Aquaculture grows in importance at animal farming event

A fair for the animal farming industry dominated by terrestrial farming and breeding is gradually becoming a centre for the aquaculture industry as well reflecting its status as the fastest-growing animal protein production in the world.

The 37th edition of SPACE, an international exhibition on animal farming, was held in the middle of September at the Rennes Exhibition Centre in France. Animal farming is the overall theme of the event which caters to professionals from all related sectors, including animal feed, animal health, energy, environment, equipment, farm buildings, products and services from seeds, fertilizers, and plant protection to veterinary equipment, and animal breeding. Euro sh International Organisation was invited to the event as it also included a section on aquaculture. e wide international participation at the show also provides useful exposure for all exhibitors.

Impressive development in the show's metrics

Some numbers from this year: More than 12 hundred exhibitors were present, 241 of them for the rst time, and 365 were international companies from 39 di erent countries. Almost 91 thousand visitors attended, including 12,125 international visitors from 122 countries. ese gures re ect a record number of countries and an increase in the number of international visitors by almost a quarter compared to the previous year.

is year the focus of the exhibition was energy, which was discussed in round tables, debates, and presentations, and was also the subject of the forum, Espace for the Future, organised by the Chambers of Agriculture. Participants received information about reducing their energy consumption and about using opportunities o ered by the market in the most e cient way. In recent times, due to the pandemic, the Russian war in Ukraine, climate change and other foreseen and unexpected events energy prices have been volatile and have increased sharply, which has had a knock-on e ect on other connected services and products. On the other hand, due to the growing population, the demand for food is increasing and farmers and processors must nd a pro table and sustainable balance to satisfy needs and maintain production. SPACE was an excellent opportunity to learn about new developments and available technologies, to connect with people, companies and associations, institutions and agencies, nd inspiration, and identify potential partners and solutions. e new Experts’ Area within the Espace for the Future forum provided animal farmers with very practical and useful information on subjects such as fuel consumption, hydrogen, reducing energy consumption in buildings, the laws on renewable energy, and many other areas concerning energy saving.

In collaboration with agricultural teaching networks, a youth forum was organised this year for the next generation of animal producers which was opened by

Marc Fesneau, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty. e programme provided a platform for young and budding producers to share their visions about the future and express their motivations, concerns, and questions.

Aquaculture is an increasingly important part of SPACE

Aquaculture is a dynamically growing sector of animal protein production and also an expanding area within SPACE. e organisers have been o ering a program dedicated to aquaculture for several years in various areas including nutrition, equipment, consulting, research, genetics, and more. With the growing participation of national and international producers and service providers from aquaculture (13 growth between 2019 and 2022), SPACE will continue to expand programmes and facilities for the sector and aims to be a key event for businesses within di erent areas of aquaculture. In 2023 SPACE o ered participants interested in aquaculture a speci c itinerary around the stands. Producers and service providers also working on aquaculture were provided with a special logo, two conferences (one each in English and French) were dedicated to the production of aquatic species, and an aquaculture eld visit was organised. Presentations both in English and French on various sh and shell sh farming topics generated interest among participants leading to lively discussions on di erent topics. SPACE 2024 will be held on 17-19 September. For more information visit https://uk.space.fr/.

Eva Kovacs, Euro sh, eva@euro sh.dk