July feed update: What did you miss?
All About Feed wraps up the latest updates and business developments from July to ensure you don’t miss a thing in the global animal feed industry.
De Heus Animal Nutrition aquires Golpasz in Poland
De Heus Animal Nutrition has signed an agreement for the acquisition of Polish compound feed company Golpasz, which has an annual production capacity of 500,000 t of compound feed. The acquisition is still subject to approval from the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. “Both companies perceive many mutual benefits in the new partnership…Golpasz has gained highly specialised knowledge in the area of turkey nutrition, which is of added value to De Heus,” says Adam Zaleski, GM of De Heus Poland.
Nasekomo signs big AgTech deal
Bulgarian start-up Nasekomo has raised €4 million to deploy its proprietary robotised insect-rearing technology. Incorporated 3 years ago, Nasekomo is now scaling up its operating insect-rearing facilities, which will enable the company to implement circular economy on a large scale. “Nasekomo has leveraged robotics, AI and big data, which allow us to produce insect protein efficiently. We will not only be competitively producing large volumes, but also addressing the challenges of our world related to animal feed,” said Marc Bolard, co-founder and technology lead.
Akwaaba Feeds partners with West Africa Feeds for maggot farm
A partnership agreement has been signed between Akwaaba Feeds and West African Feeds to commercialise a maggot farm as an alternative protein source for animal feed. Based in Ghana, Akwaaba Feeds produces poultry and pig feed formulated with technical support from Bioproton, an Australian-based manufacturer of enzyme, surfactant, and probiotic feed supplements. West Africa Feeds, which specialises in the development of insect-based products for the African agricultural, biotech, and livestock industries, is expected to manage and operate the maggot farm and scale up production to 5 mt per day by the end of 2020 and to 20 mt per day by the end of 2026. Akwaaba Feeds will purchase the maggot meal from the farm to include it in its feed formulation.
Protenga raises US$1.6m from Roslin for insect tech
Protenga has closed its latest round of seed investment, raising US$1.6 million with UK agritech company Roslin Technologies and the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore, SEEDS Capital, making Protenga Roslin Technologies’ flagship insect technology investment globally. The 2 companies will work together to identify new, high-efficiency genetic strains of the black soldier fly for the livestock, aquaculture and pet food markets.
Rotecna has been acquired by Skiold
Headquartered in Spain, Rotecna, which specialises in the design, manufacture, and marketing of equipment and solutions for the pig farming industry, has been acquired by Danish company Skiold, which provides seed, feed, and farm equipment and solutions. Rotecna’s management will continue to lead the company.
Novus International announces new corporate structure
Novus International CEO, Dan Meagher, has announced a strategic plan for the company, called Project Destiny, involving the implementation of a new corporate structure and the establishment of a regional operating model. A new executive leadership team will lead the company in pursuit of becoming “a leader in gut health solutions for the sustainable production of protein through nutrition”.
Vytelle and GrowSafe combine
Vytelle and GrowSafe Systems are combining their companies with the aim of accelerating genetic advances in bovine biotechnology. The companies will operate as a single livestock company under the Vytelle brand. Both companies are owned by UK-based Wheatsheaf Group. With the combined capabilities of the new Vytelle, cattle producers will be able to convert individual animal performance data into genetic progress faster than ever before, according to the companies.
Kemin’s ASF pathogen control product shows promise
Kemin Industries has acquired a US patent application for a method to control the African Swine Fever virus (ASFv) in feed and feed ingredients using pathogen control product Sal Curb Liquid Antimicrobial. New data from Kansas State University demonstrates that the product inactivates ASFv in livestock feed. The data, in support of the patent application, ‘Mitigating the Risk of African Swine Fever Virus in Feed with Antiviral Chemical Additives’, was published in the Transboundary and Emerging Diseases journal.
Liprovit and Nukamel create fat-filled whey powders
Liprovit and Nukamel have joined forces on the development and sale of fat-filled whey products, with a focus on Latin America and Russia. Liprovit has built a spray tower for the production of 40,000 mt of dairy products per year, in particular fat-filled whey powders. The Dutch company formulates and produces liquid milk replacers for the veal and piglet markets, and Nukamel is involved in the development and production of calf milk replacers and has know-how for the use of dairy products in the animal feed industry.
Biomin: Positive EFSA opinion for FUMzyme for fermenting feed
Biomin has reached a key step in the EU registration of FUMzyme, a commercially available mycotoxin-deactivating enzyme and component of Mycofix, for application in fermenting feed, including silages. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) published a favorable scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of FUMzyme in fermenting feeds in all species. The product, a fumonisin esterase, is a purified enzyme that detoxifies fumonisins – a category of mycotoxins produced by Fusarium fungi – into non-toxic metabolites.
Elanco to acquire Bayer Animal Health
Elanco Animal Health has received approval from the US Federal Trade Commission for the acquisition of Bayer Animal Health. This is the final antitrust clearance needed to complete the transaction, which is on track for closing at the beginning of August.
VIV worldwide unveils a fresh look
The VIV organisation has taken the opportunity to give its brand and design a new look. “VIV worldwide will keep its core identity. On the other hand, the re-branding envisions an empowerment of each single platform by providing them with unique and characteristic visual features that make each show easily recognisable,” noted a press release, adding, “…all visuals share a common and unique feature: the VIV diamond frame-shape, highlighting the ties that each show and platform constitute within a complete and inter-connected VIV portfolio and Feed to Food network.”
Vilomax and SEGES look to zinc-free future
In anticipation of the ban in 2022 of zinc oxide used against weaning diarrhoea, Danish Agro’s subsidiary Vilomix joined forces with SEGES, the Danish Pig Research Centre, farmers and their vets, to find solutions that can ensure the lowest possible drop in production levels. The aim of this collaboration is to create a learning forum in which participants can try out different actions in close consultation with Vilomix and SEGES while zinc oxide is still permitted.
AB Vista publishes ‘An introduction to fibre analysis using NIR’
AB Vista has produced a reference guide, ‘An introduction to fibre analysis using NIR’, providing poultry and swine producers an introduction to the benefits of moving from conventional fibre methods to total dietary fibre analysis using Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) technology. The guide contains the results of non-starch polysaccharide analysis of feedstuff samples from around the world and is being published in conjunction with the launch of a new NSP analysis feature within the AB Vista Feed Quality Service.
Roquette appoints Azelis in Northern and Eastern Europe
Provider of plant-based ingredients for food, nutrition and health markets, Roquette, and distributor of speciality chemicals and food ingredients, Azelis, have signed a distribution partnership for animal nutrition in a number of countries in Northern and Eastern Europe. The agreement includes the offering of a pig starter feed and a specialty gluconic acid for piglets. The 2 companies already have an agreement in place in the food and nutrition markets.
Aviagen breaks ground on Tennessee feed mill
Poultry breeding company Aviagen will soon break ground on a new feed processing facility in Tennessee in the US. The new facility will supply the company’s growing number of internal flocks with feed. With US$35.3 million allocated to the feed mill, the facility will have the capacity to produce 2,400 t per week (125,000 t annually) to supply more than 18 Aviagen pedigree and 46 Grandparent farms.
