards will officially open on May 18, 2026, for all PSC Accredited members.

The worldwide awards program will recognize leadership across categories including:

• Overall Industry Leadership Awards
• Sustainable Packaging Innovation Award – Packaging Suppliers
• Sustainable Ingredient Innovation Award – Ingredient Suppliers
• Product Innovation Award
• Environmental Excellence
• Social and Governance Excellence

Winners will be recognized during Impact Unleashed, PSC’s annual sustainability event taking place November 9-11, 2026, in Boulder, Colorado.

• Registration to attend the event, including the Awards Gala, is open now: https://psc.petsustainability.org/impactunleashed
• Applications to apply for the award close August 31, 2026. Companies must be PSC Accredited Members to qualify. Companies interested in applying or learning more about PSC Accreditation can visit: https://petsustainability.org/accreditation/

About the Pet Sustainability Coalition

The Pet Sustainability Coalition is a nonprofit that advances sustainability in the pet industry through collaboration, education, and innovation. Founded in 2013 by eight companies, PSC now serves more than 200 member companies across the pet industry, helping them to progress on their sustainability practices, set and strive for ambitious goals, and report on their achievements. Additionally, PSC leads retailers, distributors, manufacturers, brands, and suppliers in pursuing collaborative solutions to some of the largest industry-wide issues, such as sustainable packaging and protein sourcing. Connect with them on LinkedIn and YouTube. Learn more at www.petsustainability.org.

Der Beitrag Pet Sustainability Coalition Announces First-Ever European Pet Sustainability Award Winners at Interzoo 2026 erschien zuerst auf petfood pro Technology & Marketing.

ADM (NYSE: ADM), a global leader in innovative solutions from nature, is expanding its PRIOME®* postbiotics portfolio for pets with the addition of PRIOME® Joint Health (heat-treated Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus NCIMB 30446). Preliminary in vitro and model organism research show PRIOME® JH has potential to support joint health, cartilage function, collagen production, muscle maintenance, gut barrier function and healthy weight management.¹

A growing body of research indicates the interplay between the gut microbiome and joint health, also called the gut-joint axis. An imbalance of the gut microbiome can lead to increased intestinal permeability, allowing bacteria and related compounds to cross the intestinal barrier and enter systemic circulation. Research suggests that this transfer of microbial metabolites often initiates a variety of physiological responses, serving as a possible mechanistic link between the gut microbiome and joint health.² Crucially, evidence of this connection has been demonstrated in dogs: a study comparing healthy dogs with those diagnosed with hip or elbow arthritis found measurable differences in gut microbial community composition and reduced bacterial diversity in arthritic animals, supporting the existence of a microbiome-joint axis in canine patients.³ These findings point to a compelling opportunity to support the gut microbiome with probiotic, prebiotic and postbiotic ingredients and address joint health from the inside out. Recently, these findings were published in the renowned journal, Cells.

“Joint health is among pet parents’ top concerns for their pet’s quality of life, as it can affect not only mobility but also energy, healthy aging and activity levels,⁴ ” said Mark Lotsch, Global President, Health & Wellness at ADM. “Our postbiotic ingredient is an innovative science-backed solution that can support wellness in a variety of pet-friendly applications, providing pet parents with several convenient and easy-to-use options in pet care.”

As inanimate microorganisms, postbiotic efficacy is not reliant on maintenance of cell viability, and functionality is maintained throughout manufacturing and stability testing. Functionality of ADM’s PRIOME® postbiotics are thoroughly validated by application scientists across a wide range of finished product formats, including powders, soft chews, baked treats, extruded treats and chews, liquids, dry kibble and wet food.^‡ Product manufacturers can easily incorporate PRIOME® postbiotics into various formula matrices at appropriate inclusion rates that do not impact the taste or smell of finished products, supporting pet palatability.

“We combine deep formulation expertise with a robust portfolio of microbiome solutions — including prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics — to help brands bring consumer-driven pet products to market,” said James Kyffin, Global Director, Pet and Animal Wellbeing at ADM. “From custom formulations to market-ready solutions, we enable convenient, on-trend innovations backed by clinically studied ingredients that deliver real value for today’s pet parents.”

Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus NCIMB 30446† is an Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)-accepted biotic species and ADM is a National Animal Supplement Council (NASC)-preferred supplier. Other offerings in ADM’s PRIOME® postbiotic suite include Oral Care, Metabolic Health, Gut Health, Mental Wellbeing and Skin Health. Learn more about ADM’s science-backed microbiome solutions for pets here.

*PRIOME® is a trademark registered in the name of ADM International Sàrl.
†Listed as Lactobacillus casei in the AAFCO Official Publication
‡Regulatory compliance for ingredient use, permitted product types, and product claims remain the responsibility of the brand owner or guarantor
¹Based on ADM’s pre-clinical research
²Hernandez C.J., 2018. Curr. Rheumatol. Rep. 19(12):77
³Cintio M. et al. Vet Sci. 2020 Jul 14;7(3):92
⁴Schmutz et al., 2022. Sci. Reports. 12:12225

About ADM
ADM unlocks the power of nature to enrich the quality of life. We’re an essential global agricultural supply chain manager and processor, providing food security by connecting local needs with global capabilities. We’re a premier human and animal nutrition provider, offering one of the industry’s broadest portfolios of ingredients and solutions from nature. We’re a trailblazer in health and well-being, with an industry-leading range of products for consumers looking for new ways to live healthier lives. We’re a cutting-edge innovator, guiding the way to a future of new bio-based consumer and industrial solutions. And we’re leading in business-driven sustainability efforts that support a strong agricultural sector, resilient supply chains, and a vast and growing bioeconomy. Around the globe, our expertise and innovation are meeting critical needs from harvest to home. Learn more at www.adm.com.

Der Beitrag ADM Introduces PRIOME® Joint Health Postbiotic for Pets erschien zuerst auf petfood pro Technology & Marketing.

This edition will bring together industry leaders, innovators, and stakeholders from across Asia and beyond for three intensive days of business networking, cutting-edge technology showcases, and knowledge exchange across the entire animal feed and health value chain from animal feed, poultry, aqua feed, pet food, along with state-of-art technologies and solutions covering feed additives and ingredients, feed milling, automation, formulation, health ingredients, packaging, data analysis, quality control and more.

Two Proven Events, One Powerful Experience
The co-location of VICTAM & GRAPAS Asia 2026 with VIV Health & Nutrition Asia will create a unique synergy: VICTAM's position as the world's largest dedicated event for the animal feed processing industry combined with VIV's extensive worldwide network in animal health and nutrition. Together, these shows will attract a diverse professional audience including feed formulators and mill managers, animal nutritionists and veterinarians, CEOs and operations directors, animal feed compounders, aquafeed producers, integrators, health solution providers, and pharmaceutical specialists.

For 2026, VICTAM & GRAPAS Asia 2026 also introduces Themed Days designed to enhance visitor engagement and deliver focused learning experiences. In cooperation with feed associations from Thailand and Southeast Asia, feed millers with specific buying intentions are exclusively invited. To match need and demand and stimulate valuable contacts between visitors and exhibitors, each day will also spotlight specific sectors and products through live machinery demonstrations, technical presentations, and expert-led training sessions.

Feed Milling Focus will emphasize hammer mills and dryers, focusing on energy efficiency and product consistency. Perfect for feed mill operators, factory managers, and engineers seeking to boost production performance and sustainability.

Flour Milling Focus will highlight roller mills and storage systems, showcasing solutions for safe and efficient grain handling. Ideal for grain processors, storage facility operators, and logistics professionals looking to enhance safety and streamline operations.

Pet and Aqua Feed Focus will concentrate on extruders, bagging, weighing, and dosing technologies, demonstrating precision and innovation in feed formulation. Tailored for nutritionists, formulators, and equipment specialists aiming to optimize feed quality and production accuracy.

VICTAM Asia 2026, co-located with VIV Health & Nutrition Asia and GRAPAS Asia 2026, is expected to welcome 300+ exhibitors and over 9000 visitors from around the world and will spotlight companies introducing breakthrough technologies that promote sustainability, automation, and precision in industrial production. Some spotlighted exhibitors and innovations include:

Environmental & Sustainable Process Technologies

● Geelen Counterflow (Netherlands) – Provides counterflow dryers and coolers achieving up to 80% energy savings and zero emissions, setting new benchmarks in heat recovery and carbon reduction.

● Cimbria Heid GmbH (Denmark) – maximizing production with low-energy consumption, minimal dust emissions, and optimized process efficiency to ensure consistent feed quality and sustainable performance.

Automation, Digitalization & Precision

● KSE Process Technology B.V. (Netherlands) – Developer of the PROMAS ST process automation platform, integrating dosing, weighing, and batching for Industry 4.0-ready, waste-free operations.

● ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel A/S (Denmark) – offers an extensive line of equipment and complete plant solutions for the production of high-quality feed and biomass products

● Hydronix Ltd (United Kingdom) – A global leader in microwave moisture sensors, enabling real-time quality control, improved product consistency, and energy-efficient production.

● iGrain ApS (Denmark) – Introduces IoT-based post harvest monitoring systems that measure temperature, humidity, and CO₂, preventing spoilage and improving food safety.

Turnkey & Mechanical Innovations

● Amandus Kahl GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) – Pioneers in pelleting and conditioning technology for feed, biofuel, and recycling applications, featuring odor reduction and energy recovery capabilities.

● Ottevanger Milling Engineers (Netherlands) – is a leading global supplier of production equipment and processing lines for the grain processing and compound feed industry.

● YEMMAK A.S. (Turkey) – Designs turnkey feed plants with integrated energy recovery, waste reduction, and renewable fuel systems, supporting circular economy initiatives with 50% less assembly time.

● Vibrafloor (France) – Developer of the self-emptying silo floor system using vibration for complete, dust-free discharge, improving safety and hygiene in bulk handling.

Thermal & Environmental Control

● FrigorTec GmbH (Germany) – Producer of Granifrigor™ grain cooling systems that maintain ideal storage conditions without chemicals, reducing spoilage and extending grain shelf life.

“VICTAM Asia 2026 is excited to be in co-location with VIV Health and Nutrition Asia again to host the complete animal nutrition event for the region; it’s a movement toward smarter, safer, and more sustainable feed and grain industries,” said Mr. Sebas van den Ende, General Manager of Victam International. “We invite all exhibitors, visitors, and members of the media to join us in Bangkok to explore innovation, connect with global leaders, and help shape the future of animal nutrition and food production in Asia.”

Building on this vision, VICTAM Asia 2026 aims to enhance the quality and engagement of the exhibition, attract the right mix of exhibitors and buyers, and foster collaboration and knowledge exchange across the feed and grain sectors. With special themed days, live demonstrations, guided sessions, and technical presentations, the event will deliver a more immersive and business-focused experience for all participants. Through close cooperation with regional associations and industry experts, VICTAM Asia continues to strengthen its role as Asia’s leading meeting point for the feed, grain, and flour processing industries.

In addition, the Thai Feed Mill Association announced plans to collaborate closely with the event organizers by co-hosting technical seminars focusing on feed safety, energy management, and sustainable production practices. “We encourage all our members to take part in Victam Asia 2026 to explore new innovations and build meaningful partnerships with both local and international players. This is a platform where knowledge becomes opportunity and innovation drives business growth” Mr. Somphob Auesongtham, Secretary General of the Thai Feed Mill Association concluded.

With a strong focus on innovation, knowledge exchange, and business growth, VICTAM Asia, VIV Health & Nutrition Asia, and GRAPAS Asia 2026, offers unparalleled opportunities for companies to showcase their latest technologies, network with key decision-makers, and explore new market potential, further reaffirming Bangkok’s position as the agrifood technology and development in the region.

Register to visit the show now and begin planning your visit to Bangkok this March.

The current situation is still not as optimal as it was estimated. Above all, the health of exhibitors and visitors and the successful outcome of the event are most important to the organizers.

In light of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, which has forced the Royal Thai Government to implement new strict measures to control the spread of the pandemic, and the delays of the vaccination programs in several Asian countries, VICTAM and VIV do not see the opportunity to realize a large-scale event on the short term. Looking at the ongoing travel restrictions from and to Asia, the organizers also believe that it is not possible to guarantee the event quality as we know them for. The postponement to the third quarter of 2022 is in the interest of the whole industry.

VICTAM Asia in co-location with Health & Nutrition Asia are thus rescheduled to September 7-9, 2022. The new venue selected is IMPACT Halls 9-10, in Bangkok, Thailand. The objective remains the same: to realize the Total Animal Feed and Health event.

The dates secured in September 2022 will give all stakeholders room to breathe and pay attention to other vital issues. The organizers’ mission is to present a strong, value-adding event to the industry with high benefits for all parties.

VICTAM Corporation and VIV worldwide will also continue their partnership in Europe in 2022 by co-locating VICTAM International and VIV Europe at the Jaarbeurs venue in Utrecht, the Netherlands, from May 31 – June 2, 2022. With the high percentage of vaccinations in Europe there is no reason to doubt that this show can successfully go on as planned.

For more information, please visit the official websites www.victamasia.com and www.vivhealthandnutrition.nl. 

Sebas van den Ende                                                  Heiko M. Stutzinger

General Manager                                                         Director VIV worldwide and Managing Director

VICTAM Corporation                                                 VNU Asia Pacific and VNU Europe

Press contacts.

For more information, please contact:

• Mrs. Frederiken van Hilten, fvanhilten@victam.com (Marketing and Communications Manager VICTAM)
• Ms. Elena Geremia, elena@vnueurope.com (Senior Marcom Manager VIV worldwide)
• Ms. Saengtip Techapatiphandee, saengtip@vnuexhibitionsap.com (Assistant Marcom Manager VNU Asia Pacific)

Save the date:

IFTC 2022: 31 May/1 June 2022, Utrecht, the Netherlands

The 2^nd International Feed Technology Congress (IFTC 2022), organized by Wageningen University and the VICTAM Foundation will be held from 31 May/1 June 2022 during the VICTAM International 2022 in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

            After the successful 1^st edition, brought together 120 researchers from 26 different countries of all continents in Cologne, Germany, the 2^nd edition again will focus on bringing together researchers from universities, research institutions and industry to discuss the latest developments in feed technology. During the 1^st IFTC, valorization of raw materials by technology, current process developments and outcomes of feed technology with respect to feed formulation were major topics. A special Workshop was organized to discuss current and future issues of importance in feed manufacturing technology. Contributions and the results of the Workshop were recently published as a special issue of the ‘Animal Feed Science & Technology’ journal. The successful format of the 1^st IFTC will guarantee high quality presentations by world-renowned experts, open discussions, and publication of the latest scientific and practical developments in feed technology during the 2^nd IFTC.

The 2^nd IFT Congress will be held in Utrecht, the Netherlands during the VICTAM International Exhibition in 2022. Please save the date of the Conference (31 May/1 June 2022) and share this message with your contacts or any person who might be interested in presenting their paper. The topics of the conference and speakers will be published soon.

Further announcements on the submission organization will come by August/September 2021.

By Dr A.F.B. van der Poel,

Wageningen University & Research,

Animal Nutrition group, Wageningen,

The Netherlands

Potential speakers are invited to submit noncommercial abstracts on topics including:
• New research on companion animal nutrition;
• Novel ingredients and their potential applications in pet food or treat formulations;
• Data, trends and predictions for the pet food market, focusing on Europe and including opportunities for innovation;
• New pet retailing information pertinent to the selling or distribution of pet food, including via e-commerce, in Europe;
• New information or ideas for marketing pet food, including via social media;
• New information, techniques or processes for product development in pet food;
• Update on regulatory information relevant to pet food in the European Union;
• New research, technology or processes for pet food production;
• New research, technology or other information on pet food packaging;
• New, specific information on one focused aspect of pet food safety (no general overviews of regulations or pet food safety programs).

Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this exciting conference!

The aim of the training is to provide the necessary information to the participants on the revised version and cover the following topics:  
- FAMI-QS Certification Process 
- FAMI-QS Code 
- FAMI-QS Process Documents
- FAMI-QS Regulatory Compliance 

Who should attend the ‘FAMI-QS: Awareness in Feed Safety’ training program?
- Anyone involved in the implementation of the FAMI-QS Certification System (Quality Managers, Consultants, etc.)
- Internal FAMI-QS Auditor 
- Producers, Suppliers and Traders of Specialty Feed Ingredients 
- Individuals who want to get further information on FAMI-QS Certification 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
- Venue: LE MERIDIEN BANGKOK, 40/5 Surawong Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand 
- Schedule: 09:00 AM - 04:00 PM 
- Admission Fee: 150 € per participant (the fee includes training material, coffee breaks and lunch) 
- Binding registration: 16th February 2018. 
- To register, please fill in the attached registration form and email it to info@fami-qs.org. 

Besides its market value, a credible/ accredited Third Party Certification could also be a useful tool in hands of competent authorities, regarding, e.g. planning of the official controls or “granting” market access to products or operators.   

Third Party Certification is not meant to substitute the responsibilities of competent authorities, but has been increasingly recognized by a number of them as an important element, which not only supports their enforcement role, but can also help setting state-of-the-art practices at global level and, as such, facilitate understanding and exchanges worldwide.  

To enhance better understanding of the role of Third Party Certification in Feed and Food Safety and the role of FAMI-QS in feed safety, a one day workshop on the 4th of April 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia will be organized. 

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:  
- Venue: JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta, Jalan DR Ide Anak Agung Gde Agung Kav E.1.2 No 1&2, - Kawasan Mega Kuningan Jakarta, Indonesia 12950  
- Schedule: 10:00 - 16:00 
- Binding registration: 15 March 2018 
- For more information on the workshop please contact FAMI-QS Secretariat at +32 2 550 3452 or info@fami-qs.org. 
- Please complete the Registration Form and return it to: FAMI-QS secretariat, info@fami-qs.org. 

Read all about the FVG Select 2017 event, the VICTAM Asia 2018 preview, the Global feed survey from Alltech, Industry news, the Nutrition and feed survey by WATT Global Media and much more. Subscribe here if you would like to receive the next edition via e-mail. Please add in the message if you would like to receive the printed version of Showtime.

You can now book your stand for VICTAM Asia 2018! You can find all the detailed information on our website: http://victam-asia.com/exhibitors.  

The floor plan will be online as soon as possible. Please mention your preferred location on the comments box of the application form. If you book before October 1st you will receive an early bird discount! 

The last edition in 2016 was sold out. You can read all about the facts & figures of VICTAM ASIA 2016 here. We expect this edition to sell out as well so secure your stand space as soon as possible. 

For any further questions, please feel free to contact us at expo@victam.com or via +31 33 246 4404.

We look forward to meeting you in Bangkok, Thailand, in March 2018!

Read more by clicking on "visit website".

The EU-28 (Greece, Malta and Luxembourg excluded) figures show that poultry feed production grew by 2%, whereas pig feed fell by 1% and cattle feed remained stable. On the pig feed side, after 2 years of moderate growth, the production decreased by 1% in 2016. This can partly be explained by the effects of African Swine Fever in Eastern Europe, which weighed heavily on the development of pork production, but also by low market prices for pork the first half of 2016 and large availability of feed grade cereals at low prices which benefitted on-farm mixing.  

Read the full article from AllAboutFeed here.

“Als organisatie maken wij al jaren een gestage groei door”, laat Operationeel Directeur Wouter Kuijpers weten. “In het verleden is er om diverse redenen nooit voor gekozen om over te gaan naar een ISO 9001 certificering. Door de nieuwe ‘High Level Structure’ (HLS) van de normering is nu echter het moment gekomen om aan te tonen dat de processen binnen Dinnissen voldoen aan de gestelde eisen van ISO 9001:2015. Voor de bestaande en toekomstige klanten zal deze certificering onderschrijven dat kwaliteit en het continue verbeteren hiervan in het DNA van Dinnissen zit.” 

Lees hier het complete artikel van De Molenaar.

Against this backdrop, the European Biomass Association (AEBIOM) and its sectorial network the European Pellet Council (EPC) will host an International Pellet Conference on the 14th of June, 2017 in Cologne, Germany. The “European Pellet Future” conference will be held in conjunction with the FVG Select 2017. During this conference, technical and financial topics will be addressed, including but not limited to; pellet quality, pellet safety, cost and energy optimisation and risk management. One of the benefits of attending such AEBIOM conferences is to receive updates on ongoing EU legislative processes as well as statistical information on bioenergy. This provides participants with a comprehensive overview of the most recent advancements in the sector. 

The full article by Suzi Dominy, Executive editor/Publisher, Aquafeed.com can be downloaded below. 

The 8th edition of the FIAAP Animal Nutrition Conference aims to address the most pressing issues facing today’s nutritionists and animal feed producers. The one-day event, held on June 14, 2017 in Cologne, Germany, will circle around several key topics: antibiotic elimination strategies, animal feed additives, alternative ingredients and monogastric gut health. Download the flyer for more information or go to www.fvgselect.com. 

The Hydro-Mix HT is a high temperature sensor that will measure moisture in materials that have a process temperature of up to 120°C.  This makes it ideal for installation before or after dryers or in mixing systems. Typical applications include animal feed production, rice and grain processing or other similar applications that need to control moisture in high temperature materials. 

The Hydro-Mix XT is a digital moisture sensor that has measurement modes that optimise results in materials such as grain, rice and other similar materials. This sensor has an external seal enabling it to be installed in dusty or liquid processes or applications, from 1 Bar Vacuum to 5 Bar pressure. 

Both of our new sensors, unlike other systems available in the market, comprise a single unit that contains all on-board functionality such as signal processing, smoothing and averaging.  These sensors come with fixing plates that makes them easy to install flush with the internal wall in drying, ducting, conveying and mixing systems.  

All Hydronix sensors are designed for use in flowing materials with readings being taken 25 times per second as the material passes across the ceramic sensing face.  With Digital Inputs/Output, a choice of measurement modes, free configuration and calibration software and a global sales and support network, Hydronix is already the supplier of choice for many OEM equipment manufacturers, system integrators and end-users. 

Figure 1: Hydro-Mix HT                         Figure 2: Hydro-Mix XT

Please visit our website for further details: www.hydronix.com. Email us on enquiries@hydronix.com or by calling +44 1483 468900. 

For enquiries regarding the press release please contact: Melany George, Marketing Executive: mgeorge@hydronix.com. 

changed but applications have. Read more in the downloadable article (click below this message).

Bulkwagenproducent Welgro in Groenlo speelde al langer met het idee om een 4-asser te bouwen zonder in te boeten op het totale laadvermogen, vertelt marketingmanager Jarno Meijer. “De afnemers kozen tot nu toe nog allemaal voor de traditionele drie-asser. De Hoop Mengvoeders is de eerste voerleverancier die de overstap naar de nieuwe bulkwagen maakt. De eindontwikkeling hebben we in nauw overleg met De Hoop gedaan.” 

Meer over de ontwikkeling van de nieuwe 4-asser van Welgro in een van de komende edities van De Molenaar. 

This is not the only benefit for KSE. “We supply various machines, each with its unique features. This means one and the same part can differ per machine. By using 3D printing, we can produce very flexible. This allows us to deploy developments much better and faster in a shorter time”, Willemse adds enthusiastically.

KSE sees a lot of future opportunities for 3D printing. With a brand new assembly hall and many product innovations it continues to invest in the future to meet customer requirements.
About KSE Process Technology

Founded in 1973, KSE Process Technology is a family business that has grown to a worldwide concern. It supplies everything a factory needs to dose, weigh and transport materials. Besides the ALFRA dosing and weighing systems, it provides PROMAS automation solutions and services for the animal feed industry and related industries.

For more information, visit www.kse.nl or follow KSE on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

Media Enquiries
KSE Process Technology B.V.
Marijke Vreugdenhil
Marketing & PR
Tel: +31 (0)497 383818
Marijke.Vreugdenhil@kse.nl

Ben jij(*):
-    Een 3e of 4e-jaars HBO- student met een bovengemiddelde interesse in data management?
-    Bekend met het organiseren van evenementen?
-    Zelfstandig, initiatiefrijk, sociaal en communicatief vaardig?
-    Een goede mix van een denker en een doener?
-    De Nederlandse en Engelse taal in woord en geschrift machtig?
(*) Als je alle bovenstaande boxen hebt afgevinkt ben jij de man/vrouw die wij zoeken!

Je werkt vooral aan:
Het in kaart brengen, analyseren en op orde brengen/opschonen van onze huidige data. En je helpt mee met het opzetten van de nieuwe datastructuur. Tegelijkertijd verwachten we dat je bereid bent waar en wanneer nodig bij het organiseren van de evenementen te ondersteunen. Tot slot krijg je de tijd en begeleiding om aan je afstudeerscriptie te werken.
Je kunt full time aan de slag vanaf december 2016 of januari 2017, voor een periode van 6 maanden.

Onze stagevergoeding:
Is € 400 tot € 500 bruto (op basis van 32 tot 40 uur) per maand. Ook ben je 2 dagen per maand vrij (op basis van 40 uur per week).

Wij zijn Victam International BV:
En organiseren onder de noemer FIAAP, VICTAM en GRAPAS internationale vakbeurzen in de diervoeding, rijst- en bloemverwerking en biomassa industrieën in Europa en Azië. Op 13 en 14 juni 2017 lanceren wij een nieuw evenement in Keulen, Duitsland: FVG Select 2017.  FVG Select is een nieuw format bestaande uit drie elementen: een uitgebreid congres programma, een matchmaking programma en een vakbeurs voor een geselecteerd aantal bedrijven. Voor meer informatie over Victam International BV ga naar www.victam.com.

Stuur je motivatie en CV naar:
erikheemskerk@victam.com. Vermeld hierbij ook de gewenste startdatum, stageduur, aantal dagen en eisen vanuit school. Voor inhoudelijke vragen kun je contact op nemen met Erik Heemskerk op 033-246 4404 of 06-3343 7945.

Victam International B.V. is the organizer of FIAAP/VICTAM/GRAPAS International in Cologne, Germandy and FIAAP/VICTAM/GRAPAS Asia in Bangkok, Thailand. Victam also organizes the brand new FVG Select Event in Cologne, Germany, from 13014 June, 2017.

For more information: www.victam.com

Important dates:
- FVG Select 2017, June 13 – 14, 2017 New event!
- FIAAP/ VICTAM/ GRAPAS Asia 2018, March 27 – 29, 2018, Bangkok, Thailand
- FIAAP/ VICTAM/ GRAPAS International 2019, June 12 – 14, 2019, Cologne, Germany.

Victam International B.V. is de organisator van de vakbeurzen FIAAP/VICTAM/GRAPAS International in Keulen, Duitsland en FIAAP/VICTAM/GRAPAS Asia in Bangkok, Thailand. Zij organiseert tevens het gloednieuwe FVG Select evenement in Keulen. FVG Select wordt op 13 & 14 juni gehouden in de KoelnMesse in Keulen.

Voor meer informatie: www.victam.com

Belangrijke data:
- FVG Select 2017, 13 – 14 juni, 2017, Keulen, Duitsland.  Nieuw evenement!
- FIAAP/ VICTAM/ GRAPAS Asia 2018, 27 – 29 maart, 2018, Bangkok, Thailand
- FIAAP/ VICTAM/ GRAPAS International 2019, 12 – 14 juni, 2019, Keulen, Duitsland.

Descripción del trabajo:
• Vender metros cuadrados y productos relacionados (publicidad, patrocinio) para nuestras ferias a (posibles) expositores en España
• Gestionar las relaciones con los clientes en España
• Representar a VICTAM durante eventos relacionados en España
• Ofrecer apoyo en la promoción de los visitantes
• Establecer y mantener relaciones con asociaciones, medios de comunicación, etc.
• Supervisar y notificar desarrollos y tendencias relevantes del mercado en los sectores de piensos, granos o biomasa en España

Perfil:
• Tener experiencia relevante en ventas en relación con ferias, conferencias y eventos
• Estar orientado al cliente
• Ser hispanohablante y tener buen dominio del inglés
• Tener afinidad con ferias
• Estar dispuesto a viajar
• Tener afinidad con los sectores de piensos, granos o biomasa

Características:
• Persona emprendedora, con destrezas comerciales y sociales, creativa y curiosa, representativa, con capacidad para soportar el estrés y estable.

Se llegará a un acuerdo con el candidato adecuado sobre la base de comisiones sobre productos vendidos. Si procede, se reembolsarán los gastos de desplazamiento.

Las personas interesadas pueden ponerse en contacto con Erik Heemskerk de Victam International , llamando al número +31 33 246 44 04 o enviando un mensaje a erikheemskerk@victam.com

Stellenbeschreibung:
• Verkauf von Quadratmetern und von damit verbundenen Produkten (Werbung, Sponsoring) für unsere Ausstellungen an (potenzielle) Aussteller in Deutschland
• Kundenbeziehungsmanagement in Deutschland
• Vertretung von VICTAM bei Events im Zusammenhang mit dem Unternehmen in Deutschland
• Unterstützung bei der Besucherwerbung
• Aufbau und Aufrechterhaltung von Beziehungen zu Assoziationen, Medien, etc.
• Beobachtung relevanter Marktentwicklungen und Trends im Bereich der Futtermittel-, Getreide- und Biomasseindustrie in Deutschland und diesbezügliche Berichterstellung

Profil:
• Relevante Vertriebserfahrung im Zusammenhang mit Messen und Events
• Kundenorientiert
• Deutschsprachig mit guten Englischkenntnissen
• Affinität zu Ausstellungen
• Reisebereitschaft
• Affinität zur Futtermittel-, Getreide- und/oder Biomasseindustrie Charaktereigenschaften:
• Unternehmerische, kaufmännische und soziale Fähigkeiten; kreativ und wissbegierig, repräsentativ, belastbar, stabile Persönlichkeit.

Mit der/dem geeigneten Kandidatin/en wird eine Vereinbarung auf Kommissionsgrundlage im Hinblick auf verkaufte Produkte getroffen. Falls anwendbar, werden Reisekosten zurückerstattet.

Bei Interesse bitte bevor 16. September Kontakt aufnehmen mit:
Victam International, Mr. Erik Heemskerk, Tel. +31 33 246 44 04 oder erikheemskerk@victam.com.

The Aquafeed Innovation Award was won by Kemin Industries (Asia) Pte. Ltd. It was accepted on their behalf by Michael van den Dries.

The runner up for the GRAPAS Innovation Awards was Agentis Innovations. The award was accepted by Yiannis Christodoulou.

The winner of the GRAPAS Innovation Awards was Eye-Grain Aps. The award was accepted by Peer Hansen.

The Animal Feed Technology & Nutrition Award was won by Huvepharma. The award was accepted by Lode Nollet.

More pictures of the exhibition can be found in this Google Photos album.

The conference, which draws the aquafeed industry together from throughout Asia Pacific and beyond, focuses on advances in feed processing and formulation that bring practical solutions to the commercial aquaculture feed sector.
Early Bird registration is now open and offers a discounted registration fee in addition to group and other discounts. Special rates are also available for students and Thai speakers.

"We are grateful to Buhler, Nutriad, Olmix and Wenger for stepping forward to support this year's conference as sponsors", said Suzi Dominy, Aquafeed.com's publisher and the conference organizer. "We applaud their commitment to helping us bring information and knowledge to this specialized and vital sector of the aquaculture industry; they help us reach more people who can benefit from the expertise our presenters bring".

PROGRAM±
- INTERACTIONS OF EXTRUSION AND INGREDIENTS FOR AQUATIC FEEDS - Joseph P. Kearns, Vice President Aqua-Feed Div., Wenger Manufacturing, Inc., USA       
- DURABLE SINKING FISH FEED WITH LOW STARCH FORMULATIONS AND AN EXAMPLE WITH INSECT MEAL AS ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN - Urs Wuest, Product Management Aquafeed & Petfood, Business Unit Nutrition, Bühler AG, Switzerland
- PRE-PROCESSING OF FEEDSTUFFS TO IMPROVE THEIR FEEDING VALUE FOR AQUACULTURE FEEDS - Dr. Dominique P. Bureau, Professor, University of Guelph, Canada
- GART AS A PLATFORM TO INVESTIGATE DISEASE CONTROL STRATEGIES AGAINST AHPND/EMS IN SHRIMP - Dr. ir. Margriet Drouillon, Business Developer Aqua UGent, Belgium
- ADVANCES IN AMINO ACID NUTRITION OF SHRIMP - Dr. Alexandros Samartzis, Regional Technical Sales Manager, Evonik (SEA), Singapore
- PLANT EXTRACTS IN AQUACULTURE FEEDS: FROM MODES OF ACTION TO PRACTICAL APPLICATION - Clementine Oguey, Aqua Product Expert, PANCOSMA & Associates, Switzerland
- EFFECT OF AN ALGO-CLAY BASED BIOCATALYST ON THE DIGESTIVE AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF JUVENILE SHRIMP (LITOPENAEUS VANNAMEI) - Maarten Jay van Schoonhoven, Aqua BU manager, Olmix, France
- FEED FOR THE FUTURE: THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR A BETTER AND SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY - Dr. M A Kabir Chowdhury, Global Product Manager - Aquaculture, Jefo Nutrition Inc., Canada
- FUNCTIONAL FEEDS – BAD BUG BUSTERS TO REDUCE THE IMPACT FROM DISEASE IN FARMED FISH AND SHRIMP - Dr. Peter Coutteau, Business Unit Manager – Aquaculture, Nutriad International NV, Belgium

Press contact: Suzi Dominy email: suzidominy@hawaii.rr.com

The GRAPAS Awards organised by Milling and Grain had joint winners.

Alapala (pictured above) won the award for their Similago II Rollermill.

Buhler AG (pictured above) won the award for their Antares Plus Rollermill.

The Aquafeed Innovation Award organised by Aquafeed.com was won by Tovalia Intelscan SARL (pictured above) for their iScan Silo Moisture Sensor.

The FIAAP Animal Nutrition Award organised by AllAboutFeed was won by Adifo (pictured above) for their One tool - MultiModel - MultiSpecies tool.

More pictures of the award ceremony and the exhibition can be found in this album.

Submissions to the call for papers for oral presentations are due November 1, 2014. The FIAAP 2015 content advisory board is seeking noncommercial abstracts on the latest research and information on topics such as animal nutrition, formulation and new developments in the ingredient and additives industry.

The topic should be original to FIAAP International 2015 and the information should be new and innovative. The submission must include evidence of past speaking experience. For more information, please visit www.wattagnet.com/169305.html

About FIAAP
FIAAP exhibitions and conferences cover the ingredients and additives used within the formulation of animal feeds and are attended by senior executives from all over the world. The conference is geared toward the interests of nutritionists, veterinarians, feed formulators, CEOs, feed mill directors, integrators, co-operatives, hatcheries, etc. across the poultry, swine and dairy industries. 

Presented by WATT Global Media and Feed International magazine, the 6th FIAAP International Conference will take place June 9, 2015, in Cologne, Germany, and will be co-located with VICTAM International together with the 8th Aquafeed Horizons Conference on June 9, 2015, and Petfood Forum Europe on June 10, 2015. The 2015 VICTAM International event combines the FIAAP, VICTAM and GRAPAS exhibitions (and their respective conferences) under one roof at Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany, June 9-11, 2015.

The EU depends for 75% of its needs for protein-rich ingredients for feeding purpose on the global world markets. Some of these GM products, maize, soy and rapeseed are already commercialized abroad, others will be harvested and made available in the key exporting regions to the EU as from autumn 2014. Further delays in the EU authorization process may, therefore, lead to significant shortage and trade disruptions due to unavoidable presence of these GM events in our supplies of both GM and non-GM material. This would trigger uncertainty on import flows, supply chain disruptions and price hikes for basic food products and major feed ingredients as well as undermine the competitiveness of the EU food, feed and livestock sectors, if a decision is not taken in July 2014.

The 8 GM products have been deemed safe by the European Food Safety Authority (ESFA) and have reached the final stage of the risk management process. The decisions for the related EU import authorizations lay in the hands of the EU Commission: some of them are awaited since the end of 2013.

Footnote:
(1) Maize MON 87460, Rapeseed GT 73, Soybean 305423, Soybean MON87708, Soybean MON87705, Soybean BPS-CV127-9, Maize T25 and Cotton T304-40

The Aquafeed Innovation Award was won by Norvidan for their NODS - Norvidan On-line Density System.

FUMzyme, a purified enzyme from Biomin to detoxify mycotoxins in animals has won the FIAAP Animal Nutrition Award. The runner up was Kemin with its multi-enzyme product. More information can be found on this AllAboutFeed page.

4B Braime Elevator Components won the GRAPAS Award with their Hazardmon product. Recommended were Morillon for their Super SHG Hydrascrew and Buhler for their Combistoner.

The Aquafeed Horizons Asia Conference presents advances in formulation and processing technology, while the FIAAP Conference focuses on feed additives and ingredients. Both meetings feature presentations by international teams of industry experts.

The full programs, presentation summaries, speaker biographies and registration can be found at: www.feedconferences.com

Petfood Forum Asia 2014 will feature numerous experts sharing their knowledge and insights on pet nutrition and ingredients, the Asian and global petfood markets, new product development, petfood safety and production and much more. Registration is now available for Petfood Forum Asia, which will be held April 9, 2014, at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre, in conjunction with Victam Asia/FIAAP Asia 2014.

View the full conference agenda here.

Petfood Forum Asia 2014 is co-located with VICTAM Asia/FIAAP Asia, one of the largest agrifeed trade shows in the world. Victam Asia is scheduled for April 8-10, 2014, at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre.

Petfood Forum Asia does not have any exhibits; all exhibits are part of VICTAM Asia/FIAAP Asia, which Petfood Forum Asia co-locates with at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre. Petfood Forum Asia 2014 participants will be able to visit all VICTAM Asia/FIAAP Asia exhibits. Registration is separate and free if you register in advance.

VICTAM Asia/FIAAP Asia has arranged for special discounted rates at four hotels in Bangkok -- all easily accessible to the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre via convenient public transportation. Find details and further travel information on the Victam website.

Thai Union Feedmill is also studying the use of enzymes in fish and shrimp feeds to increase nutrient digestion and maximize nutrient utilization of fish and shrimp.

Application of enzymes also enables the company to reduce the use of fish meal in aqua feeds in order to respond to customer’s concerns over sustainability of natural resources.

“The extrusion technology is more suitable in making both fish and shrimp feed as it treats the feed with high temperature and in a short time. We apply enzymes in the feed through a coating process, and this way the enzyme efficacy remains intact,” said Bunluesak Sorajjakit, managing director of Thai Union Feedmill.

Thai Union Feedmill installed an extruder from Wenger of the US at its feed mill in Samutsakhon province, about 90km west of Bangkok, late last year.

Supplies of extruders and other milling equipment from across the world will showcase their latest technology at VICTAM Asia and FIAAP Asia 2014 at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Bangkok (BITEC), Thailand during 8-10 April 2014.

The two events are Asia’s biggest and most important exhibitions dedicated to the region’s feed industry.

“This is a historic bulk delivery of US soybeans to Vietnam,” he said, adding there are three more bookings for US soybeans fully loaded in handymax vessels by importers in Vietnam later in the year.

Handymax is a type of cargoship for transporting goods in bulk such as grains with its capacity ranging from 40,000-50,000 DWT (deadweight tonnage).

The crushers in Vietnam process soybeans into soybean oil. A co-product from the processing is soybean meal, which is sold to feed milllers across the country. 

Soybean meal is the main source of amino acids, which are building blocks of proteins in animals. That is why it is one of the most important ingredients in animal feed.   

Soybean meal from different origins contains a varying level of nutrient contents, particularly in amino acids and energy.   

To provide the latest studies on soybeans in animal nutrition, the US Soybean Export Council will take part in the FIAAP Conference 2014 held alongside FIAAP Asia 2014 at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (Bitec) in Bangkok, Thailand on 9 April 2014.

The conference will also address various issues related to efficient use of novel feed additives for boosting health and growth of animals.

FIAAP Asia 2014 is an international event focused on feed ingredients and additives. It will take place at Bitec from 8-10 April 2014 together with VICTAM Asia 2014 and GRAPAS Asia 2014.

VICTAM is an exhibition dedicated to feed production technology, while GRAPAS focuses on grain and rice processing.

To shed light on this opportunity, Bioenergy International Magazine will organise a one-day conference titled ‘Pellets & Biomass Update Asia’ during Victam Asia 2014, an exhibition on feed and biomass technology that will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 8-10 April 2014.

The conference will look at how husks, shells, nuts, EFB’s (Empty Fruit Bunch), fines, dust or other residues from feed and food industries can provide internal energy cost reductions, waste management solutions or become valuable revenue streams.

The conference aims to describe the potentials, explore the opportunities and provide, for the region and the sector, relevant examples and case studies.

Victam Asia 2014 will be held alongside GRAPAS Asia 2014 (grain and rice processing) and FIAAP Asia 2014 (feed ingredients).

However, it is somewhat problematic in applying the right dose of enzymes due to their non-linear effects. Adding an enzyme at a wrong dose or at a higher level than those recommended by the manufacturer could lead to uneconomical results.

To fix this, Adifo, provider of software solutions for the feed industry from Belgium, has developed an enzyme module that defines the non-linear effects separate from the ingredient matrix, which is provided by the enzyme manufacturer as a reference for the user.

"The enzyme module that we develop is very unique. It sets up all the effects of the enzyme outside the feed formulation and the ingredient matrix," said Hans van der Wal, Adifo's Market Development Manager.

"This means that you just define in the system what the effect of the enzyme will be for a certain animal group, a certain nutrient and a certain ingredient. So, you can see right away what effect the enzyme has on energy, protein and other nutrients," he explained. 

Based on these unique features, the enzyme module of Bestmix accurately calculates the optimal inclusion rate of the enzyme.

Adifo will showcase its solutions for feed formulation at Victam Asia 2014, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand from 8-10 April 2014.

Driving the demand is the power sector. The report said since 2012 the South Korean government has imposed power companies with a generating capacity of 500MW or more to use renewable energy by 10% within 2022. 

To meet this target, a number of power producers in South Korea are turning to import biomass pellets as they are the most economical solution.

The sector used 55,000 tonnes of pellets in 2012, and their use is expected to jump to 400,000 tonnes in 2013, the report said.

Russia was the biggest supplier of pellets to South Korea in 2012, supplying 34.1% of its total import, followed by Malaysia 25.1%, Vietnam 24.7% and Indonesia 7.3%.

With its abundance in agricultural by-products such as rice husks, corn stalks and cobs, straw and more, Vietnam has a great opportunity to produce pellet fuels serving the energy sector in South Korea and worldwide.

To get an update on the biomass pellet business in Asia, the Bioenergy International will organize a conference on “Pellets & Biomass Update Asia” on 10 April 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand.

It will take place at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre or Bitec. The conference is a part of VICTAM Asia 2014, FIAAP Asia 2014 and GRAPAS Asia 2014.

Besides, he said, the expander technology also offers other advantages such as improving feed hygiene due to its high temperature, short-time treatment.

Currently, Trang Wattana Farm produces about 1500 tonnes/month of pellet feeds for use in its farm that rears 2500 sows and produces 4500 commercial pigs.

On average, the pigs (18-100kg) achieve an average daily gain (ADG) of 780g/day and FCR 2.4-2.5.

Mr Rawat targets to increase the ADG of the commercial pigs to over 800g/day and lower the FCR to below 2.4. And he hopes that the expander feed could enable him to achieve this target.

He will visit FIAAP and Victam Asia 2014, which will be held during 8-10 April 2014 at Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in Bangkok, Thailand, in search of the expansion technology and learn more about its benefits from suppliers, his fellow pig farmers and feed millers who gain experiences in this technology.

Issued by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in November 2013, the report said Indonesia produced sufficient corn for making feed. However, feed millers preferred to procure corn from abroad because of its superior quality.

“Poor post-harvest handling, inconsistency in quality and high moisture content make local corn unfavourable for feed millers,” the report said, citing the Indonesian Feed Millers Association.

USDA forecasts that corn demand for feed in Indonesia would increase 6.4% to 6.6 million tonnes in 2013/2014 crop year, which started in November 2013.

The country’s corn imports in the year would increase by 12% to 1.9 million tonnes. Over 70% of Indonesia’s corn imports come from India, followed by Argentina, Brazil and the US.

To optimise the use of locally produced corn in Indonesia, feed millers and traders need to join forces with farmers to improve post-harvest handling, storage and preservation.

As the key ingredient in poultry feed, improving quality of local corn would significantly decrease the cost of poultry production, and make chicken and eggs more available at a more affordable price. 

Indonesian feed millers, corn growers and traders can update the latest technology and knowhow in post-harvest handling, storage and preservation at Victam Asia, FIAAP Asia and Grapas Asia 2014.

"The competition in the south is very tough, but we're confident that we'll be able to penetrate into this market. We target to set up the new plant in Dong Nai because we've been selling a big volume of piglet feeds in the province and the farmers are very happy with the quality of our products," said Dao Manh Luong, Austfeed's CEO.

Austfeed started shipping its feeds for sales in Dong Nai and other southern provinces since the end of 2012. The feeds are shipped from its feed mill in the central province of Binh Dinh and stored at its warehouse in the province before distribution to the customers.

"It will be a big project in Dong Nai because we see a big potential in the southern market. We plan to build a large-scale feedmill and invest in the latest technology for the operations there," he said.

Austfeed started moving south since 2011 when it built a feed mill in the central province of Binh Dinh. 

Although livestock production in the central was not so well developed at that time, it saw a potential to grow the market there.

"Our feed sales in the central were very slow in the past, but they're increasing to the level that we have decided to build a feedmill there. The living standard of people there is getting better and meat consumption is increasing, boosting the demand for livestock feed," said Mr Luong.

Initially, the plant in Binh Dinh had a capacity of 50,000 tonnes/year, but its capacity had been fully utilised after a year of the operations.

This has led the company to install the second production line capacity 100,000 tonnes/year in 2012 with all the equipment supplied by Buhler of Switzerland.

"We made the right decision to expand in the central because livestock production in the region is growing up quickly. Many pig and chicken farms in the south are moving to the central as they can't find land to expand their operations due to rapid urbanisation in the south," he said.

To find out technology for expansion of his feed business, Mr Luong will visit FIAAP & VICTAM Asia 2014. The event will take place at the Bangkok Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in Bangkok,Thailand during 8-10 April 2014.

It is Asia's largest trade exhibition for the feed industry. Suppliers of milling technology and related equipment for feed manufacturing from over the world, along with international suppliers of feed additives and ingredients will participate to showcase their latest innovations at the event.

The plant, which also produces aquaculture feeds, has been operating at its full capacity of 8800 tonnes a month.

"It's time for us to build a feed mill dedicated to petfood production as we're seeing our petfood sales growing leaps and bounds. We have set aside USD 50 million for building the plant that will be equipped with the latest production technology," said Mr Narongchai.

The new petfood plant of Betagro will be located on its production complex in Lopburi and its construction will begin in late 2013.

Betagro has set up a team to study the petfood market in Thailand in order to develop the products that fit the need of the customers in the future. The team was also sent to learn about petfood technology in Europe.

Mr Narongchai said Betagro sold about 3000 tonnes of petfood/month. This accounts as about 12% share of the petfood market in Thailand. 

Thailand will rank the eighth fastest-growing market for pet care, which also includes petfood, in the world between 2013 and 2018, projects Euromonitor International, a market research firm.

It said pet care sales in Thailand will grow by about USD 300 million in the period, driven by rising incomes and levels of pet ownership. Increasing number of pets in emerging markets such as China, Thailand and India are switching to commercial petfood. 

In 2013, petfood accounts for 77% of the global pet care sales of USD 96 billion, said Euromonitor. 

To update petfood professionals in Asia on the global and regional petfood market trends, and advances in petfood nutrition and processing, FIAAP & VICTAM Asia 2014, Asia's largest trade exhibition dedicated to the Asian feed industry, will include a petfood conference during the event.

Called 'Petfood Forum Asia 2014, it will be held at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) on 9 April 2014.

For more information, visit http://petfoodforum.petfoodindustry.com/PetfoodForumAsia.

The rise in feed demand is motivating feed millers in Indonesia to build more feed plants in 2013 and beyond.

Charoen Pokphand Indonesia, a subsidiary of Thailand agri-food conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Foods Plc, is due to open its new feed mill in West Java, said Ong Mei Sian, directof of CP Indonesia.

Costing USD 30-40 million, the plant will have a capacity of 20,000 tonnes/month production of poultry feeds.

The company will build two more feed mills in Bali and Pandang in 2014 with an investment of USD 20 million for each plant.

CP Indonesia currently operates seven feed mills in Indonesia with a combined capacity of about four million tonnes.

In June 2013, InVivo Indonesia, a subsidiary of InVivo Group from France, opened its fifth feed mill in West Java, said managing director Felix Segalen.

Costing USD 15 million, the plant has a capacity of 150,000 tonnes/year and its capacity can be doubled in the future.

It has two production lines, one for livestock and the other for fish feeds. Stolz, French milling equipment manufacturer, supplied its latest technology for the plant, which is one of the most modern feed mills in Indonesia.

Stolz as well as other milling equipment suppliers from over the world will showcase its latest technology at VICTAM Asia 2014, which, along with FIAAP Asia,  is Asia's largest trade exhibition dedicated to the feed industry.

The owners, President and CEO Tom Tylutki, Vice President of Marketing and CFO Caroline Rasmussen, Vice-President for Development Vajesh Durbal, and Lynn Gilbert bring unique experience and skill sets to the company.

AMTS and Adifo will join forces to integrate the Cornell model into the cloud based FaaS (Formulation as a Service) ration balancing tool. This tool will enable nutritionists, consultants and all industry partners to communicate and share data in real time via the cloud, always providing up to date information to their customers and partners.

Tom Tylutki, President and CEO at AMTS says: "It is our mission to provide and promote integrated solutions that enhance the economic and environmental sustainabilityof animal agriculture and allied industries. We have known the BESTMIX® products for quite some time now and we are convinced that these tools bring great value to feed producing companies.”

Reaching the top
Following an intense ten-month period of training, Ernst Nef presented the graduates of this year’s course their Diplomas in the Hotel Uzwil, qualifying them as Feed Production Engineers or confirming their attendance of the course. In his entertaining address, Ernst Nef emphasized the high significance of training and continuing education. He expressed his admiration for the students’ decision to go back to school: “By making this far-reaching decision, you took up a challenge that you have now successfully met. Today, you have reached the top. With the knowledge you have acquired and your great commitment, you now have the right instruments available to satisfy the rigorous requirements of safe and economical animal feed production.” He said that the goal was on the one hand to meet consumers’ needs for hygienic feeds that are safe for humans and animals alike. On the other hand, he said that companies were increasingly facing the challenge of producing and marketing feeds more efficiently and especially more responsibly while meeting legal regulations and directives.

A Russian as the best in class
Ernst Nef personally handed each graduate their diploma, adding some amusing personal anecdote to his congratulations. It has become a tradition for the SFT to distinguish the student with the highest grade during each diploma-awarding ceremony. This year the award in the form of a commemorative plaque went to the Russian Grigory Khoroshchenko, who attended the course in German – a foreign language for him. Grigory Khoroshchenko works as an Area Manager Feed & Biomass in the Bühler branch office in Moscow. Peter Hofer, Vice President of the School Board of the SFT, congratulated the best in class for his outstanding average grade of 5.54 (out of 6) and handed him the traditional pewter plaque.

New concept
The Diploma Course on Feed Manufacturing Technology was held for the second time on the basis of a new concept. The course starts in the spring with a 15-week preparatory correspondence course. This is followed by a four-week intensive course in Uzwil. In the autumn, the second block is then held with a preparatory correspondence course of the same length and the final intensive block in Uzwil. In the two preparatory courses, the students must deal with 21 different subjects. During the two intensive courses, they must pass a total of 14 written exams. The highlight and completion of each individual block are the two verbal examinations in the core subjects in front of a panel of experts. The new concept reduces the students’ absence from their jobs.
The 33^rd Specialist Course in Feed Manufacturing Technology will start in January 2015 and be held in English.

Focus on practice
The SFT is a not-for-profit association that is recognized by the Swiss Feed Manufacturers Association (VSF) as an institution of training and continuing education. The goal of the SFT is to impart practice-oriented specialist knowledge on feed production to professionals from the feed manufacturing industry and related industries. Successful completion of the Diploma Course enables graduates to understand all the modern production processes in a feed manufacturing plant and to apply them meaningfully in practice. Bühler, the international Technology Group, is the partner of the SFT. More than 500 students from 65 countries have so far successfully completed the Specialist Course in Feed Manufacturing Technology. (pd)

Ernst Nef, School Director of the SFT (2nd from the right); Soeren Overgaard, Head of the Bühler Feed & Biomass Business Unit and President of the SFT School Board (right); and SFT Members of the School Board Urs Wuest (2nd from the left) and Peter Hofer (left) congratulate the best in class of the 32nd Diploma Course, Grigory Khoroshchenko from Russia (center).

The 12 students of the 32nd Specialist Course in Feed Manufacturing Technology with their instructors and the Managing Committee of the Swiss Institute of Feed Technology (SFT).

For more information, please contact:

Ernst Nef, School Director SFT, phone +41 71 955 33 63, e-mail sft.uzwil@buhlergroup.com