August 19, 2008

Aviagen begins construction of grand parent hatchery

As part of its ongoing investment programme, the Aviagen Group has announced the building of a new Grand Parent hatchery in Hilbersdorf, near Dresden, in Eastern Germany.

The new hatchery will be the largest in the EU and have a capacity of 1 million eggs per week. The new facility will enhance Aviagen's EU supply network, which provides customers with breeding stock from hatcheries in the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, France and Hungary, as well as via key European distributors based in Northern Ireland, Spain, France, Sweden and Finland.

The construction of the hatchery falls under the management of Ross EPI, Aviagen's Central European operation, who have been working with suppliers, architects and the German authorities to ensure that the hatchery contains state-of-the-art technology and meets Aviagen's biosecurity standards.

Construction began in June and the hatchery is expected to be operational by January 2009. The location of the hatchery is situated within minutes of a major motorway network, less than 100 km away from the Czech and Polish borders and within 70 km of two major airports, Dresden and Leipzig.