September 23, 2008

With 113,580 visitors, a two-percent increase in attendance from last year, SPACE 2008 marked its second best year, after a record year in 2003. The convention's international visitor profile was marked by the attendance of 9,066 visitors from a hundred different countries - as many as in 2007, despite a noticeable drop in Muslim visitors, due to Ramadan.

Prime Minister Francois Fillon, accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture Michel Barnier, has formally inaugurated the SPACE this year, making his first major speech on agriculture. Fillon said he was "impressed by the quality of the event". The inauguration started with the traditional visit of the exhibition various halls.

SPACE president Jean-Michel Lemétayer pointed out that all meat productions suffered revenue loss due to the higher cost of energy and animal food. He also placed emphasis on agricultural pensions, the CAP's future and on agriculture's vital role. To these, Fillon answered that "vigilance should be maintained so as not to harm the interests of both France and Europe".

The four-day event once again provided an excellent opportunity for business exchanges between 1,264 exhibitors and the trade visitors at the stands of Rennes Exhibition Centre in Rennes, France. As a testimony to the show's success, plenty of appointments were made for the weeks and months to come to confirm capital spending on livestock projects. Some of these projects are already due for finalization amid uncertain future prospects in some livestock sectors.

Hall 4, which houses the "digital farm", was anchored on the theme "technologies in the everyday service of the breeder." Four poles were inside the hall - a production pole which presented the tools for better work conditions, a second pole which dealt with optimum production management and how to simplify administrative management of farm land, a third pole on communication deals with discussion forums and web site building. E-business was the center of the final pole and the aim of which was to develop new business opportunities.

A wide array of conferences and forums also made this year's SPACE a place of lively discussion and  exchanges on every aspect of livestock production - including strategies for the future, sustainable development and multi-party debate on the environment.