May 24, 2018

Aviagen: Ross 400 clubs see growth, success in Balkan region

Aviagen^® Kft has expressed satisfaction with its customers in Serbia and Slovenia, the company stated in its press release.

"Due to their expert and diligent flock management, they are maximising the genetic potential of Ross® broilers, and as a result, membership in the Ross 400 club is rising," Aviagen said.

Since the beginning of the Kft Ross 400 Club in the region in 2013, the number of new members has more than quadrupled, with 2017 seeing 22 club inductees and one more added in 2018.

Complementing the upswing in membership are "outstanding" European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) scores, a standard measure of efficiency and performance.

As a case in point, customers Agromerkur (Slovenia) and HranaProdukt (Serbia) have reached EPEF levels of 450 and beyond, setting a record for broiler production in the region.

Part of EPEF scoring considers feed conversion, or the rate at which feed is converted to live weight. The winning customers achieved average rates of 1.5 to 1.6 of feed per kilogramme of broiler weight.

Accomplishing these results requires hard work, skillful management and close attention to detail in areas such as biosecurity, nutrition and environmental management, which contribute greatly to bird health and welfare, according to Aviagen.

"In the past years, we have realised noticeable improvement in the genetic potential of our Ross broilers, which subsequently shows up in field performance," said Dejan Bosanac, Aviagen Kft's technical service manager.
 

"This year-by-year improvement is especially visible in our recurring Ross 400 Club members such as Agromerkur and HranaProdukt. Some of the results are truly amazing, ranking with the high levels we are seeing worldwide."

"With Aviagen's continuous focus on improving the genetic potential of Ross birds, as well as our company's focus on improving efficiency and productivity on broiler farms, we were able to achieve these excellent results on our broiler farm in the village of Kovačevac, Serbia," said Milan Mitrić, poultry specialist from HranaProdukt.

"Good production results are the basis of good financial results," Jurij Bertalanič, primary production manager of Agromerkur, said.

"We have achieved excellent results in broiler production during the past few years. In 2013, for the first time ever, we reached an EPEF score of over 400, and from then on, have added new members to the Ross 400 Club year on year. We're seeing equally strong success on the breeder side, with a 10% improvement over the past three years, thanks to careful flock management and expert advice from Dejan and the Aviagen team. We look forward to continued improvement and success with our Ross birds."