May 16, 2008

Groupe Grimaud to grow on enterprise strengths
 

Groupe Grimaud is targeting a turnover of US$322 million for 2008, up US$77.4 million from 2007, as the firm plans a further growth.

A front-runner in the duck-breeding sector, future market development would focus on Groupe Grimaud's strengths, according to president Frederick Grimaud.

In the past decade, the firm's selective breeding of the Pekin duck had reduced fat levels while boosting feed conversion from 2.56 to 2.01. The time required to reach market weight has also been reduced from 48 to 41 days, said Grimaud.

Killing age of the Barbary duck had been maintained at 84 days to increase levels of beef-like red meat, leading to an average 25 percent of fillet meat across the board and an extra 80g per bird for the heaviest males.

The industry would continue to grow as long as those involved accepts that genetics would always remain a compromise, according to Grimaud.

"For a genetic company like us, the chief risk will be to forget the animal and to focus only on science," Grimaud said.

Groupe Grimaud is the second largest multi-species poultry genetics group supplying customers in more than 100 countries from its European, US, Brazilian and Asian facilities.