Scientists discuss top challenges at InnoVision

Representing North and South America, Asia and Europe, they defined the main
challenge for the global animal nutrition industry as providing cost-efficient
conversion of low value raw materials to high value protein in a sustainable
way.

This must be achieved at a time when there is increasing tension in
demand for agricultural products resulting from the growing world population,
rising standards of living and a surge in demand for energy from
crops.

Three priorities
The three priorities they set
for research to enable the agricultural industry to meet the challenge were:

• Feedstuff and formulation technology to ensure the agricultural industry can
  provide animal food products at affordable prices

• Identification of new natural feed additives to improve feed digestion and
  contribute to animal health and welfare

• Nutrigenomics — optimising the nutrition of animals in
  relation to their genetic characteristics

Professor Leo den Hartog, Director of R&D and Quality Affairs at Nutreco
chaired the InnoVision meeting.

Representatives present included:

• Dr Claudio Bellaver of
  Embrapa, a research organisation in Brazil;

• Professor Defa Li, China Agricultural
  University, Beijing;

• Professor Neal R. Merchen, University of Illinois, USA;
• Dr
  Jan Nicolai, Purchasing Manager Nutreco, the Netherlands;

• Professor Roberto
  Rodrigues, former Minister of Agriculture, Brazil;

• Professor Johan Sanders,
  Wageningen University and Research Centre, the Netherlands;

• Dr Coen Smits,
  Manager Swine Research, Nutreco, the Netherlands;

• Professor Hans-Wilhelm Windhorst, University of
  Vechta, Germany.

The conclusions from
InnoVision were presented by Juergen Steinemann, Chief Operating Officer of
Nutreco at the opening of Agri Vision 2007 in Noordwijk aan Zee on 13 June
2007.

Agri
Vision is a global agri business conference held every two years. It is
being attended by over three hundred leaders of agricultural businesses from all
continents.