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1 May 2024

Aviagen EPI Hosts “Breeder Focus 2.0” – Sharing Vital Insight with Poultry Industry Delegates from Belgium and the Netherlands

EDINBURGH, Scotland. – On April 17, Aviagen® EPI welcomed 120 delegates from across the Netherlands and Belgium to the Breeder Focus 2.0 seminar in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The event, a regional follow-up to the European Breeder Focus seminar in Edinburgh in autumn 2023, brought together a wide range of delegates, representing customers, the feed sector, veterinarians, hatching-egg traders, equipment companies, hatcheries and rearing integrations.

Henk Steenblik, Head Sales Manager, Aviagen EPI, organized Breeder Focus 2.0 and pulled together a comprehensive agenda designed to navigate pressing industry challenges and promote knowledge exchange between the attendees and speakers. All presentations were given in Dutch and included:

  1. Research and development update. Jens Lesuisse, Global Trials Manager, provided a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in the Aviagen breeding program, giving the group insight into future trends and developments in the poultry sector.
  2. Optimizing Parent Stock (PS) nutrition. Carolyne Kemp, Senior Nutritionist, shared ideas on ways to enhance PS nutrition, offering strategies such as balancing the ratio between energy and amino acids.
  3. Handling market challenges. Anne-Marie Neeteson, Global Senior Advisor Welfare, Sustainability & Compliance, Aviagen Group, addressed the complexities of the current broiler market from a welfare and sustainability perspective.
  4. Enhancing storage and transport protocols. Frank van Merle, Technical Service and Q & A Manager, Aviagen EPI provided advice on optimizing the storage and transport of hatching eggs, emphasizing temperature control and other factors for ensuring hatchability and chick quality.
  5. Male management best practices. John Lemmens, Technical Service Manager, Aviagen EPI, provided expert guidance on effective

The seminar ended on a high note, with vibrant discussions during a question-and-answer session.

Henk commented: “Aviagen EPI is committed to cultivating meaningful connections and knowledge-sharing opportunities within our regional poultry industry. We are delighted with the positive feedback from our customers on Breeder Focus 2.0, who found the event a useful platform to learn and exchange information to consistently evolve the welfare, performance and sustainability of their birds.”