June 14, 2007

Experts define innovation priorities for animal nutrition at Nutreco's InnoVision 2007

Press release

Agro-economic experts and scientists from major geographical regions of the world met at Nutreco's InnoVision 2007 meeting in the Netherlands to discuss the balance of resources for feed, food and fuel from an animal nutrition perspective and define priorities for innovation.

Representing North and South America, Asia and Europe, they defined the main challenge for the global animal nutrition industry as providing cost-efficient conversion of low value raw materials to high value protein in a sustainable way.

This must be achieved at a time when there is increasing tension in demand for agricultural products resulting from the growing world population, rising standards of living and a surge in demand for energy from crops.

The three priorities they set for research to enable the agricultural industry to meet the challenge were:

• Feedstuff and formulation technology to ensure the agricultural industry can provide animal food products at affordable prices
   
• Identification of new natural feed additives to improve feed digestion and contribute to animal health and welfare
   
• Nutrigenomics - optimising the nutrition of animals in relation to their genetic characteristics

Juergen Steinemann, Chief Operating Officer of Nutreco, presented the conclusions from InnoVision at the opening of AgriVision 2007 in Noordwijk aan Zee, Netherlands, on Jun 13, 2007. AgriVision is a global agribusiness conference held every two years, seeing attendance by some 300 agricultural business leaders from all continents.

Professor Leo den Hartog, Director of R&D and Quality Affairs at Nutreco, chaired the InnoVision meeting. Representatives present included Dr Claudio Bellaver of Embrapa, a research organisation in Brazil; Professor Li Defa, China Agricultural University, Beijing; Professor Neal R. Merchen, University of Illinois, USA; Dr Jan Nicolai, Purchasing Manager Nutreco, the Netherlands; Professor Roberto Rodrigues, former Minister of Agriculture, Brazil; Professor Johan Sanders, Wageningen University and Research Centre, the Netherlands; Dr Coen Smits, Manager Swine Research, Nutreco, the Netherlands; and Professor Hans-Wilhelm Windhorst, University of Vechta, Germany.

                   From left to right: Dr Claudio Bellaver, Prof Neal Merchen, Dr Coen Smits, Prof Johan

                   Sanders, Prof Leo den Hartog, Prof Hans-Wilhelm Windhorst, Prof Roberto Rodrigues,

                   Dr Jan Nicolai and Prof Li Defa