The five-day seminar not only discussed into details the most practical ways to achieve feed safety and hygiene from feedmills to livestock farms, it also paved the way for various companies and entities involved in feed processing and technology to come together and work hand in hand towards the overall safety of the feed-to-meat chain.

 

John A. Lindholm, the regional director of ASAIM Southeast Asia, highlighted the importance of the feed and livestock industry to safe food for human consumption. "No other industry touches more human beings in this planet or is more critical to their welfare than the food industry. Contaminated feed that is consumed by food animals has far reaching effects and ultimately impacts on our individual companies and the image of our industry overall. Feed and food safety issues, such as the melamine adulteration incident last year, are receiving increased attention, as the diversity and volume of trade in food and agricultural products increases globally."

 

The topics covered which are comprehensive and encompassing, include: History and regulations on feed safety and hygiene, raw material handling from field to feed, feed processing and traceability, microbiological and toxic contamination of feed and feed ingredients, implications of feed safety and hygiene on human health and issues critical to aquaculture feeds.

 

One of the speakers, La Van Kinh, vice director of Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Vietnam shared on the current issues of feed safety in Vietnam. Kinh said that "the animal feed industry in Vietnam has been growing very fast. It brings many benefits to Vietnam's animal production to increase yield, increase efficiency. It also has many things to do to improve the safety of feed, especially to control bacteria, antibiotic and illegal growth promoter."

 

On the other hand, Alfred Petri of Evonik Degussa, highlighted on the current challenges in the European feed manufacturing process, which include traceability, contamination and cross contamination and hygienic feed production.

 

Kim Koch, feed production center manager, Northern Crops Institute of North Dakota State University, explained on "From Gate to Plate – The Importance of Trace-back Programs for the Animal Agriculture Sector." Koch pointed out the need for Animal Feed Safety System (AFFS) to identify and assess risks to animal and human health from biological, chemical and physical hazards in animal feed and to do preventive measures to lessen the likelihood of a feed safety mishap and strengthen the quality throughout the food animal value chain.

 

Further, Jon Ratcliff of Food & Agriculture Consultancy Services (FACS), discussed the "Control of In-feed Medication and Specified Additives in Animal Feed." Ratcliff noted that "residues can occur at many stages of the animal feed production chain and that GMP and HACCP procedures should effectively control residue hazards occurring through risk assessment and risk management. He added that all control measures should be validated and verification is provided by further testing of feed and animal tissue.

 

Other key discussions included "Pest Management in Feedmills" by Bhadriraju Subramanyam of Kansas State University, "The Role of Extrusion Technology on Feed Safety and Hygiene" by Mian Riaz of Texas A&M University, "Traceability and the Benefits of Supply Chain Transparency" by Phil Werdal, CEO of Trace Register and "Fact and Fiction: Mycotoxin Problem of Feed Ingredients in SE Asia" by Budi Tangendjaja of US Grains Council Indonesia.

 

The event was organised by the American Soybean Association International Marketing (ASAIM), United Soybean Board and US Grains Council. This year, there was a total of 116 participants from different countries including Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia.