October 29, 2013
Merial presents new Asia Vaccination Technologies and Services Competence Centre and enhanced offering
At the recently-concluded inaugural Merial Avian Forum Asia, the Merial Vaccination Technologies and Services (VTS) team announced the establishment of the Asia VTS Competence Centre in Malaysia and shared about services offered by VTS with over 250 Merial partners, distributors, customers and staff from over 20 Asian countries.
Dr Chris Fritts from Global VTS noted that genetics, automation and vaccines have helped influence the movement of vaccination from the field to the hatchery. Decreasing day-to-market of the commercial white broiler, increased focus on the hatchery to improve chick quality and broiler performance, increased labour costs and high staff turnover have resulted in the need for faster operations through automation in the hatcheries.
In addition, vaccine development is also driving vaccination from the field to the hatchery, resulting in the reduction of labour, improved vaccination quality, better environmental control and better vaccine availability.
The use of Vaxxitek® HVT+IBD, for instance, has eliminated the need for administration of classical IBD vaccine through drinking water supply. It can be administered through a single shot either by in-ovo vaccination or by subcutaneous vaccination at the hatchery. The vaccine is widely accepted, with over 35 billion chicks vaccinated with Vaxxitek® HVT+IBD to date. In addition, before HatchPak® Cocci III, coccidiostats used to be mixed in broiler feed. Now HatchPak Cocci III can be sprayed in the hatchery to vaccinate broilers against coccidiosis.
Moving in tandem with its vaccine development, Merial's VTS is keeping up well with automation and speed. Vaccination technology has moved from using a single needle for subcutaneous vaccination, to a single shot for two vaccines, and now to automated in-ovo vaccination in hatcheries, which has allowed quicker placement of day old chicks to the farm. A single dose vaccination by eye drop can now be replaced with mass spray vaccination for more efficient vaccination.
Importantly, Merial's extensive range of equipment allows various types of vaccination in the hatchery. Merial is committed to invest in continuous development and leveraging on capabilities in design, manufacturing and supply. Today, customers have an option of subcutaneous vaccinators to fit the needs of their hatcheries such as the AccuVac, AccuVac TwinShot, AccuVac 1Shot and Zoo-Tec Double. The AccuVac 1Shot and the Zootec is a one-shot injection with one needle which can simultaneously inject two vaccines, such as Vaxxitek® HVT+IBD and an inactivated vaccine against Newcastle disease. This increases vaccination speed, lowers labour cost, and reduces stress on the day-old chick by delivering two vaccines through a single needle.
The development and efficiency of the TwinFarm which is a semi-automated subcutaneous vaccinator for the farm has been proven and designed with a key customer in Mexico. The Twinfarm has allowed 60-68 one week old birds to be vaccinated per minute versus 28 birds per minute in the past through manual field subcutaneous injection at the farm.
The good news for the audience is that this equipment will soon be made available in Asia. Merial is soon moving the TwinFarm technology from Mexico to Asia, with field testing underway in China. In addition, the automated in-ovo vaccination, which is currently applied in Brazil, will be introduced in Asia in the second half of 2014.
Despite the trend of vaccination increasingly moving to the hatcheries, mass and single vaccination techniques at the farms are still important and being practised. Adapting to different production methods and farm requirements, vaccination techniques include spray, drinking water; individual vaccination by subcutaneous and intra-muscular injection, eye drop, wing web and beak dipping.
Partnering its customers and suppliers, Merial has developed a wide portfolio of field vaccination equipment. In fact, with a network of 70 technicians worldwide, Merial is able to service its customers from all parts of the world from its four competence centres.
Bringing the focus back to Asia, Lim Chin Cheong from Asia VTS shared more about the various services provided by the Asia VTS competence centre in Petaling Jaya, in the state of Selangor in Malaysia.
The Asia VTS competence centre, which has just opened this year, has the facilities to support various activities in the Asia region, focusing on in-line product development and adaptation to meet specific local needs. Support activities include training on equipment operation and maintenance and vaccine handling and mixing, audit and monitoring of vaccination processes, equipment validation, logistics for equipment parts and supplies, and field trials.
The centre works closely with Merial's Product Development Centre (PDC) in Singapore to make sure all equipment are tested before they are introduced to the customers. The PDC in Singapore supports the work of the VTS in the region, including Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and Myanmar.
In Asia, four main types of hatchery vaccination equipment are being used, with the most widely used being the AccuVac, of which more than 1,000 are used in hatcheries in China, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Other equipment include Spra-Vac and Zootec Double.
On-farm, 1,000 UluaVac's are in use, while others include the Solovac, a bigger version of a sprayer suitable for bigger broiler and breeder houses. The Field Spra-Vac and Layer SprayCart can be used in layer and broiler caged systems. The Layer SprayPac is a compact backpack for use in layer houses.
Echoing Dr Fritts, Lim emphasised Merial's strength in offering customised solutions for customers through the Regional VTS Competence Center to apply local adaptation of equipment and conduct field trials, providing customers the assurance that the equipment are validated before they are used in the field.
