Jules Tournut Probiotics Prize awarded at EuroTier 2012

Peter de Schryver is this year’s recipient of the Jules Tournut Probiotics Prize. Awarded at the trade show EuroTier, the prize recognized his work in evaluating a new microbial-based approach to improve aquaculture practices.
His study looked at applying poly-B-hydroxybutyrate, or PHB, as a feed supplement in aquaculture. At levels of 2 percent and 5 percent in the diet, PHB seemed to significantly enhance the growth performance of juvenile European sea bass with a factor of 2.4 and 2.7, respectively. The richness and genetic diversity of the intestinal microbial community in terms of the range-weighted richness seemed to be closely correlated with the growth performance of the fish, suggesting a host-microbial interaction that was steered by the presence of PHB.
Supplementation with PHB had a steering effect in juvenile sea bass, resulting in converging microbial community similarities between treated fish. PHB induced more equal abundances between the various bacterial species, and higher PHB levels resulted in a higher degree of evenness.
To increase the efficiency of PHB treatment, PHB depolymerising probiotics were isolated for the first time from the intestinal environment of juvenile sea bass, sturgeon and giant river prawns. These were combined with PHB in a symbiotic strategy. This approach increased the survival of Artemia franciscana nauplii with a factor of 2 to 3 when challenged with a pathogenic Vibrio strain, compared to an approach with PHB or the isolates alone.

Pig house of the future main attraction at EuroTier

The Big Dutchman-designed concept details how pig farms could look and operate in the future.

A new concept detailing how pig farms could look and operate in the future is attracting more than 20,000 visitors a day at the 2012 EuroTier livestock production show in Hanover, Germany.
Designed and staged by Big Dutchman, the fully automated futuristic display includes a revolving system that checks if the sows are pregnant and separates those that are not, leading them directly to a special insemination area. There are also special waiting areas, meeting areas, farrowing pens, exercise areas and rearing-finishing areas in a system that is designed to meet future environmental and health regulations, as well as consumer demands for pig welfare.
“The main idea behind this vision for the future is that the animals are free all the time from farrowing through to finishing, and it allows people to see how the animals are treated through all the production stages,” said Project Manager Daniel Holling. The concept includes a number of revolutionary ideas, some of which are already on their way to the market, some of which are still going through trials and even some that might never actually meet market requirements. Some of those ideas include a dry feeding system, an automatic manure scraper and special systems to collect a range of different statistics and other data.
“We wanted to show people that Big Dutchman is thinking ahead and provide them with an idea of what the future might look like,” said Holling. He said that the system had already been through a series of promising practical trials on a small pig farm (with 60 sows) in north Germany, which showed that everything worked properly, although he said he expected it would be some time before it was all commercially available. “The ultimate goal is a professional and profitable pig management system, without restriction for the pigs,” he said. “We hope this pig house of the future will provide people with a practical basis for discussion and encourage producers to get more actively involved in the further development of livestock farming.”
Holling said he was sure the company would get a lot of feedback from many of the people who had been through the huge, walk-in working display at EuroTier.

China feed output up 4 percent in 2011–2012

The total feed output in China rose 4 percent year over year to 169 million tons, accounting for around 20 percent of the global total and ranking number one in the world, according to the latest report from Research and Markets.
The output of pig feed topped the list at 62.1 million tons, up 4 percent year over year. The poultry feed output enjoyed the fastest growth, with output increasing 5 percent year over year to 49.8 million tons in 2011. The aquatic feed and ruminant feed saw low output, but aquatic feed witnessed larger growth space, said the report.
Currently, China has around 13,000 feed companies, most small, and over 20 percent of medium-sized feed companies have been acquired by large players. The top 10 feed manufacturers such as CP Group, New Hope Group, Wens, Zhenghong and TRS Group together occupy more than 30 percent market share by sales. In recent years, given that the large companies continually increase their production capacity to expand the market, the concentration degree of the feed industry in China will be enhanced, as well, according to Research and Markets. For instance, New Hope Group brought Liuhe into the listed company through asset integration in November 2011. After the reorganization, Liuhe contributes feed capacity of 9.45 million tons to the Group.
Additionally, Chinese enterprises are carrying out expansion in the overseas market. The third feed mill invested by Tongwei Co. Ltd. in Vietnam went into operation in June 2012. Haid Group, engaging in the production and sales of aquatic feed and aquaculture preparations, subscribed equities in Vietnam-based Panasia in December 2011, with shareholding ratio reaching 80 percent after the capital increase. New Hope Group plans to set up eight feed plants overseas annually after 2011, which will boast a capacity of 100,000–200,000 tons, and to double its overseas investment each year. Currently, 20 enterprises like New Hope, Tongwei Co. Ltd., Haid Group and Ningbo Tech-bank which have established plants in Vietnam make up 10 percent to 15 percent of the market share in the Vietnamese feed industry.

India corn exports to drop 37 percent in 2012–2013

India's corn exports are predicted to fall 37.5 percent in the 2012–2013 marketing year due to decreased production and weak global prices, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
The country exported an estimated record 4.8 million metric tons of corn in the 2011–2012 marketing year, while only 3 million metric tons are expected for 2012–2013. Prices on the domestic market were strong in July due to drought and the anticipation of strong exports, but have been slow since September, said the USDA report. They are currently at Rs 11,800 to Rs 14,000 (US$219–260) per metric ton.
According to the USDA, domestic prices are likely to drop even further as new crop arrival accelerates, which would move numbers below the Indian government's minimum support price of Rs 11,750 (US$218) per metric ton. In addition, due to a poor monsoon season, India's corn production is estimated to drop from 2011–2012's 21.57 million metric tons to 20 million metric tons, said the USDA.

WATT presents award of distinction to Giordano Poultry Plast

WATT presented an award to Giordano Poultry Plast for 50 years of service to the industry. From left, Enrico Giordano, production manager; Michael van den Dries, WATT international sales manager; Oscar Giordano, managing director; and Greg Watt, president/CEO of WATT. 

WATT staff members presented a special award of distinction to Giordano Poultry Plast at EuroTier in Hanover, Germany, in recognition of its 50 years of service to the poultry industry.
“Fifty years in the poultry industry is a tremendous milestone and Giordano’s accomplishments and influence over the last half-century do not go unnoticed,” said Greg Watt, President/CEO. “I can’t think of a better place to recognize our long-standing, valued partnership with Giordano Poultry Plast than here at EuroTier, Europe’s largest display of agribusiness technology and innovation.”
Giordano Poultry Plast is a family owned global company based in Caraglio, Cuneo, Italy, and produces a wide variety of molded plastic products including: poultry transport crates, drinkers and feeders, chick boxes, egg trays and containers, poultry and pig slats, and more. Established in 1962, the company officially celebrated its 50th anniversary in July.

Regional egg marketing debated at Poultry Forum, EuroTier

Whether the regional marketing of eggs is sustainable or merely short term hype was discussed by Hans-Peter Goldnick, an egg, strawberry and asparagus producer operating in the north of Germany, as part of the EuroTier Poultry Forum.
His farm, Hornbrooker Hof, in Schleswig Holstein, Germany, had been supplying strawberries to the one local jam producer. Given the power that this sole producer had in purchasing agreement, Goldnick decided to market his produce himself.
Regional marketing is now more popular in Germany than organic. It is the number one consideration among German consumers, he noted, and evokes a feeling of going back to one’s roots and offering associations of quality and safety. In a recent poll, 43 percent of those consumers surveyed agreed with the statement: “I’m interested in products from my region."
For today’s consumers, the association of regional might remind them of their childhood, nature, flavor, control, even getting away from globalization. Every big food scandal pushes consumers more toward locally produced food, he claimed.
Forty-eight percent of consumers now say that they look for food with a local claim, and this can also be because they are more likely to trust local producers, believe that produce will be fresher, and want to keep jobs in their region. Seventy-nine percent of consumers say that they are prepared to spend more on locally produced goods.
However, Goldnick noted, survey responses and reality are often not the same thing. In Germany, he continued, only 40 percent of consumers are quality oriented, and while particular food claims may be highly successful in some more southerly European countries they are not likely to be so widely adopted in Germany.
And against this needs to be weighed the fact that 50 percent of all eggs produced in Germany are not sold as shell eggs, but go for catering and processing, and that of the 50 percent that are sold as shell eggs, half are sold by discounters.
In light of the above, how much room is there for farmers to make regional claims?
He concluded that regional marketing is a niche option, and can work for some farmers, but that it cannot be a solution for all egg producers.

Watch video reports from EuroTier 2012

Our editors are at EuroTier 2012 in Hanover, Germany, the week of November 12, filing up-to-the minute video reports using Tout.
Tout is a social media platform that allows users to shoot 15-second video status updates via smartphones and webcams. Touts are shared in real time and posted on the WATTAgNet Home, Poultry and Feed pages and via our Twitter feed @wattpoultry.
Watch for constant updates this week.
We hope you enjoy these short videos from the show.
Feel free to comment on these videos, share them or give us your opinion.