Poultry Digest October/November 2011

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Poultry Digest Volume 27, Number 2 October/November 2011

Waste to Wealth: Biomax Rapid Thermophilic Digestion System

The Game Changers – 23rd Alltech Asia Pacific Lecture Tour 2011

Smart use of resources builds a booming freerange layer business

NSW Poultry Field Day

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Contents

Waste to Wealth: Biomax rapid thermophilic Digestion system Singapore is home to Biomax Technologies Pte Ltd, a science based organisaton that has successfully developed a rapid thermophilic digestion system that turns waste from the broiler and layer industries into high value organic fertiliser in just 24 hours.

18 sPeCial feature smart use of resources builds a booming free-range layer business Lawrence Lim and Jin Gang from Biomax.

Poultry Digest October/November 2011 Volume 27, Number 2 editorial enquiries Peter Bedwell or rosemary embery +6 1 2 9798 3078 or 0419 235 288 sales: Peter Bedwell Phone: +61 2 9798 3078 Mob: 0419 235 288 or Mob: 0409 944 472 fax: + 61 2 9798 2105 email: ilvaril@iinet.net.au Website: www.primarymedia.com.au POultry DiGest consists of a bi-monthly management magazine and an annual industry review.

Published by C D supplies Pty ltd (aCN 091 560 557)

Production: rosemary embery email: rembery@iinet.net.au OffiCe aDDress: 250 Hawthorne Parade, Haberfield 2045 Ph: (02) 9798 3078 fax: (02) 9798 2105 suBsCriPtiONs: australia One year – $55.00*. send payment and full details to (subscritpions only): Primary Media, GPO Box 1846, sydney NsW 2001 NeW ZealaND One year – $a80.

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CHaNGe Of aDDress fOr suBsCriPtiONs ONly: send details, along with the old address label, to GPO Box 1846, sydney NsW 2001 (subscriptions only). all Material COPyriGHt (editorial and advertisements) and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publishers. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the contents of POultry DiGest, the pulishers do not accept any responsibility or liability for the material herein.

Paul and Julie Kos are running a very successful free-range layer farm at Stonehaven on the outskirts of Geelong in Victoria. With limited resources and a small farm the decision to open a free range farm was dictated by necessity rather than philosophy – Kossies Free Range Eggs was the result.

NeWs 4 NSW Poultry Field Day 2011 – a good result for a first time event The inaugural NSW Poultry Field Day, held at the Howie Complex, Sydney Showground on September 14, 2011, attracted a good crowd of poultry industry participants and was well supported by more than 60 exhibitors from all over NSW and other states.

24 The Game Changers – 23rd Alltech Asia Pacific Lecture Tour 2011 The Game Changers, Alltech’s 23rd Asia Pacific lecture Tour, 2011 was held at venues in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. The Sydney event, held at the Stamford Hotel, Mascot on September 28 was specific to the poultry sector.

32 The RSPCA’s 2011 ‘Good Egg’ Awards The RSPCA’s 2011Good Egg Awards were announced at the Canberra Business Event Centre, Regatta Point on the night of November 23.

“The RSPCA Good Egg Awards acknowledge major companies who make the switch to cage free eggs,” said Heather Neil, CEO of RSPCA Australia.

36 ACMF organises a ‘chicken meat’ day out for the media As part of the industry’s policy of opening up its doors to the wider media, the Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF) hosted a day out for journalists who visited a contract broiler farm, then toured Inghams Hoxton Park NSW processing facility.

40 Biomin Asia Nutrition Forum 2011 held in the Philippines The Biomin Asia Nutrition Forum, held once every two years in Asia, is a multi-destination forum program tailored for the Asian audience. It provides a common platform for the team of leading agri-business and industry specialists to communicate and interact with the local stakeholders.

PRODUCT NEWS 48 Australia’s first fowl cholera vaccine in chickens registered and ready for sale 49 Zinc complexes improve feed conversion

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011 3

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NeWs NsW Poultry field Day 2011 – a good result for a first time event The inaugural NSW Poultry Field Day, held at the Howie Complex, Sydney Showground on September 14, 2011, attracted a good crowd of poultry industry participants and was well supported by more than 60 exhibitors from all over NSW and other states.

Inghams, Baiada, Redlea, Cordina and Pepes Ducks all participated and workshop sessions, both morning as well as afternoon were well attended.

The day’s program started with a welcome by Gary Ekert, chair of the NSW Farmers Poultry Meat Committee and NSW Farmers presentation delivered by Frances Tolsen.

Guest speakers were Dr Mingan Choct, Poultry Industry CRC, followed by Hope Bertram, RSPCA Marketing Manager and finally Ray Sommerville, NSW Regional Director NAB corporate agribusiness.

Dr Choct outlined some of the key challenges facing the poultry sector with consumer concerns resulting in political pressure in areas like production systems, food safety and animal welfare.

“If the industry responded to the more extreme concerns of focus groups we would end up by turning our farmland into national parks,” he suggested.

“Environmental and animal welfare issues resulted in too much ‘red tape’ and increased cost of compliance.

“But,” he said “we must not let negatives deter us because by 2050 the population of Australia will probably exceed 40 million leading to some serious food, security and production issues.

Managing climate change would be a critical factor as well,” he suggested.

“To feed our growing population we will need an extra 500 million chickens and 15 million hens and face more stringent requirement for clean, green, ethical production.

Dr Choct thanked the industry for its level of support for both the original and existing CRC and mentioned that 36 organisations were participating in the current CRC. Key programs he mentioned included initiatives in primary and further education to “let kids know where their food comes from”.

Dr Choct concluded by emphasising the fact that the industries low emission levels would be highly beneficial in a low

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carbon economy.

Hope Bertram’s opening statement was that the RSPCA has no policies against farming and no vegetarian agenda.

“We want to work with farmers to help them with adverse consumer attitudes and ignorance of farming methods,” she said.

“The numbers of consumers who do care about animal welfare is growing; 50% more in fact than five years ago.

“According to major retailer surveys 85% of customers want to support production systems that are humane and 72% are prepared to pay more for it.

“One in four consumers is confused about animal welfare terminology and one in five don’t trust labels.

“RSPCA approved codes give clear definition of production methods and make it easier for consumers to select what they regard as a more humane source of food,” Ms Bertram explained.

“RSPCA branded products recognise the costs associated with production method changes and our codes extend to indoor as well as free range systems.

“We invite established brands to participate and we believe that the RSPCA endorsement on packaging adds value at the point of sale,” she concluded.

NSW Regional Director NAB corporate agribusiness outlined what an excellent financial position Australia faces when compared to the rest of the world.

While there were concerns caused by troubles in the EU and Greece in particular, Mr Sommerville pointed out that Australia exports more to Christmas Island than it does to Greece.

On interest rates, he stated that while the RBA was maintaining a philosophy towards upward pressure, the markets clearly wanted a drop to stimulate housing and the economy in general.

The Australian dollar,” he predicted, “would continue to trade in the US95-99 cent range.”

In the workshops, Gary Ekert delivered a ‘Workplace Health & Safety’ overview followed by the first of two sessions on ventilation, presented by Aviagen’s Wayne Miller.

In the afternoon session following Wayne Miller, Stephen Proctor OEH, Nick Bullock Consulting and Martin Simmons from OEC all spoke about energy efficiency.

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

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4 1. Ray Sommerville, NAB Agribusiness.

2. Gary Ekert, NSW Farmers Poultry Meat Committee. 3. Paul Elias. Farming Manager Cordina with John Camilleri, contract grower with Cordina.

4. Frances Tolsen, NSW Farmers.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 The impending NSW food safety/ quality assurance legislation was revealed by Peter Sutherland from the NSW Food Authority.

It would appear from this session that much of the detail of these plans are yet to be finalised – one thing for sure however is that yet another cost and time burden will fall on growers in complying with new regulation.

Meg Parkinson, FREPA, also spoke in this session and the association held its Free Range Chicken Farming meeting at the end of the workshop.

Peter Cashman, Poultry Meat Manager for NSW Farmers summed up the day.

“The Poultry field day on September 14, 2011 was targeted at current producers and those wishing to enter the industry.

The workshops on Current Issues such as food safety, environmental management, energy efficiency, workplace health and safety, and ventilation were very successful and well attended,” he said.

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“There were more than 120 pre-registrations, and between 150-200 attendees on the day with producers travelling from all other states to attend.

“Those who attended were impressed with the quality of the trade display, venue and program and there were a range of prize draws on offer valued at more than $3500. More than $1000 was raised by raffle and auction for the Cancer Council.

“Initial feedback from exhibitors and attendees has been very positive with plans in place to grow and improve on this successful event in 2013,” he concluded.

For a first time effort it was indeed a good effort. Poultry Digest noted that of the growers that did attend many are top performers who maintain a keen interest in new technology and staying on top of the game.

Running the event in alternate years to PIX is also a smart move as it presents both growers and exhibitors with the opportunity to keep pace with industry developments on an annual basis.

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

7 1. Industry consultant Rowly Horn with Vivian Kite, RIRDC. 2. Hope Bertram (left) with Meg Parkinson, FREPA. 3. Wayne Miller, Aviagen with Peter Mathews and Scott Miller from AAS. 4. Luke Trevanion, Santrev (left) with Mick Warner, Poultry CRC. 5. More than 60 exhibitors on the day. 6. Martin Simmons from OEC. 7. Ercolino loader unit on the Imexco stand.

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Start of the 24 hour process – filling the 22000 litre digestor unit with layer shed waste.

Waste to Wealth: Biomax Rapid Thermophilic Digestion System

By PETER BEDWELL

S

ingapore, the super clean and efficient city state, is home to Biomax Technologies Pte Ltd, a science based organisaton that has successfully developed a rapid thermophilic digestion system that turns waste from the broiler and layer industries into high value organic fertiliser in just 24 hours.

Biomax Technologies, with a strong R&D base, specialises in developing and marketing green technologies and the rapid thermophilic digestion system is the result of five years research and considerable investment.

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Established in 2009, Biomax has sold its technology in SE Asian markets, the Middle East and now, in Australia.

Poultry Digest was invited to inspect a Biomax 22000 litre waste capacity machine that is fitted with a thermal oil boiler system and installed at Chew Farms, a 400,000 bird layer farm located on the Singapore city outskirts.

At the start of the process 15 tonnes of waste material, consisting of approximately 70% manure and 30% sawdust/bagass/rice hulls plus euthanased spent hens and other mortalities, were loaded into the digester unit.

This process uses a skid steer unitmounted bucket to load the optional conveyor. Once completed the waste was mixed with Biomax’s unique BM1 enzyme added at 1kg per tonne of waste material.

The digester unit is heated, in this case using a thermal oil boiler system powered

by LPG, (there is the option of an electrically heated 22000 litre unit) and uses around 100kg of LPG in the 24-hour process.

The process is computer controlled and the temperature cycles from 70 degrees C to 80 degrees C then drops back and recycles throughout the 24-hour period.

A 45kw electric power unit rotates a

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

giant stainless steel agitator inside the digester and eventually a mass of what was once an intractable waste is transformed into an odourless and biologically safe material that has high value as a soil conditioner for farmers, gardeners and retailers supplying nursery and other outlets.

Those are the simple facts behind this ‘Green Frontier’ technology but Biomax Vice President Lawrence Lim explained to Poultry Digest the details that make his company’s product such a good business proposition for its customers in intensive livestock industries.

“The key is the BM1 enzyme which has the ability to shorten fermentation periods by activating microbial fermentation. The enzyme contains bacteria which is capable of decomposing organic matter in a high temperature environment,” he explained.

“While the harmful pathogens in poultry waste are eliminated at high temperatures, the heat resistant enzyme can adjust the pH of the waste material and balance nutrients to help in further preventing common disease-causing pathogens.”

Pointing out the many engineering features of the Biomax digester unit, Lawrence emphasises the importance of air w

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v supply in the process.

“It’s an anaerobic process and the enzyme needs oxygen to do its work,” he stated.

The Biomax digester units are manufactured to the company’s specific design in South Korea.

That nation, now famous for building ever more cost competitive and efficient motor vehicles, has an even longer tradition of excellence in heavy engineering and in particularly, shipbuilding.

This expertise is evident in any inspection of the engineering aspects of the Biomax 22000L RTD unit.

If a mechanical unit has to work 24/7 in the poultry industry there is probably no such thing as ‘over engineering’ but the agitator drive system comes close. Massive bearing housings for the marine grade stainless steel agitator, and overall robust construction recognises the tough task this product was designed to perform.

Behind every innovative company are interesting people and Biomax is no exception in this regard. The 22 members of staff, including Lawrence, are enthusiastic and driven to bring their green technology to the world’s markets.

Leading in this endeavour is Mr Sim Eng Tong, Biomax’s CEO, or Mr Sim, as he is known.

Mr Sim is passionate about his company, its technology, and the wider benefits it can deliver to its customers and the environment they live in.

To say that few Singaporeans avoid the wealth that their hard work delivers would be an understatement, but Mr Sim, based in one of the global centres of raw capitalism, is devoted to the ideal of better and more sustainable environmental outcomes in a region where growing populations and explosive economic growth presents some real challenges for a sustainable future.

The company he leads has won many awards in Singapore and SE Asia for its contribution to environmental sustainability.

The organic fertiliser produced from the Biomax Rapid Thermophilic Digestion system carries the Singapore Government ‘Green Label’ 100% Organic Fertiliser.

Biomax scientist Dr Puah Chum Mok is the brains behind the BM1 enzyme and has established expertise in bacterial and fungal fermentation, the production of bacterial cultures and enzymes for turning agricultural wastes and food wastes into organic fertilisers with high NPK values, also delivering harmless wastewater and solids from the same source.

Dr Puah has also been involved with the production of probiotics with agricultural industry applications and has co-invented products and methodology in these waste management and probiotic disciplines resulting in numerous patents. w

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6 1. Lawrence Lim with paw paw crop grown using end product. 2. Agitator drive bearing housings – serious engineering! 3. Biomax 22000 litre unit produces 10 tonne of feriliser in just 24 hours. 4. Adding BM1 enzyme at the start of the process – 1kg per tonne of waste. 5. One tonne baskets of fertiliser ready for sale. 6. At the end of the process fertiliser is stacked and ready for bagging.

POULTRY DIGEST October/November, 2011

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Having watched the start of the process we returned to the Chew Farm site to see the end result – what started as 15 tonnes of layer farm waste was now around 10 tonnes of hot, odourless, safe brown organic fertiliser with a market value way way beyond its costs of production.

The skid steer operator who had filled the Biomax digester unit the day before was now piling up the end result to let it cool so his assistant could start the job of manually filing the 25 kg bags of Biomax 123 Premium Organic Fertiliser.

For larger farming operations the fertiliser is also sold in one tonne ‘baskets’.

There are ready takers for both products and shortly after the unloading process finished a local retailer arrived to take another delivery of the Biomax 123 bags.

Lawrence took the opportunity to show off some of the crops grown by the Biomax workers right next to the shed where the digester unit was located – very healthy paw paw!

He also explained that there is the opportunity for owners of the Biomax Rapid Thermophilic Digestion Systems to tailor the end fertiliser product to specific uses and stated that this had been achieved

by Biomax in response to orchid growing as well as for food crops.

There are three models in the Biomax range, with 4000, 22000 and 80,000 litre capacities – they have inputs of 3, 13/15 and 48/52 tonnes and produce 2, 9/10 and 38/42 tonnes of end fertiliser product respectively.

Shed space required is 200,300, and 400 square metres.

Having seen the whole process complete the production cycle on site it was back to the office to discuss more of the science behind the Biomax waste management system with Mr Sim. He and Lawrence showed Poultry Digest reports from the Agri Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), internationally a highly regarded and very diligent organisation.

A laboratory report conducted by the AVA on the Biomax Organic Fertiliser

Australian Agents: Ray Beazleigh, Jabiru Mobile: 0418 201 629 Email: ray@jabiru8.com Victorian enquiries: Mal Mottram Mobile: 0407 366 118

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reveals a detailed chemical and physical analysis, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium content, for example, and a further bacteriological report confirming negative isolation for Salmonella.

Analytical Laboratories (Singapore) Pte Ltd was engaged to determine source emission monitoring of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ammonia and hydrogen sulphide for the Biomax 22000L Rapid Thermophilic Digestion machine.

The purpose of the study was to assess the source emission quality in compliance with the Environmental Protection and Management Act 2008 (Singapore) and Management (Air Impurities) Regulations 2008.

This report was completed as recently as August 2011.

The thoroughness with which Biomax has gone about not only designing the digester and its vital BM1 enzyme, but the end fertiliser product should be of reassurance to potential buyers of this system in Australia as emission and waste disposal regulation becomes ever more onerous.

Ray Beazleigh of Jabiru Agribusiness Pty Ltd has been appointed as the Australian distributor for the Biomax Rapid Thermophilic Digestion system and its BM1 enzyme.

Ray, a man of great enthusiasm, is positively ecstatic about the prospects in Australia for the Biomax system.

“Do the maths!” he challenges, a layer bird produces 25 grams of manure a day, so on a typical 200,000 bird layer farm that’s 5000 kg in manure alone without even considering mortalities and other shed waste material.

An inquiry by Poultry Digest at the time of writing revealed that typical fertiliser prices are well over $500 a tonne – a proven organic soil conditioner product like that produced by a Biomax system using poultry waste as raw material could reasonably expect to do a lot better than that.

Further, if the product is bagged and designed to suit high value markets like those serviced by Biomax in Singapore and Malaysia, then the Biomax ‘waste to wealth’ proposition seems more than reasonable!

Along with oil and water the world is quite literally running out of basic fertiliser stocks. When this dawned on the money movers and shakers a few years back the end result in Australia was fertiliser costs of more than $1000 a tonne – there is little doubt that we could find ourselves in the same position in the near future.

Ray has already sold his first unit – the same as the 22,000-litre model featured in this article and it will be installed on Jeff Ironside’s 200,000 bird layer farm near Townsville in early 2012.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 50 w

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

1. Top: Optional thermal oil bioler unit to maintain waste temperature between 70-80o C. Centre: Ventilation to top of digestor unit – vital in anaerobic process. Above: Giant marine grade stainless steel agitiator in digestor.

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6 LDGA9 A:69:G >C 6 6 LDGA9 A:69:G >C 6K>6GN 6C9 DGA9 A:69:G >C 6K>6GN 6C9 K>6GN 6C9 6AI:GC6I>K: A6N>C< HNHI:BH 6A I:GC6I>K: A6 I:GC6 I>K: A6N>C< H I>K: A6 N>C< HNHI:BH O 9Zh^\cZY [dg i]Z W^gY! VcY ZVhZ d[ bVcV\ZbZci O 9Zh^\cZY [dg i]Z W^gY! VcY ZVhZ d[ bVcV\ZbZci O DkZg )% nZVgh ZmeZg^ZcXZ O DkZg )% nZVgh ZmeZg^ZcXZ O FjVa^in VcY gZa^VW^a^in Wj^ai ^c O FjVa^in VcY gZa^VW^a^in Wj^ai ^c O KZgn ÓZm^WaZ YZh^\ch [dg cZl VcY Zm^hi^c\ Wj^aY^c\h O KZgn ÓZm^WaZ YZh^\ch [dg cZl VcY Zm^hi^c\ Wj^aY^c\h For more information please contact: Potters Poultr Poultry, y, W Willey illey Fields Farm, Willey, Willey illey,, Rugby,, W Rugby Warwickshire arwickshire CV23 0SQ UK

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Interesting but effective egg drier set up and lots of Kossies free range eggs ready for delivery.

Smart use of resources builds a booming free-range layer business

By PETER BEDWELL

P

aul and Julie Kos, assisted by their son Jason, are running a very successful free-range layer farm at Stonehaven on the outskirts of Geelong in Victoria.

Paul had worked at Ford for more than

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25 years as a toolmaker and his wife Julie was in catering when they decided on a change in lifestyle and acquired their 36 acre property in 2005.

With limited resources and a small farm Paul said that their decision to open a free-range layer farm was dictated by necessity rather than philosophy – Kossies Free Range Eggs was the result.

“We had a limited area of land and a friend happened to have some mobile layer sheds he had constructed that were for sale at a reasonable price, so we grabbed them and it just grew from there,” Paul explained.

“We liked the idea of operating a free range farm but in reality if we wanted to make a living out of our farm, the set up we have now was the only real option,” he said.

“Today we house about 6000 hens in 12 sheds that we rotate through the

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

paddocks to maintain quality of range for the birds,” Julie explained.

Christine Clark, Southern Region Sales Manager for Auspac, first met Paul and Julie when she called on the farm to look at ways of improving the water quality for the Hy-Line Brown hens.

The river that threads through the property is both picturesque and the water source for the farm, but to improve water hygiene and reduce biofilm in the shed drinker systems, the proven combination of Selko Ph administered through a Select Doser unit was found to be the answer.

Christine is now a regular visitor and sometimes helps with the morning egg collecting task – a labour intensive operation on a free range farm with mobile sheds.

Kossies wouldn’t be the first layer business to struggle selling pullet eggs.

“We tried selling the 42-49 gram eggs from our birds in the 19-26 week age group but people just couldn’t get their head around the idea of a pullet egg and even the ‘free range’ concept that works well for our larger hen eggs didn’t help with the pullet eggs,” Julie explained.

A bit of smart marketing solved the problem.

“We thought that a smaller egg might appeal to children and indeed their parents, trying to get the kids to try a healthy food product, so we came up with the idea of Bubba Eggs,” Julie explained.

“Apart from the size, the pullet egg has a different texture and flavour and this w

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v combined with packaging to suit the product designed by our son Jason, Bubba Eggs have taken off both locally and more recently, further afield,” she said.

Having both a full size free range product as well as a novel pullet egg line (the ‘Bubba Eggs’ brand is now a trademarked product) with kid appeal has certainly attracted the attention of both retailers and the restaurant industry in a region with a large population and tourist appeal.

When Poultry Digest visited the farm, the morning routine of letting the hens out of their sheds and then collecting eggs was in full swing. Julie, Christine and Margaret Read picked up the eggs and loaded them onto the farm’s quad bike for transportation back to the farms packing shed where a typical daily tally of 4000 eggs are washed, dried and graded.

The water supply to the mobile 500 bird capacity sheds is a simple hose connected to the drinker line, accessible to the hens from both inside and outside the unit.

Christine disconnected one and a pellet of biofilm residue came out of the pipe demonstrating that Selko Ph helps in keeping lines clean, she pointed out.

Back at the packing shed the egg washer is a Kuhl unit, the drier is a testament to DIY (but it does work), and the grader is a UK made Ben Nevis item.

It’s all pretty labour intensive but the reward is there as by midday fresh eggs are ready for transport to retailers and restaurants in the region.

At day’s end there’s the task of filling the suspended pan feeders, checking the hens and completing all the endless chores on a well spread out free range farm.

While the Kos family is now reaping the rewards of its innovation, the labour input is daunting – small scale free-range layer farming is not for the faint hearted!

The simple sheds, all constructed to a similar design, are ideal for the purpose.

With level paddocks, the farm tractor can easily move them on their steel skids to new locations and perches, feeders, drinkers and layer nests all work well and are easy to maintain.

Julie states that one of the challenges of running the farm is maintaining range quality and Paul is constantly trying new strategies to do just that: their relatively low stocking densities help in that regard.

Julie and Paul are particularly pleased with the performance of their Hy-Line Brown birds whose wide age based laying range stretches from around 20 weeks for the ‘Bubba Eggs’ to around 80 weeks – they achieve over 90% at 24/26 weeks which they regard as a great achievement in a free range environment.

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1. Paul Kos works hard to keep paddocks in good shape. 2. LtoR: Paul and Julie Kos and Margie Read. 3. Simple but effective shed interior. 4. Selko Ph and Select Doser helps sanitise water from nearby river. 5. Selko Ph assists in removal of biofilm in drinker supply line.

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demand we have kept our hens for as long as two years and still had an acceptable result.

“The birds adapt well to a life in the paddock as well as in sheds and are docile v as well as productive,” Julie said.

“We also get excellent service from HyLine Area Representative and Service Manager, Mathew Forster, and he has been critical to the success of the farm,” she said.

Even then Kossies’ hens continue to have a useful life.

“Usually, at around the18 months period we vaccinate, worm, treat for lice then sell hens to the large number of willing new owners in our region,” Julie explained.

Apart from consumer awareness and growth by word of mouth, the local media have run numerous articles on the farm and the next plan for Kossies Free Range is to further promote ‘Bubba Eggs’ with an interactive website.

Margie Read who works with Paul and Julie Kos on the farm, markets eggs under her own Brodis Lodge Fresh eggs label.

She supplies the Geelong Cats football team with up to 180 eggs a week.

What did the Cats have for breakfast before their 2011 premiership victory? You guessed it – eggs from the farm.

It would be drawing a long bow and deeply unscientific to suggest that the breakfast eggs swung the match, but it obviously didn’t hinder the Cats in dealing with the Maggies either!

While the industry, not always assisted by the views of some politicians, retailers and regulators, debate what a free range layer operation is, or should be, Paul and

Julie Kos have set up an operation that not only meets consumer expectations but has introduced them to a new egg product experience.

Their farm is a triumph of hard work, simple but effective innovation, and clever marketing.

Not only have they have discovered an effective method to get kids eating eggs early on in their food taste development, they have turned a raw material that is often either rejected or used in low return food production into a profitable and unique consumer product. How good is that?

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22 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

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Top: Quad bike egg pick up. Centre: Hy-Line Brown hens are placid and perform well in free range environment. Above right: Smart marketing solved the problem of how to sell pullet eggs – now they are ‘Bubba Eggs’. Above: Christine Clarke from Auspac is a regular visitor to the farm.

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NeWs the Game Changers – 23rd alltech asia Pacific lecture tour 2011 The Game Changers, Alltech’s 23rd Asia Pacific lecture Tour, 2011 was held at venues in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The Sydney event, held at the Stamford Hotel, Mascot on September 28 was specific to the poultry sector.

Though the group was select, it represented about 80% of Australian broiler production with delegates attending from Inghams, Baiada and Red Lea among others.

After the presentations, delegates attended a dinner where lively discussion followed.

Missing, in person however on this, the 23rd ALPT was Alltech’s President and founder, Dr Pearse Lyons.

The very energy that drives Dr Lyons contributed to an incident while early morning jogging in Beijing: this resulted in a head wound that prevented his traveling to Australia.

Audiences in both Sydney and Melbourne were however able to see and hear the ‘virtual’ bandaged but otherwise ebullient Dr Lyons.

Adam Naylor, Australian Manager for Alltech welcomed delegates to the ‘Game Changers’ events.

“Consider,” he suggested, “that the world’s population this year would reach seven billion and nine billion by 2050 and this would present many challenges to both feed and food producers.

“Our industry needs ‘Game Changers’ like algae for both feed and fuel production, programed nutrition – a complete rethink of how we actually farm,” Mr Naylor said.

“Locally, Australia has gone from drought to floods, and grain quality has suffered while the fluctuating value of our dollar has affected imports and exports.

“Further, welfare groups are increasingly dictating trading terms and how we grow our animals: on top of this supermarket price wars further threaten grower returns.

“The food versus fuel debate affects Australia farmers while valuable farming land is threatened by coal mining and coal seam gas production,” he said.

Then Dr Lyons ‘beamed in’ from China and spoke of the need to break mental barriers as great athletes like Roger Bannister did in breaking the four minute mile back in 1954.

“The gene chip has come of age for all animals and we can grasp the benefits of

programed nutrition with the ability to switch on or off certain genes,” Dr Lyons said.

“An example of the application of this technology are the Ellsworth turkey farms in Iowa US where bigger birds are being raised with lower mortality, and the meat is tastier. Programed nutrition has come of age,” he said.

Alltech’s expansion into algae-based production offers the opportunity not only to produce OMEGA 3 but also to capture CO2.

Dr Lyons spoke of the opportunity presented by the growth of China where one fifth of the world’s population live.

“Our sales target in the next five to six years is expected to exceed $4 billion – $1 billion of this target will come from China “As our sales jump so will your opportunity of a lifetime: grasp it in the lifetime of the opportunity,” Dr Lyons concluded.

Next Matthew Smith, Asia-Pacific Director, Alltech, spoke on the topic of ‘Game changing strategies for performance and profitability’.

Mr Smith joined Alltech in 1996 and has worked extensively throughout AsiaPacific, Europe and North America.

Previously he was the General Manager for Alltech New Zealand “The challenge,” he stated, “is to reduce costs, increase profitability while minimising risk to farming generally,” Mr Smith said.

“China is generating significant opportunities. We have recently opened a new facility in Tianjin, two hours South of Beijing.

“After a $12 million investment, the first phase of the plant can now produce four kinds of animal nutrition products, including Bioplex and Optigen, with an annual output capacity of 30,000 tonnes and this will grow significantly with further investment over the next two years,” he revealed.

“The size and potential of the Chinese market is enormous: feed production exceeds 140 million tones a year and we have minimised ‘the hidden killer’ with Mycosorb.

“Programed nutrition would assist in the challenge to generate a higher return on investment,” he concluded.

Dr Alison Leary is well known in CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 w

24 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

1

2

3 1. Adam Naylor, Australian Manager for Alltech. 2. The ‘Virtual’ Dr Pearse Lyons was beamed in from Beijing.

3. Matthew Smith, Asia Pacific Director, Alltech.

PDOctNov2011:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/11 11:24 AM Page 25

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NeWs v CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 Australia as a nutritionist but she stepped away from her usual role in her paper ‘Game Changers – how it’s done’.

“How would organisations face the challenge of serving consumers in Asia, where 60% of the world’s population live, as they become richer?” she asked.

“In the next 15 years the number of middle class consumers will double to three billion.”

She spoke about five very successful companies whose basic philosophies had driven them to international success.

“Companies often grow but then plateau and eventually decline – luck can only get you so far,” she said.

These companies, Nestle, Zespri Kiwi Fruit, JBS-Brazil, KFC – China, Liuhe Feed and Livestock, have each survived and thrived by sticking to 1 of 5 basic guiding principles.

Nestle – no fads, no fashion, just change; Zespri – don’t be first, don’t be best, be different; JBS – know where growth comes from an get to where it is; KFC China – its all about you, and everything you do; and finally Liuhe – don’t act now. These were the take home messages delegates should consider,” Dr Leary said.

‘Programed nutrition, strategic shifts from conventional feeding’ was the topic presented by Dr James Pierce, Director of Research at Alltech.

“Programed nutrition was the game changer for nutritionists, and our goals in this talk are to describe nutrition at a different level and explain new tools to perform nutritional tasks.

“There is a distinction between genomics and genetics: in 2003 we reached the end of an era with the human genome project.

“Genetics is not destiny but nutrition can determine destiny – it is possible to condition offspring,” Dr Pierce said.

“Programed nutrition delivers, consistency, the possibility of antibiotic free nutrition, longer shelf life and improved moisture content as well as better tasting meat.

“We now have a lot of tools to help us understand what doesn’t fall within the realm of classic nutrition,” Dr Pierce concluded.

‘An industry without antibiotic growth promoters’ was Dr Andy Kocher’s topic.

Dr Kocher is currently employed as the Asia Pacific Regulatory Affairs Manager for Alltech Biotechnology.

He opened his talk by drawing atten-

28

1

3

2 tion to the recent food contamination crisis in Germany where 45 people died as a result of E. coli.

“Spanish cucumbers, tomatoes and bean sprouts were identified as the potential culprits but in the end, suspicion was directed at he feed industry,” Dr Kocher said.

“In recent research 60% of E. Coli isolates were found to be resistant to seven or more antimicrobials,” he added.

Dr Kocher pointed to research that indicated up to 9% of livestock diet can be used to fuel immune response.

“We have the tools to move away from antibiotic dependence and we have a chance to change before government forces the issue, as they have in some countries.

In concluding Dr Kocher stated that, “resistance is real and resistance affects the whole feed and food chain.

“Intestinal disorders cost money so the challenge is to reduce wasting energy, maximise protection and reduce the pool of resistance genes.

“We have credible replacements and

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

1. Dr Alison Leary, well known Australian nutritionist who spoke about ‘Game Changers – How it’s done.’.

2. Dr James Pierce, Director of Research, Alltech spoke on programed nutrition. 3. Dr Andy Kocher, Asia Pacific Regulatory Affairs Manager, Alltech Biotechnology.

strategies to move away from dependence on antibiotic growth promoters,” he said.

Alltech’s ‘Young Scientist Award’ program started in 2005 and now in 2011 has received more than 5500 entries from around the world.

Roland Matyasi, Alltech Asia Pacific Marketing Manager, described the aims of the initiative, which were, “to promote research and develop scientific talent.

“It is a global, multi lingual scientific competition with no language barriers and benefits include scholarships and the opportunity to develop skills for career development: Entrants also receive feedback on their submissions,” Mr Matyasi explained.

“Go to the website to find out more about how to enter the program,” he said – www.alltechyoungscientist.com/en/Pages/In troduction.aspx Though recent Alltech expansion plans in China have attracted much attention the Oceania region is also in for more investment in both Australian and the New Zealand-based operations.

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NeWs New in ovo machine set to revolutionise hatchery practice The benefits of in ovo vaccination are now within the reach of many more hatcheries worldwide, thanks to the development of a new compact device.

Embrex Inovoject m is a semi-automated in ovo vaccination system from Pfizer Animal Health Global Poultry designed for those hatcheries that do not have a large enough footprint or throughput to justify the installation of a full-size Embrex Inovoject.

The new device allows these hatcheries to benefit from the improved accuracy, reliability and efficiency of in ovo vaccination, but in a more compact form.

Full technical details for the new Inovoject m will be unveiled at the International Poultry Expo in Atlanta, Georgia in January 2012.

According to Melinda Freson, Senior Manager, BioDevice Marketing, Pfizer Animal Health Global Poultry, the new device will include the same core features of the larger Inovoject in a more condensed package.

“There has been a need for a smaller Inovoject for some time,” said Melinda Freson.

“For smaller hatcheries, or those in developing countries which have traditionally relied on manual labor to vaccinate each bird individually after hatch, the availability of a semi-automated in ovo vaccination system that is the right size for their hatchery, will be a real breakthrough.”

“Embrex Inovoject has been at the forefront of in ovo technology for over 20 years,” she said.

“In the US, more hatcheries use Embrex Inovoject than any other in ovo vaccination system. The full-size Inovoject can vaccinate up to 70,000 eggs per hour (configuration dependent), whereas Inovoject m is designed for a throughput of between 12,000 and 20,000 eggs per hour.

“A more modest device in a compact size means that more hatcheries will be able to switch from manual subcutaneous vaccination and thus improve flock health by protecting birds prior to hatch.

“The Inovoject m has a number of operational advantages for the producer who currently vaccinates chicks on day of hatch,” said Ms Freson.

“Not least is the fact that chicks can be transferred out of the hatchery and into the grow-out environment sooner.”

“As with all Embrex Inovoject devices, Inovoject m will be supported by the Pfizer Global Poultry technical service and support team. The new device will be unveiled to the public for the first time at a special invitation-only event at IPE.

30

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

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NeWs the rsPCa’s 2011 ‘Good egg’ awards The RSPCA’s 2011Good Egg Awards were announced at the Canberra Business Event Centre, Regatta Point on the night of November 23.

“The RSPCA Good Egg Awards acknowledge major companies who make the switch to cage free eggs,” said Heather Neil CEO of RSPCA Australia.

“These companies have shown great leadership in their industry and we’d like to recognise them for their commitment to animal welfare,” she said.

“Combined they use more than 8.2 million free range and barn laid eggs each year, so that’s tens of thousands of hens that are living a life free from confinement, out of a cage as a direct result of these companies.

“Consumers are becoming increasingly interested in how their food is produced, with two thirds of shoppers concerned about hens in cages.

“Making the switch to cage free eggs is simply giving customers what they want,” she pointed out.

“The Good Egg Award scheme began in the UK as an initiative of ‘Compassion in World Farming’ and previous international award winners have included MacDonalds UK, Subway UK and Sainsburys supermarkets.

“International winners tell us that receiving a Good Egg Award has made good business sense.

“It has boosted staff moral as well as improving brand image, reputation and benefiting their bottom line.

“We are looking forward to more Australian-based organisations making the switch to cage free egg supply,” Ms Neil concluded.

First of the Good Egg Award 2011 winners in the Food Service Category announced by RSPCA President Lynne Bradshaw was Grill’d, a company that since opening in 2004 made the commitment to only use free range whole eggs on their burgers.

“As their business has grown the number of eggs that they use has increased to more than one million each year,” Ms Bradshaw said.

“Here at Grill’d Healthy Burgers we are always looking to evolve and improve our products, and we have had great feedback on our eggs,” said Grill’d Supply Chain Quality Manager Shane Pigdon.

32

“The Coffee Club uses more than 5.2 million whole barn-laid eggs each year in food made on site at more than 200 restaurants Australia-wide.

“Sourcing cage free eggs has formed part of their efforts of being a socially responsible business,” Ms Bradshaw said.

“We made the decision to swith because we recognized the benefits of using cage free eggs in our cafes. We wanted to put our hand up and say that we are responsible in the way we source our eggs,” said The Coffee Club’s Executive Chef, Dan Forrest.

The final winner in the Food Service Category was ‘The Pancake Parlour’, a company established in 1965 that now uses 1.1 million whole free range eggs a year in its twelve restaurants.

The eggs are used in their salads as well as their well regarded savoury crepe and pancake mixes.

Serge Meiers, Senior Manager and food and beverage executive said that the Good Egg Award was “a fantastic acknowledgement of what the company has been trying to achieve for the past 45 years.”

“We only serve food in the restaurants that we would eat at home, and the success of our business has a lot to do with the quality of food we serve and we continue to receive positive feedback from our customers about the use of free range eggs,” he said.

In the Manufacturing Category the first winner was Doodles Creek Mayonnaise, a company that made the switch to free range eggs in 2009 and now uses 140,000 annually.

“Supporting the free range egg industry is important to Doodles Creek.

“We were the first Australian mayonnaise manufacturer to use free range eggs in January 2009 and to our knowledge are still the only nationally retailed Australia mayonnaisse company to use them,” said Sarah Ross, Doodles Creek director.

“Despite costing more to manufacture, our philosophy has always been to use the best ingredients available,” she added.

Pasta manufacturer Da Vinci Foods moved in March this year to using 100% free range eggs in its business which includes pasta.

Manufactured under their own brand and on behalf of retailer’s private label pasta products: the company uses 840,000 free w

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

Top: LtoR: Heather Neil, CEO RSPCA Australia; Dr Bidda Jones, Chief Scientist RSPCA Australia; Elkie Stuart, Communications Officer RSPCA Australia. Centre: Ben Wells, Cordina Chicken and Lynne Bradshaw, President RSPCA Australia. Above: Sarah Jennett and Kelly Woodland from The Coffee Club.

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PDOctNov2011:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/11 11:25 AM Page 34

NeWs

v range eggs a year.

“The introduction of free range eggs within our products has given us a major point of difference within the pasta industry, as we are the first to move to 100% of production,” said Tony Di Sebastiano, Da Vinci Foods Group General Manager.

“Although the cost of free range eggs is higher, in the end that cost impact is negligible, but the benefits are huge both morally and from a business perspective,” he added.

The final award of the evening was in the Public Procurement Category and went to the Canberra Hospital – Food Services Division.

The Canberra Hospital uses more than 43000 barn laid eggs each year in meals for both staff and patients.

The Food Services Division also uses barn laid eggs in for the meals they supply

Top: L to R: Lynne Bradshaw, President RSPCA; David Patsiner, The Coffee Club; Serge Meiers, The Pancake Parlour; Sarah Ross, Doodles Creek Mayonnaise; Justin Angus, Grill'd; Tony Di Sebastiano, Da Vinci Foods; Gary Wright and Tom Walsh, The Canberra Hospital.

Left: John Hazeldene, Hazeldene’s and Melina Tensen, RSPCA Australia.

to ‘Meals on Wheels’ in Canberra.

“In a time when Food Services Departments and operations are constantly looking at costs we have been able to support our decision to stick with cage-free eggs.

“We have been forthright in not succumbing to these pressures by taking cheaper options because we believe that

Paul evans joins B&M slots Paul Evans enjoyed a long and successful career in the UK poultry industry before making the decision to emigrate to Australia.

He was recently appointed as the NSW Sales and Technical Support specialist for B&M Slots, the Melbourne-based distributor for Lubing, Jansen, Valli, Hotraco and VDL chain feeding systems.

In the UK Paul ran the family 156,000 broiler farm before moving to the Vion Food Group (formerly Grampian Poultry Feeds) where he was firstly a farm manager for two company farms before progressing to Area Manager responsible for contract grower farms.

34

One of his key responsibilities during his time with Vion was the facilitating of auditing procedures and responsibity for company higher welfare ‘Freedom Foods’ farms.

Finally he moved to the breeding and hatching side of business as National Chick and Feed Sales Manager where his responsibilities were selling 600,000 day old chicks per week and feed to external customers.

Now based in Sydney he is a keen golfer and follower of the English Premier (Soccer) League.

Paul first came into contact with B&M Slots at the NSW Poultry Field Day held on September 14, 2011.

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

government departments have to lead by example and be good corporate citizens with a strong moral compass,” said Tom Walsh, Canberra Hospital Food Services Division Operations Manager.

Apart from the Good Egg Award winners there were plenty of both retail and poultry industry identities in attendence.

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NEWS aCMf organises a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;chicken meatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; day out for the media By the time this edition of Poultry Digest reaches our readers total annual consumption of chicken meat will have reached 44kg per head per annum making it by far the most popular choice of meat for Australians.

As part of the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policy of opening up its doors to the wider media, the Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF) hosted a day out for journalists who visited a contract broiler farm, then toured Inghams Hoxton Park NSW processing facility.

Dr Andreas Dubs, Executive Director of ACMF and Dr Vivien Kite, Research Manager of the RIRDC Chicken Meat Program were on hand to answer journalists questions about the industry.

Shane Reeves, Farming Manager NSW for Inghams Enterprises Pty Limited and James Edwards, Product Development Centre Manager for Inghams, covered all aspects of their organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;farm to forkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

First the group was taken to the contract broiler farm of Andrew Clark, who with his son Michael run a 130,000 bird capacity broiler farm situated near Mangrove Mountain in NSW. There, journalists were shown how a modern tunnel ventilated sheds operates and how the birds are grown and cared for.

Then the group traveled to the Inghams Hoxton park facility to see how the birds were processed and turned into

the products delivered to the major retail organisations that Inghams supplies.

Mr Edwards took the group through specific chicken product manufacture and showed how his company could efficiently produce the ever extending range of chicken based products including kebabs packed in a bewildering variety of sauces that suit specific market tastes.

The day was highly informative and sparked lively discussion within the group.

For those concerned with the food that consumers prefer, the tour demonstrated the incredible versatility of chicken meat.

Sophie Winton and Cheryl Pettinau from Publicis Life Brands Australia were the efficient organisers of the event.

Top: Andrew and Michael Clark. Above: The journalists on the chicken meat tour.

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PDOctNov2011:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/11 11:25 AM Page 37

NeWs New appointments to the Biomin australia team Biomin, the international natural feed additive company, has reinforced its commitment to the Australian market with the appointment of two new members to its Australian team.

Dr Neil Gannon has been appointed as Technical Manager with responsibility nationally for the technical, sales and marketing activities of Biomin.

Denis M’Gee has also joined the team as Technical Sales Manager for Northern Australia.

Both Neil and Denis have had a long association with the feed and animal science industries in Australia and overseas, and are well known to many readers.

Regional Director and Chief Operating Officer for Australia, Mark Olley, said the appointments are an exciting development for Biomin and together with Sam Custodio, Technical Sales Manager for Southern Australia, the Biomin technical and sales team is now at full strength to assist Biomin’s partners to achieve their performance and sustainability objectives.

Bernard Chuah, Supply Chain and Administration Manager, remains the primary contact for all orders and Rob Williams will continue to support Biomin in the areas of business development and marketing.

Neil can be contacted on 0458 634 555 and Denis on 0400 722 260.

All of the above mentioned can be contacted by email in the format: firstname.lastname@biomin.net

Dr Neil Gannon, Technical Manager and Denis M’Gee, Technical Sales Manager, the two new members of the Biomin Australia team.

If you would like to advertise in Poultry Digest Magazine, please contact Peter Bedwell on 02 9798 3078 or 0419 235 288.

Go to our website for rates and sizes and to view our magazine on-line. www.primarymedia.com.au

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

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NeWs australian Chicken Meat federation launches industry report According to Dr Andreas Dubs, Executive Director of the Australian Chicken Meat Federation, “The Report provides an up-to-date description of an industry that had its commercial beginnings in the early 1960s and has now grown to be the most important source of meat protein for Australians.

“The facts and figures contained in the

A new report published by the Australian Chicken Meat Federation, titled The Australian Chicken Meat Industry: An Industry in Profile was released recently.

Launched at the Agriculture Roundtable Conference 2011 hosted by the Australian Farm Institute, the report is the first of its kind, bringing together the most pertinent data in a single dossier.

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report provide the historical backdrop and the outlook that will allow policy makers to give the industry a fair hearing.

“It is important that this broader context is readily available to all stakeholders to ensure that decisions are not taken in isolation. The Report also provides interesting information for the general public.”

The Executive Director of the Australian Farm Institute, Mick Keogh agrees, stating that the foundation of all good policy is a solid information base and a good understanding of the way the sector works.

“This report makes a valuable contribution to this process,” he said.

Unlike many other livestock industries, the chicken meat industry (including the processors) remains almost exclusively family owned.

The Report conservatively estimates that Australian consumers currently spend approximately $5.6 billion per annum on chicken meat. Based on the most recent ABS statistics on meat production, the ACMF estimates consumption of chicken meat in 20102011 to have reached 43.9kg per person, easily outstripping beef consumption.

A lesser known fact is that the chicken meat industry is one of the largest customers of the Australian grains industry, purchasing more than 5% of all grains produced in Australia.

“With global food markets experiencing rapid change, and a heightened sense of importance surrounding food security, Australians should be reassured to know that the chicken meat industry is well placed to deal with associated environmental and economic challenges to keep chicken, an Australian staple, on the table,” said Dr Dubs.

Visit www.chicken.org.au/industryprofile to download a free copy of the report.

If you would like to subscribe to Poultry Digest Magazine, please contact Rosemary Embery on 02 9798 3078 or rembery@iinet.net.au

PDOctNov2011:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/11 11:25 AM Page 39

NeWs alltech Vietnam receives isO 22000:2005 certification Global animal health and nutrition company, Alltech, recently earned an ISO 22000:2005 certification for its plant in Dong Nai, Vietnam.

“The ISO certificate is consistent with Alltech’s continued commitment to provide excellence in quality assurance,” said Matthew Smith, Alltech’s Asia-Pacific Director.

“Alltech is dedicated to having every facility certified to the highest standards,” said Mr Smith.

“Consumers demand total traceability and total transparency from their suppliers.

Alltech is leading this trend and in doing so, will achieve our goal of exceeding our customers’ expectations.”

“A higher national target for livestock population growth and increasing demand for better meat quality, presents huge opportunities and challenges for the feed industry in the coming years,” he said.

“Operating under our strict AQS quality control system, which exceeds global standards and regulations, we can ensure

uK supermarket chain to source more poultry, eggs locally UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has committed to doubling its sourcing of British food.

Launched as part of the retailer’s new Sustainability Plan, the targets set also include a commitment to ensuring all meat, poultry, eggs, game and dairy produce will be sourced from suppliers who adhere to higher welfare standards.

“The commitment from Sainsbury’s to double its sourcing of British food should be commended,” said Tom Hind, Director of Corporate Affairs with the farming industry body NFU. “It recognises the high quality and standards of production and environmental protection that British farmers meet every day, those same standards that consumers increasingly expect in the food they buy.”

Hind said it is important that the NFU scrutinises the detail of the plan to ensure that the commitments have integrity and deliver sustainability for UK agriculture.

that we are at the forefront to provide the technologies and quality assured solutions our customers need in order to address these future challenges,” added Steve Bourne, Alltech Vice-President.

“The facility will provide added flexibility allowing a greater tailored customer approach in what is one of Alltech’s fastest growing countries globally.”

Alltech began operating in Vietnam in

1994 and officially opened a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City in 2000.

After steady development, Alltech Vietnam moved to Dong Nai in 2006, where it expanded its operations and built the production plant, which includes a stateof-the-art solid-state fermentation facility.

The region is now supported by four full-time operation technicians who provide on-site quality control.

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NeWs Biomin asia Nutrition forum 2011 held in the Philippines The Biomin Asia Nutrition Forum, held once every two years in Asia is a multidestination forum program tailored for the Asian audience.

It provides a common platform for the team of leading agri-business and industry specialists to communicate and interact with the local stakeholders.

‘Sustainability: Defining the basics, addressing the essentials; introducing NutriEconomics” was the theme of the Biomin Asia Nutrition Forum.

A panel of renowned industry experts commenced the tour in Cebu, Philippines, on October 11, and then visited cities in Thailand, India and China before concluding the tour in Tokyo, Japan, on October 21. More than 1100 top industry professionals attended the forum.

Presentations dealt with hot topics that have a significant impact on the current and future of the industry and aimed to anticipate future challenges, predict global industry trends and unveil innovations that will shape the industry scene.

“NutriEconomics is a program designed by Biomin to increase efficiency in animal nutrition, which is guided by the three pillars – nutrition, economics and environment, and measured by specific indicators,” said Dr Jan Vanbrabant, CEO of Biomin Asia.

“By optimising feed use and improving animal performance, it is possible to reduce CO2 emissions from livestock productions.

For example, usage of Biomin PEP MGE 150, a phytogenics product in broiler production has been proven to reduce CO2 emissions.

“Biomin is pleased to play an active role in contributing to environmental sustainability and we will continue to do our part in conserving the ecological system. Recently, Biominwas awarded the internationally recognised ISO 14040 certificate for our success and commitments to ecological sustainability.”

Professor David Farrell of the University of Queensland, Australia, is a world-leading poultry expert with a special interest in the complex issue of the ‘Future of food’.

In his talk, he proposed measures to control the world population growth and pointed out that the livestock industry needs to start looking at alternative feed ingredients for production.

40

Mark Olley from Biomin Australia welcomes delegates at the Asian Nutrition forum dinner in the Philippines.

Livestock production should not be increased at the expense of providing adequate food supply for humans.

“Reducing carbon emissions, food and feed wastage; conservation of depleting water supply and arable land, will all help to lessen the burden of mother earth and contribute to the improvement in its bio-capacity to provide for mankind,” said David Farrell.

“The industry should manage and adapt to these changes in order to ensure that our future generation will continue to have food on their table.”

Dr Robert Van Barneveld from Barneveld Nutrition is a consultant and research scientist, well-known for his contributions and expertise in monogastric nutrition and research. He suggested using alternative nutrient sources to feed the livestock in order to cope with the increasing demand for meat.

“Livestock production makes a valuable contribution to human food supply if we feed only non-competitive nutrient sources to livestock. We need to start assessing the alternative nutrient sources. Controlled use of waste-streams, co-products from livestock and self-generated algae and bacteria may return the net food source derived from livestock production,” Dr Barneveld

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

proposed.

John Baize, is one of the leading global specialists on the implications of commodity trade on the animal production industry.

He presented an overview of the global commodity markets and explained the factors affecting global demand for feed ingredients.

He also provided a detailed analysis on the export, import and consumption trends of corn and soybean of the major importing and exporting countries like US, Brazil, Argentina, China and India.

John Baize predicted that China will increase its corn imports by six million metric tons in 2011/12 and it will be looking at other major exporters, Argentina and Brazil for supply, to lessen its dependence on US. Professor Maximillian Schuh, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria, reviewed the EU situation after the AGP ban in Europe and highlighted the strategies that EU producers have taken to ensure viability and sustainability of their businesses in a post-AGP era.

His lecture focused on the key issues associated with effective on-farm management, biosecurity enforcement and nutritional strategies that have to be in place in order to improve animal health in

PDOctNov2011:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/11 11:25 AM Page 41

NeWs the absence of AGPs. “There is a global tendency to reduce the use of AGPs in animal diets. Natural alternatives to AGPs like probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids and phytogenics have proven their efficacy in decreasing or improving some swine and poultry diseases,” commented Maximilian Schuh.

“These natural ingredients have proven to be effective in decreasing the risk of transferring possible pathogens that harbor in the gastrointestinal system of livestock to the food chain.”

Adding to what Professor Maximilian Schuh mentioned in his talk, Professor David Farrell elaborated on the use of probiotic and prebiotic applications as alternatives to AGPs in poultry production.

He explained their role in improving gastro-intestinal microflora balance in poultry and the practical aspects to consider in application. ”In many Asian countries, there is evidence to show that poultry performance is at a suboptimal level. Probiotics are more likely to give a significant response under unfavorable conditions,” commented

David Farrell.

Ursula Hofstetter, Director Competence Center Mycotoxins of Biomin Holdings in Austria and Dr Guan Shu, Technical Manager Mycotoxin Management of Biomin Asia, presented on the impact of the changing global environment on mycotoxin occurrences in Asia.

“Climate change affects the fungal profile and increases the occurrence of mycotoxins,” reported Ursula Hofstetter.

“An example is Australia, which has suffered from a series of floods in December 2010. The mycotoxin survey results gathered for Australia show that contamination levels, especially in terms of Zearalenone (ZON) and Deoxynivalenol (DON), generally regarded as field mycotoxins, have already drastically increased in the first trimester of 2011.

“Even when mycotoxins are not present at high levels, animals often undergo extreme performance losses in the field, even at low contamination levels, due to the co-occurrence of more than one mycotoxin in the feed,” explained Mr Guan Shu.

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“The combined effects of two mycotoxins are much greater than the individual effects of each toxin.”

Wolfgang Markert, Director of Development of Biomin Holdings from Austria, introduced the array of innovative solutions from Biomin, drawing attention to advancements in organic acid applications, phytogenic solutions and an exciting future development in mycotoxin biotransformation strategies.

“We believe in investing in research and development for the benefit of our customers. An increasing proportion of the company’s annual expenditure goes into R&D every year,” said Mr Market.

Basic and applied scientific research takes place at Biomin’s in-house research facilities located at the Biomin Research Center in Austria and Biomin Research Satellite in Brazil.

In addition, the Center of Applied Nutrition in Austria, and Aquaculture Center of Applied Nutrition in Thailand conducts feeding trial to validate scientific findings before new innovations are rolled out to market.

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NEWS In 2012 we celebrate the Australian Year of the Farmer It is well known that a knowledge gap has developed between most Australian consumers and the farmers who produce their food fibre and key lifestyle products.

To reverse this trend and celebrate the value of our farmers and what they produce, ‘Australian Year of the Farmer’ (AYOF) has been set up with support from well known individuals and commercial organisations.

Australian Farmer of the Year 2012 has as its patron Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia.

Objectives for the Australian Year of the Farmer 2012 include the establishment of closer ties between Australia’s rural and urban communities and to celebrate the broad range and fine quality of the produce our farmers grow and harvest.

There is a clear need to share how Australia is leading the world in farming techniques and innovation and to highlight the essential role of Australian agriculture in the maintainence of national and global food security.

The organisation wants to promote the role our farmers play as environmental managers, creating and delivering sustainability through best practice management and to recognise our farmers for feeding the nation and sustaining our vital agribusinesses.

Communicating to all Australians the importance of farming and rural communities to our national economy and social

AYOF patron the Governor General of Australia with school children at the launch.

fabric, and encouraging Australians to reflect on the origins of the food they consume and the fibre they use every day and perpetuate the call to buy Australian produce will be a vital role for the AYOF 2012 initiative.

AYOF has support from within many of the agricultural industry organisations; however some organisations are more interested in the project than others.

AYOF is looking to engage as many organisations as possible while maintaining an objective view and delivering a compre-

hensive program for the benefit of all farmers, regardless of industry.

AYOF aims to achieve the following objectives without exhausting all of its resources.

• Engage as many not-for-profit, industry and agricultural organisations to raise awareness and support for AYOF • Collaborate to achieve optimum community engagement • Encourage participation and support from industry stakeholders • Identify shared goals between individual

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NEWS industries and AYOF • Identify where additional partnerships or funding may be possible AYOF is underpinned by a range of key messages which are: • Australian Year of the Farmer 2012 is about sustaining the Australian way of life • It’s about emphasising the role farmers play in our daily lives – feeding, clothing and housing all Australians • Our families, our jobs and our economy are guaranteed by the efforts of Australian farmers.

• Australian farmers are working everyday to keep your family clothed and fed • Agriculture will play a major part in Australia’s future, which creates exciting career opportunities for our young people • Agriculture represents opportunities that can only be realised when rural and urban communities work together Target audiences have been identified as being indicative of the organisations outlined below. Targets include but are not limited to: • Research and Development Corporations • Not-for-profit agricultural sector • Industry stakeholders • Not-for-profit from related sectors • Agricultural educational facilities • State and Federal Departments related to agriculture • Local farmers and farm workers • Industry event organisers AYOF will use written briefing packs, newsletters and updates to establish and maintain interest in the Year from the agricultural sectors. Face to face meetings will be hosted with interested high priority stakeholders.

Other stakeholders will be invited to a briefing session that may be one on one, or may be attended by multiple organisations.

AYOF will make use of the industries’ existing communications channels to reach farmers within their local areas and update them on events and activities. Through these channels AYOF will encourage participation from members and stakeholders from across the sector, in AYOF events and activities.

Industry bodies will be encouraged to show their support through the year by hosting and theming a wide range of activities during the Year.

Regular updates will be sent to those involved to highlight the success of the program, encourage further engagement and maintain interest.

For more information go to www.yearofthefarmer.com.au

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New International Sales Manager and Breeder Specialist at Roxell Bart Roels has assumed responsibility as International Sales Manager of Roxell. Mr Roels joined Roxell five years ago as Area Sales Manager for Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Later he broadened his experience in France and southern Europe. In 2010 he was promoted to Sales Manager for Europe and Africa. He will succeed Hugo De Ruyck who decided to give his career a new turn.

“Bart possesses an in-depth knowledge of the different markets and market segments we serve, as well as a profound technical expertise of our systems. Both assets enable him to grow into an appreciated advisor in the development and realisation of projects and a valued coach for the Roxelldistributors,” says Gino Van Landuyt, Managing Director.

As head of the sales and service department Mr Roels will bear responsibility for the formulation and the implementation of Roxell’s commercial strategy worldwide. He will guide an international team of experienced sales and service people in achieving the set goals. As a member of Roxell’s management team Bart will also actively participate in the further development and execution of the company’s growth strategy.

Yousef Daoud, 36, from Amman, Jordan, has also joined Roxell as Product Manager Breeder Systems. Yousef has a Bachelor of Science and specialised in agriculture. He acquired vast experience in breeder management, first as a farm manager and more recently as a site manager for renowned poultry companies in Jordan.

“Listening to the users of our breeder systems and to distributors and sharing his know-how will be an important aspect of Yousef ’s function. The feedback will automatically lead to further optimisation of our concept for broiler breeders,” said Frank Hartmann, Marketing Manager.

Mr Daoud, who moved to Belgium with his family, is now following an intensive training at Roxell headquarters in Maldegem.

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NEWS An overview of the Chinese chicken meat industry

By MINGHAN CHOCT and ZHIGANG AO The Chinese broiler industry is characterised by two distinct markets – one for the yellow-feathered chicken and other for the white-feathered (modern) broiler.

The yellow-feathered chicken, in general, is slow growing bird, reaching 1.5 to 2kg in 80-100 days. There are a number of subtypes for the yellow-feathered chicken, depending on the region of origin, with both growth rate and mature body size varying widely.

Over years of selecting breeding, however, the reproductive performance of the yellow-feathered chicken has improved a great deal, with a breeder hen producing over 150 chicks by 68 weeks of age. The market for white broilers is dominated by fast food outlets, such as KFC. In 2010 Chinese national production, importation and exportation of chicken meat were 13 million tonnes, 518 thousand tonnes, and 212 thousand tonnes,

respectively.

This translated to an approximate per capita consumption of 9.5kg chicken per year, according to the Chinese Animal Agriculture Association.

This is well below Australia’s yearly per capita consumption of 36kg chicken but China’s increase in chicken meat consumption has been dramatic over the past decade, with a total increase of 64.5% during the period and an annual increase averaging 5.1%.

It is predicted that the total number of chicks placed will reach 9.6 billion in 2011, of which 4.5 billion will be white broilers, 4.0 billion yellow-feathered chickens, and 1.1 billion ‘miscellaneous’ birds.

These miscellaneous birds refer to chickens arising from crossing broiler breeder (AA, Ross, Cobb etc.) males with females from commercial layer breeds. This lowers the day old chick cost and caters for

a rotisserie market (mainly in the Shandong Province) for slow growing birds that reach 900g at day 42 with an FCR of 1.85.

The largest producer of yellow-feathered chickens is the Wens Group based in Guangdong Province, which produces more than 800 million birds per annum.

The white broiler segment, on the other hand, is dominated by a few large players, such as the Dayong Group based in Henan Province, producing approximately 200 million birds per year, the Liuhe Group based in Shandong Province, producing around 150 million broilers a year, the Deda Group based in Jilin Province, producing around 100 million birds each year, and the Sunner Group in Fujian Province, producing about 96 million birds per annum.

These companies are highly professional in their approach to husbandry, veterinary care, nutrition and environmental management.

The Chinese broiler industry faces a

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NEWS number of key challenges.

Firstly, there is a heavier disease challenge because of the disease-load in the environment, which makes some diseases more difficult to control due largely to a history of heavy use of medications and the complexity of human-animal, and speciesto-species interactions.

This presents a particular challenge for meeting the increasing demand for chicken produced in a ‘clean and green’, drug-free environment.

Secondly, feed prices have been increasing over the past ten years and there is no sign of it abating. The corn price, for instance, has reached over 2400 yuan per tonne (Au$393 on 6 October, 2011).

This has created a situation where wheat is more economical to use in feed than corn. with an increasing wealthyPM IghamAdYrbk Thirdly, 1/17/08 5:10 middle class, the public is becoming more discerning as is case in Australia. Thus, the popular myths about chicken production that the West has suffered from are starting to plague China.

For example, the media is full of stories about hormones in chicken, the ‘six-winged

birds’, the eight-legged ‘spider-chicken’, and so on.

Therefore catering for efficient production alone will no longer be enough to advance the broiler industry in China. The industry will need to tackle social, food safety, environmental and animal welfare issues head on in order to expand in the future. Added to their woes are the hundreds of years of eating tradition to prefer pork over other meats in China.

Despite all these constraints, there is

still a lot of potential for growth in chicken meat production in China in the future.

If, as is expected, chicken consumption doubles, i.e., reaches 19kg per capita per year in ten years, China will require another 10 billion birds!

Professor Mingan Choct is the CEO of Poultry CRC based at the University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia; Dr Zhigang Ao is the Senior R&D Manager of Alltech East Asian Regions, based in Beijing, China.

Steggles launches turkey mince at Costco and lasagna.

“We know Australians want to eat healthy and easy to prepare meals that taste good. Steggles turkey mince brings variety to the dinner table without the complication of long cooking times,” said Steggles Brand Manager Celeste Moroney.

Steggles turkey mince is sold across Costco stores in Australia. Grown in the Hunter Valley, all Steggles turkeys are grain fed, raised in large barns, and are 100% free of any added hormones.

Steggles has launched turkey mince in retailer Costco, offering an alternate option for consumers seeking a mince that’s both nutritious and versatile.

Turkey1is one of the leanest meat Page protein sources and it is rich in nutrients niacin, selenium, vitamins B6 and B12, and zinc, which are known to promote a healthy heart and strong immune system.

Steggles turkey mince can be substituted in any mince recipe from burger patties, rissoles and meatballs to tacos, bolognese

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NEWS New look for Santrev Santrev, Australia’s home grown shed building innovator, is capping off a remarkable year with a doubling in sheds built, new corporate look, new staff and a list of completed projects that reads like a who’s who of the poultry industry.

“Yes, we will look back on 2011 as a pivotal year for our business” said Luke Trevanion, Director of the Australian building company.

“We started the year in the position where we were unable to accept all the jobs our customers were asking of us. We take our commitment to our customers very seriously and if we say we can build for you that is our promise to meet your birds-in date. We will not muck customers around and make promises that we know up front we can’t meet.”

“Santrev is highly regarded within the Australian industry as the shed builder that gets the job done on-time with consistent heavy duty quality, innovative tailored shedding solutions, attention to detail all with very competitive pricing,” said Mr Trevanion.

“We are well supported by our Australian customers” said Geoff Fisher who has joined Santrev as a Director as part of the company’s response to the demand for its sheds.

“We set about taking the steps required to ramp up production so that we could bring forward our build dates. We have more than doubled our construction crews

and now employ more than 100 people.

“More machinery, more equipment, more build sites around Australia.

“We want to ensure that Santrev maintains the highest standards and sets the bar for professionalism and customer service in the industry.”

Luke went on to say “with Geoff and the other key people in our business we now have the team to continue our growth and to ensure we kick goals for our customers.

“We are very proud that we have become the go-to team for the Australian poultry industry.

“The projects we are building are very diverse from turn-key breeder facilities, a host of large broiler farms, specialist free range layers as well as rearer farms.

“In addition, we have purchased a broiler farm which we intend to use to trial

Pfizer aims to be Number One in poultry Pfizer Animal Health Global Poultry is determined to continue its expansion and become the leading provider of poultry health solutions worldwide, according to Vice President Dr Paco Ortiz.

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some innovative ideas and materials we have been developing.

“Our customers will be able to visit our own farm and see our developments. We believe it is important to have this level of involvement in our industry and be growers, just like them.

“Internationally, the Santrev team is gaining wide recognition for its state-ofthe-art shed, the ability to tailor the shedding to meet local conditions and for its skills in large scale project management,” said Luke.

“Richard Sanday, one of our founding directors, is currently in Europe working on opportunities. He is also taking time to relay project developments with our key equipment manufacturers partnering with us on our large sites,” said Geoff.

“It is very good that this Australian grown and family run business is rising to the fore internationally. It helps place Australian innovation, ingenuity and quality right at the leading edge around the world,” he said.

POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

“We can now offer more customer service, more technology and more expertise than ever before,” he said. “Our aim is to use this considerable resource to create and deliver revenue-generating services for our customers.”

“Pfizer Global Poultry is currently the second largest provider of poultry health solutions, accounting for around 21% of the global market.

“A series of strategic acquisitions over recent years has given the company an impressive and diverse portfolio of products including biologicals, MFAs (medicated feed additives), diagnostics and BioDevices.” However, Dr Ortiz was quick to point out that the size of the company was not the ultimate measure of success.

“We don’t just want to be the biggest: more important to us, is to be the most valued. We want to add value to our customers’ businesses, so they see us as an indispensible partner.

“Both poultry meat and egg production is predicted to increase globally over the next five years, with much of the increase being driven by growing markets in the Asia Pacific region,” said Dr Ortiz.

“This increase in production means that quality health solutions will be needed more than ever to protect against disease and to improve production efficiency and flock performance.”

PDOctNov2011:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/11 11:25 AM Page 47

NEWS scientist with specialist knowledge of animal behaviour joins the aWsC team at Melbourne university Jean-Loup Rault has recently joined the Animal Welfare Science Centre (AWSC) at The University of Melbourne as a pig and poultry research fellow.

“This new and critical position at AWSC has been funded with the assistance of Australian Pork Limited (APL), the Australian Egg Corporation Limited (AECL) and the Rural Industries Research Corporation (RIRDC) – Chicken Meat,” announced Jeremy Skuse, Executive Officer of the AWSC. “Jean-Loup has recently completed his PhD at Purdue University, Indiana US under the supervision of Dr Don Lay and has previously worked with Dr Xavier Boivin and Dr Alain Boissy at INRA, France where he received his MSc in ethology from the University of Paris,” Mr Skuse said.

“His research interests focus on the potential for positive social interactions to enhance animal well being, with an emphasis on social support.

“His PhD research aimed to elucidate the involvement of oxytocin in social behaviour and he was recently assigned a plenary presentation at the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE) conference in Indianapolis.

“Jean-Loup has considerable knowledge of behaviour, endocrinology, neurophysiology, immunology and has worked with a broad range of animal species, including pigs.

This is a significant initiative by both AWSC and the key industry organisations that are funding Jean-Loup’s position and will greatly enhance research capability in pig and poultry animal welfare issues,” Mr

Skuse concluded.

Jean-Loup is enthusiastic about the prospect of working with pig and poultry industries and helping them to gain true scientific credibility when dealing with regulators and pressure groups.

“Regulation of standards in intensive livestock industries in Australia appear to be based on too little real scientific basis,” he said.

He also pointed out that in Europe the major retailers, though powerful, do not seem to have the influence that they do in Australia and also the US, in dictating industry standards and practice.

While he acknowledged consumer concerns in animal welfare issues he stated that “profits deriving from these consumers concerns meant that retailers could hardly be seen to be neutral in any debate,” he said.

Jean-Loup Rault who recently joined the AWSC, University of Melbourne.

AB Vista one of sponsors for APSS AB Vista, a leading global supplier of new generation micro-ingredients for the animal feed industry, is lending its name and its voice to the 23rd Australian Poultry Science Symposium (APSS).

As well as being one of the main sponsors of APSS, the company has been invited to share its expertise in the field of avian science – with a speech by Research Director Mike Bedford.

Mike has a PhD in poultry nutrition and biochemistry, and has published more than 200 papers on related topics. At AB Vista he oversees the research and develop-

ment of enzyme and yeast products for use in ruminant and non-ruminant feeds.

Hosted and organised by the Poultry Research Foundation and the Australian branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association, APSS 2012 promises to attract delegates and speakers from around the world. Themes and topics under discussion will include a ‘myth-busting’ approach to feed additives and recent research into nutrition for laying hens.

Mike Bedford said: “AB Vista is delighted to be sponsoring and attending Australia’s top avian science conference”.

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PDOctNov2011:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/11 11:25 AM Page 48

PRODUCT NEWS Australia’s first fowl cholera vaccine in chickens registered and ready for sale Australia’s first live vaccine for fowl cholera in chickens, recently registered and approved for sale, is the result of a breakthrough in bacterial modification by Monash University researchers.

Highly contagious fowl cholera is a problem in all poultry-producing countries, particularly where the birds are intensively reared, and also due to organic and freerange practices.

Treatment is very difficult due to the fast progression of the disease and so vaccination of layers and breeders, is considered a better option.

Professor Ben Adler, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Structural and Functional Microbial Genomics led the research team which developed the bacteria forming the basis of the vaccine in the mid-1990s.

Bioproperties Pty Ltd then extensively tested and commercialised the vaccine

which is being marketed as Vaxsafe PM. “It was fantastic to have the vaccine developed by an Australian company,” Professor Adler said.

“This vaccine is likely to be safer and more effective than the live fowl cholera vaccines which are used overseas.

“It’s a live vaccine, so it stimulates a better immune response than a vaccine based on killed, or inactivated bacteria.

“It’s effective against a number of strains of fowl cholera, providing broadbased protection, rather than being effective against just one strain, like killed vaccines,” Professor Adler said.

Live vaccines are derived from the microbe against which they ultimately protect.

Vaxsafe PM simulates an infection, but the bacteria have been attenuated in the laboratory, meaning they are unable to proliferate to the point of causing illness.

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POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

However, the body’s immune system still responds and produces antibodies against the infection.

“This live vaccine is safer than others used overseas because we understand the basis on which it is attenuated.

“Previously, scientists were able to attenuate the bacteria, but the technology didn’t exist to identify the exact mechanism.

“As a result, they couldn’t entirely predict how the vaccine strain would work in the field and sometimes vaccine-associated disease outbreaks actually occurred,” Professor Adler said.

“With Vaxsafe PM, we know the precise mechanism by which the bacteria have been attenuated, thus overcoming this problem.”

Professor Adler and his team continue to research fowl cholera, investigating how the bacteria cause disease at the molecular level.

A project lead by Dr John Boyce and Dr Marina Harper within the ARC Centre is also working with the Australian Poultry Cooperative Research Centre to develop a better diagnostic test for the disease.

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PDOctNov2011:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/11 11:25 AM Page 49

PRODUCT NEWS Zinc complexes improve feed conversion Dietary zinc stimulates immunity and supports skeletal development, feathering and skin strength, etc. In addition, feeding highly bioavailable sources of zinc, such as zinc complexes, to broilers also shows improvements in gain and feed conversion.

By WIEBE van der SLUIS, Rooster 45, Doetinchem, The Netherlands Zinc is an essential trace element in all living systems from bacteria, plants and animals to humans. Its biological function was not understood until 1934.

It took another 20 years before naturally occurring zinc deficiency was recognized as the cause of parakeratotic (hardening and cracking) lesions of the skin of pigs, and slow growth, poor feathering and abnormal skeletal development in poultry.

Recent poultry literature suggests zinc deficiency in poultry is associated with footpad lesions and poor carcass quality due to scratches and skin damage. This made poultry producers and nutritionists realise that adequate dietary zinc supplementation is critical in poultry production.

Bioavailability of zinc Zinc is primarily absorbed in the small intestine. However, it is known that binding form and other dietary ingredients can influence the bioavailability of zinc. In monogastric animals, phytate, for example, decreases zinc absorption. Dietary calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, nickel, copper and iron also affect zinc bioavailability.

There are differences in bioavailability between various zinc sources. Most of them are quite low, for example: the absolute bioavailability for zinc oxide is 22%, for zinc sulphate 23% and for zinc acetate 19%. It is also true that the relative biological value of zinc sources varies.

Growth promotion effects Because of the low zinc content in some feed ingredients with varying levels of bioavailabily, it is necessary to add zinc to poultry diets. In the European Union, zinc diet contents are allowed up to 150 mg/kg feed. These levels cover largely the recommended requirements for most animals, especially when highly bioavailable zinc complexes are supplemented.

When feeding zinc complexes within these legal limits, it helps decrease the severity of footpad and skin lesions, as well as improve feathering condition and

skeletal development.

Since zinc also stimulates the development of the immune system, providing sufficient bioavailable zinc results in healthier birds.

Trials conducted in various parts of the world clearly indicate that zinc complexes have a positive effect on body weight and feed conversion in broilers, as well as egg production and shell quality in laying hens.

These effects are more notable during heat stress.

showed (in a trial with 1440 male Ross broilers over 49 days) a feed:gain of 1.701 versus 1.736 for broilers fed zinc complexes and ordinary sulphate, respectively.

A summary of 22 trials from Zinpro Corporation showed that feeding broilers zinc complexes improved the feed efficiency by 3.9 points (0.039 or a 2% improvement) when weights were equalized to those of the sulphate control.

This feed efficiency advantage continued to persists even when broilers were reared to heavier weights (>3.4 kg). These results show that providing sufficient zinc complexes helps to improve bird performance.

Improved performance Recently, researchers at Auburn University, Alabama, USA, investigated the influence of zinc complexes on live performance and carcass grade of broilers.

They reported that feed conversion was improved for female broilers fed Zn complexes at 25 and 42 days of age and male broilers at 21 days of age .

In a follow up study, the same group

Some zinc facts • Zinc is needed for immunity, cell division, cell growth, wound healing, and carbohydrate metabolism.

• Zinc is also needed for the senses of smell and taste.

• Zinc from plant sources is not as available for use by the body as the zinc from animal sources. Therefore, low-protein and vegetarian diets tend to be low in zinc.

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PDOctNov2011:PDFEBMAR09 28/11/11 11:25 AM Page 50

v CONINTUED FROM PAGE 14 Jeff, who is also chairman of AECL, is very enthusiastic about the opportunities offered by operating a Biomax Rapid Thermophilic Digestion system. In fact the reaction of local farmers to the prospect of having a regular source of high value organic fertiliser has prompted Jeff to order a second 22000 unit for installation later in 2012.

For Jeff the proposition is not just about turning his waste products into fertilizer, it’s just as important to him to have a better method of waste disposal than outdoor composting.

“In the high rainfall climate of North Queensland the handling of waste is just becoming too much of a problem and the Biomax system should go a long way to fixing that,” he stated.

Ray, in his discussions with Poultry Digest, points out that local councils in many areas where poultry farms are established are becoming ever more vigilant when it comes to outdoor on-farm composting.

“Apart from their demands to control odour and potential land contamination, levies of up to and exceeding $100 a tonne are being charged by councils to dispose of poultry shed waste material,” he revealed.

The Biomax Rapid Thermophilic system is not inexpensive but even if you

Lawrence demonstrates – no odour. Fresh from the digestor after just 24 hours.

consider the revenue potential from the organic fertiliser alone, the ROI potential is phenomenal – and then there’s the fact that it solves the problem of dealing with otherwise intractable waste.

Apart from the cost of the equipment, there is the enzyme cost and power source demand but when the prospect of being able to produce around 14 tonnes of organic fertiliser every 24 hours is considered, the numbers stack up. In fact they beat the hell out of most investment propositions in the current gloomy market conditions.

Poultry Digest

We’ve gone digital! Now subscribers can get a copy of the magazine by email for no extra cost.

Just send your email address and we’ll provide the link!

Fax this completed form to (02) 8787 2105 or post it to: Poultry Digest, GPO Box 1846, Sydney NSW 2001 Please send me the next six issues of POULTRY DIGEST Enclosed is my cheque for: A$55.00 (inc GST) or A$80.00 for overseas. Send your email address for a digital version.

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Speaking of market conditions, Biomax plans to float its company on the Singapore stock exchange in 2014.

Biomax CEO Mr Sim Eng Tong plans to lead his installation team when installing Jeff Ironside’s system in early 2012.

It’s good for potential customers in Australia to know that a company CEO gets out of the office and involved in the delivery of the product itself.

Poultry Digest plans to visit Jeff Ironside’s farm when his first Biomax Rapid Thermophilic Digestion plant is up and running – we look forward to it.

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50 POULTRY DIGEST, October/November 2011

this is a very exciting development for readers and advertisers. read the magazine on your computer and have instant access to all previous digital versions. for advertisers, if your website or email address is in your ad, readers can go there by direct link on the page!

Call Pete Bedwell on 9798 3078 for more details.

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