Spain’s poultry meat production lower in 2013

Production of poultry meat in Spain contracted by 1.06 percent in 2013 to stand at 1.4 million tons. Average prices for poultry meat in the country also were slightly lower. 
Chicken, which accounted for 82 percent of total poultry meat production last year, is the second most consumed meat in Spain, behind pork. If, however, only fresh meat is considered, then chicken is the meat of choice in Spain. The country is thought to have witnessed a decrease in meat consumption during the economic crisis. The share of poultry meat in total of meat consumed, however, has grown.
Data from Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture reveal that total poultry production in 2013 was worth EUR2.3 billion (US$3.1 billion), accounting for 5.3 percent of overall agricultural output. The industry is considered one the main drivers of the country’s agricultural sector.
While overall output may have dropped in 2013, exports of poultry meat increased. Those to other members of the European Union were up by 11 percent, while exports to third countries increased by 3.2 percent.
Spain is Europe’s third-largest chicken meat producer, accounting for 11 percent of total production, and the bloc’s fifth-largest poultry producer.

Spain’s Uvesa adopts Pas Reform innovations for new hatchery

Grupo Uvesa, one of Spain’s leading broiler integrators, is building its new green field broiler hatchery with the most advanced SmartPro single stage incubation, climate control and hatchery automation systems from Pas Reform. The new hatchery will be located at Tudela in the Navarra region of Spain, 300 kilometers west of Barcelona.
The Grupo Uvesa hatchery will incorporate 25 SmartSetPro setters, using Pas Reform’s space-saving honeycomb; 162 SmartTrays, for the highest number of hatching eggs per square meters and incorporating Microban antibacterial technology; and 24 SmartHatchPro hatchers. In addition, Pas Reform is designing and installing a climate control system, including a hatchery-specific heat recovery system, to maximize efficiencies and reduce costs while maintaining biosecurity throughout the facility and creating an optimized environment for producing quality day-old chicks.
Comprehensive automation in the new hatchery will include SmartTransfer for the simultaneous transfer of up to 34 setter trays and a complete candling and transfer line, with automatic unloading, stacking and de-stacking. An automatic separator will deliver hatched chicks, without remnants of shell, to the next stage of processing. A double SmartCount counting and boxing system, incorporating Pas Reform’s innovative new Vision Technology, will count and box chicks after inline sexing and high-pressure washing machines will ensure the thorough cleaning of all trays, baskets and boxes between hatch cycles.
Running behind every aspect of hatchery operations, Pas Reform’s advanced SmartCenterPro Hatchery Information System will integrate the control of incubation, HVAC (climate control) and automation systems to a single user interface, recording all key data and generating batch reports to assist the hatchery manager in the full optimization of hatchery performance.
As a leading producer of poultry products in Western Europe, the Spanish poultry sector has grown considerably in recent years. With a substantial share of this growing market, UVESA’s general director, Raúl Gómez Arranz, said that investment in a new hatchery is a logical move for the company, which is committed to deploying the latest, most advanced incubation technologies in its operations.
“In our search for the most innovative solutions for a new green project, we have visited hatcheries in several Western European countries over the last five years -- and seen the level of equipment and results that are being delivered by Pas Reform’s hatchery technologies,” Arranz said. “We were impressed by [Pas Reform’s] technological advancements and while we did look initially at working with separate suppliers for incubation and hatchery automation systems, we found that Pas Reform was very able to combine both and truly deliver a complete hatchery solution for UVESA.”
We see many advantages to working with a single supplier for all systems,” added Rodrigo Garcia, UVESA’s hatchery manager. “Aside from streamlining development by working with just one engineering team for this project, we will see advantages once the hatchery is in operation, by being able to integrate incubation data with climate control data and hatchery automation data through the new SmartCenterPro system.
“The combination of optimizing incubation profiles to achieve the shortest hatch windows, while integrating these hatch window measurements with the uniformity frequency distribution of day old chicks from the SmartCount technology will open new horizons for the hatchery in the years to come.”
Jaume Santaularia, Pas Reform’s representative in Spain, stated: “We have been gaining market share over the last five years in Spain with installations at Crusvi, Aviagen, Avilesa and Avigan Teralta. This new green field hatchery with Uvesa is an important development to our positioning in the Spanish market - and moreover an exciting one, as it showcases all our specialisms, incubation, climate control and hatchery automation, in a truly future-focused new hatchery environment.”
Erwin Prinzen, Pas Reform sales director, concluded: “Western Europe is a region of great importance to Pas Reform’s strategic growth plans. Over the last few years, we have built several new green field projects in the region, among them new hatcheries for ISA in the Netherlands and Tetra, in Hungary.
“This new project for UVESA is a further and unique opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities as a total hatchery solutions provider, with the full integration of incubators, climate control and hatchery automation systems. We are delighted to have been commissioned – and look forward to placing UVESA’s state-of-the-art new hatchery as an important reference site for Pas Reform in Western Europe.”

Big Dutchman takes over Zucami

The Big Dutchman group based in Vechta-Calveslage (Germany) is taking over the Spanish poultry equipment supplier Zucami. Zucami, headquartered in Beriáin, near Pamplona, recently became insolvent.
"As a result of the bidding procedure, the insolvency court accepted our concept presented in December," confirms Bernd Meerpohl, chairman of the Big Dutchman AG board of management.
This concept intends for Big Dutchman to purchase Zucami's assets from Northern Spain while maintaining its headquarters and keeping around half of the 120 jobs. Business will continue under the new name Zucami Poultry Equipment S.L.
"Even as part of the Big Dutchman group, Zucami will remain an independent brand on the international market," says Meerpohl. "Management and distribution will not be affected substantially. We are also happy that the shareholders of the company are still available as consultants."
According to Meerpohl, the Spanish company had earned an outstanding reputation in the industry and a very impressive presence in some regions. In addition, Zucami's product line is designed in a very different way compared to Big Dutchman's, thus ideally complementing the group's product range.
Big Dutchman achieved a turnover of EUR 732 million in the past business year.
In 2012, Zucami's turnover amounted to approximately EUR 110 million. However, this figure took a nosedive in 2013.

Spain veterinary poultry medicine sales higher in 2011

Sales of poultry medicines by Spain’s veterinary medicine producers were higher in 2011, at €64.1 million (US$84.8 million), according to the country’s veterinary medicine manufacturers’ association, Veterindustria.
The poultry industry is the fourth most valuable to the sector when sales are broken down by species and, in 2011, accounted for 8.61 percent of the total. Despite the increase, at 0.3 percent, growth in poultry medicines lagged behind the figure achieved across all species. In 2011, total sales by Spain’s veterinary medicines manufacturers to the home and overseas markets stood at 1.05 billion, an increase of 4.04 percent in comparison with 2010 numbers.

Vencomatic ventures into Spain

Poultry equipment producer Vencomatic of the Netherlands is opening a new operation in Spain: Vencomatic Iberica.
This new operation is a joint venture with the Spanish nest and feed equipment producer Gura Automatizaciones Avicolas.
Gura’s production unit in Reus, Spain, will be renamed Vencomatic Iberica.
“After having set up a production facillity in Brazil, starting a joint venture in China and opening several branch offices in the USA, Canada, the UK, Poland and the far east, this step fits very well to the strategy of Vencomatic to have a strong local presence worldwide,” Vencomatic’s General Manager, Koen Boot, said.
Vencomatic and Gura’s joint venture operation will be called Vencomatic Iberica.