Thursday, July 30, 2020

Novus International files methionine antidumping petitions with US Government

On the 29th July, Novus International, Inc. filed antidumping petitions with the US Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission. The petitions ask the agencies to investigate imports of methionine from Spain, France and Japan consistent with the World Trade Organisation Antidumping Agreement.

Imports of methionine from the three countries are priced substantially lower than domestic producers' shipments. Illegal dumping of methionine in the United States at an artificially low price can hurt the US agriculture industry.
 
Image credit: Mike Mozart on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)
 'We believe fair and competitive business practices are integral to the health of our industry and are necessary to protect our customers and consumers everywhere,' said Dan Meagher, president and CEO, Novus International, Inc. 'Today we took steps to ensure those fair practices.'

The volume of methionine imports into the United States from the three countries (Spain, France and Japan) increased by more than 200 percent from 2017 to 2019, and another 29 percent between the first quarter of 2019 and first quarter of 2020.

Access to domestically-produced methionine is critical for US animal protein producers. Illegal dumping can result in the reduction or elimination of domestic production. The animal protein industry benefits from having domestic and foreign supply options available.

'The coronavirus pandemic has reminded us of the vulnerability of global supply chains and the impact on highly integrated industries, such as agriculture and food production, when disruptions occur,' said Mr Meagher. 'We are simply asking the US government to ensure Spain, France and Japan are abiding by international trade laws.'

The government investigation will determine whether illegal dumping of imported methionine has occurred. The investigation is expected to take approximately 13 months. If the government determines importers did illegally dump foreign products, those importers may have to pay a duty on imports, which would be collected by the government as a tax.

The International Trade Commission is expected to make its preliminary determination by September 14th, 2020. The US Department of Commerce is expected to make its preliminary determinations and impose any remedial duties by January 5th, 2021. These timelines may adjust depending on the course of the investigations.

Visit the Novus International website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Expert topic: Giant tiger prawn

by Rebecca Sherratt, Features Editor, International Aquafeed

The Giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) is a prominent crustacean within the aquaculture industry, farmed in large numbers that are second only to the Whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

One reason for the Giant tiger prawn’s widespread popularity is their adaptability and ease of farming. This particular shrimp can flourish in a wide range of salinities between 3-35ppt, although their optimal levels are between 15-25ppt and temperatures of between 28-33°C. Giant tiger prawns can be found across the globe, ranging from Southeastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean, Northern Australia and the Arabian Peninsula.
 


Giant tiger prawns can be distinguished by their dark colouring. Their carapace and abdomen, banded with black and white, contrast the red, light blue or brown hue of their bodies. Giant tiger prawns can exceed sizes of 330mm and 33kg in weight, females typically exceeding males in size.

Giant tiger prawns feed upon small crustaceans, molluscs and polychaete worms. Many wild subspecies of tiger prawns are nocturnal, emerging from the substrate under cover of darkness to search for food or to mate. Larvae will hatch offshore, before entering estuaries and swamps that serve as nursery grounds. Juvenile Giant tiger prawn will move into deeper waters upon maturation.

Commercial farming of Giant tiger prawns began in the late 1980s and has seen a gradual increase with only slight fluctuations in farming numbers throughout the years. In 1990, 289,799 tonnes (t) of Giant tiger prawns were farmed for aquaculture globally, which increased to 630,984t in 2000 and 701,081t in 2016.

Read more, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Anderson Feed Technology company profile



Anderson Feed Technology has been formed by a collaboration of Anderson International Corp and Ottevanger Milling Engineers.


This partnership will leverage the expertise of both companies, establishing a strong presence that provides a wide variety of Feed Mill and Cereal related solutions to existing and new clients in the United States and Canada. Thanks to its expert know-how, gained over it’s joined 245 years of experience, Anderson Feed Technology is the ideal partner for the implementation of your project.

Their expertise lie in; engineering, production, and installation of machinery and complete installations in the dry-cereal and grain processing industry such as:
- Feed mills
- Premix and concentrate plants
- Aquafeed and Pet food installations
- Cereal processing lines
- Biomass installations

About Anderson International Corp
“Anderson International Corp, founded in 1888, is the original inventor of the screw press or Expeller® for the mechanical recovery of fats from oil bearing beans, seeds, and nuts.  In their 130-year history, Anderson has adapted the original screw press design for a variety of industrial processes, including pet food, animal feed, and synthetic rubber.  To date, Anderson has successfully designed, manufactured, and installed over 12,000 pieces of processing equipment for over 100 different types of materials in more than 100 countries with a focus on providing complete process solutions to their customer base.”

About Ottevanger Milling Engineers B.V.
Ottevanger Milling Engineers, founded in 1909, is a specialist in the design and manufacture of equipment and complete installations for the grain- and feed processing industries. The company designs and produces a comprehensive range of process equipment following the latest standards. The accumulated knowledge and experience of more than 100 years determine the quality of design, equipment and installations of Ottevanger Milling Engineers and its efficiency and reliability.

Visit the Anderson Feed Technology website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Online Milling School to re-broadcast its 3rd session for the Americas

The Online Milling School (OMS) will re-broadcast its weekly session at 14:00 USA Central time (GMT-5) every Friday in order to reach the Americas. OMS is a joint initiative between Milling and Grain magazine and Progressus Agrischools Asia.

Session 3 is focused on batching operations. Attendees can expect to receive insight into the importance of the correct set up, running and maintenance of hammer mills to achieve the required particle size for both pre and post grinding systems. The different methods of grinding and their relative merits are also discussed.
 


Those that attend all 12 classes will receive a certificate of completion to recognise their efforts. If you miss a session it is not an issue, you can simply attend sessions during the next cycle of the education series to make up your 12, enabling you to receive your certificate. Registration is available on the OMS website for $30 USD per session, or register for the entire course.

For more information and to register, visit the OMS website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

High throughput screening solutions for nitrofurans and Chloramphenicol in shrimp samples

by Swapna Gone, PhD, Clay Knight, PerkinElmer, Inc, USA

Nitrofurans and phenicols are a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics that are widely used to kill or slow down the growth of bacteria in the aquaculture industry. The use of nitrofurans and their metabolites has been banned by several countries and organisations within the European Union, USA and China, due to their harmful side effects to human health.

Nitrofurans have been defined as Class A prohibited drugs in many countries, and a Minimum Required Performance Limit (MRPL) of 1.0µg/kg has been set for food, animal and aquaculture products. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set a zero tolerance level for the use of Chloramphenicol in animals as a result of its potential side effects in humans, eg, hematological abnormalities, aplastic anemia etc., which are known to be caused in humans exposed to it upon ingestion of food products that contain residues of the drug.
 

In previous studies, nitrofurans were shown to transform rapidly to metabolites which readily bind to protein tissues. The bound metabolites are very stable and are used as an indicator of nitrofuran residues in various food, animal and aquatic products. The most widely used nitrofurans and their metabolites are furazolidone as 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ), nitrofurazone as semicarbazide (SEM), furaltadone as 3-amino-5-morpholinomethyl-2-oxazolidinone (AMOZ) and nitrofurantoin as 1-aminohydantoin (AHD).

In developing countries, the use of a veterinary drugs is prevalent in intensive marine shrimp farming to achieve sustainable production. Rejections of consignments by the importing countries have been recurrent in recent years due to detection of these banned antibiotics. The increasingly complex requirements for food safety assurance and traceability set by major export markets mandates screening for drug residues in the aquaculture industry.

Read more, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Evonik company profile



Evonik is one of the world's leading specialty chemicals companies. Profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company form the heart of their strategy, which is supported by their owners, RAG-Stiftung (74.99 percent) and funds managed by CVC Capital Partners (25.01 percent).

Their specialty chemicals activities focus on high-growth megatrends—especially health, nutrition, resource efficiency, and globalisation—and their goal is to enter attractive future-oriented markets.

In 2011 Evonik’s roughly 33,000 employees generated sales of €14.5 billion and an operating result (EBITDA) of €2.8 billion. More than 70 percent of sales are generated outside Germany, providing convincing evidence that our business is global.

Visit the website HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Biorigin restructures its feed business sector

Biorigin's feed business sector has recently been restructured. Alessandro Lima, working in the company since 2019, is now the Biorigin´s Global Feed Business Manager.

Mr Lima, DVM and specialised in marketing, has more than 20 years of experience in renowned multinational animal health companies, where he worked in marketing, product and sales management.

Claudia Mônaco has recently joined the sales team as Sales Manager for Brazil. Mônaco, also DVM and specialised in marketing, worked for more than 15 years in multinational companies of different industries.

Thaila Putarov has become part of Biorigin's renowned technical sales team as Global Technical Manager for Pets. Putarov is an animal scientist, and has M.Sc and a Ph.D. degrees in Pet Nutrition by UNESP, Botucatu, Brazil. During the last few years, Ms Putarov was the head of the Pet Nutrition Research Lab at FCAV-UNESP, working with product development, and evaluation of feedstuffs and feed processing methods.
 

(Left to right) Alessandro Lima, Claudia Raposo Monaco, Thaila Putarov
Image credit: Biorigin

Biorigin's strategy is to add value to its customers' products by supplying quality animal nutrition products to enhance animal productivity, health, and welfare.

'We have bold growth goals. Restructuring the team will bring the experience required by our company to explore new opportunities that will add to our customer-focused strategy, in which engagement and personalised technical sales differentiates us from the competitors,' commented Mário Steinmetz, Biorigin's commercial director, on the new hires and restructuring.

Vanderlei de Abreu, Biorigin's R&D Center Manager, explained, 'at Biorigin, R&D is considered a strategic pillar to leverage new businesses.' Consistent with the new strategy for the animal nutrition sector, R&D proposed a novel way of working and also the consolidation of a more dedicated and specialised scientific-technical structure in the Feed sector. 'Counting with exceptionally qualified professionals is part of the company's business strategy,' adds Mr Abreu.

This required new professionals to be hired by R&D, which now counts with a powerful team. Fernanda Darpassolo de Souza, biologist, M.Sc. in Food Science and specialised in project management, has worked as a researcher in Biorigin since 2015, and she is responsible for monitoring our portfolio and managing new feed projects. Anderson Dias Santos, animal scientist, and Ph.D. in Animal Nutrition and Production, joined the R&D team by the end of 2019 as a researcher, and he is responsible for experimental protocols, product analysis, and patents.

At that time, Robson Barducci was hired as an R&D Expert. Barducci is graduated in Animal Science and a Ph.D. in Grazing Livestock, and is specialised in project, business, and agribusiness management. In the R&D sector, he is responsible for innovation, development, technical sales support, promoting the Feed business.
 

(Left to right) Fernanda Darpassolo, Anderson Dias Santos, and Robson Barducci
Image credit: Biorigin

Mr Abreu explained that 'the new R&D Feed team is focused on producing research and science associated with the development of products and solutions for the animal nutrition market.

Our focus is the constant search for innovative solutions that will allow a greater diversity of our portfolio, aiming at differentiating Biorigin in the market and creating value for our customers. The new professionals can count with our full support in their new positions.'

For further information on Biorigin and its products, visit the website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Sign up now for the fourth Online Milling School session

The Online Milling School (OMS) is a 12 class educational online webinar series, the first class which successfully debuted three weeks ago saw over 350 millers sign up. OMS is a joint initiative between Milling and Grain magazine and Progressus Agrischools Asia.

Those that attend all 12 classes will receive a certificate of completion to recognise their efforts. If you missed the first session its not an issue, you can simply attend the first session of the next cycle, enabling you to receive your certificate. Session three took place July 29th and was also a great success.
 


On August 5th, at 2PM Bangkok time (ICT, UTC +7), session 4 will take place, focussing Steam and Conditioning. Attendees can expect a study into steam production, steam quality and steam transportation systems and how these impact conditioning, gelatinisation and pelleting. The steam session will demonstrate how critical it is to present steam at the conditioner in the most optimal way for achieving the correct  physical and bacteriological standards.

For more information and to register, visit the OMS website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

A successful case of split pond recirculation aquaculture system (SP-RAS) for snakehead fish farming in Andhra Pradesh of India

by Zhang Taoping, Dai Jielin, Narasimha Rao Tatavarthy, Kalavapudi Rambabu, Dong Qiufen, Guangzhou Nutriera Biotechnology Co Ltd, China

Snakeheads in India
The air-breathing snakehead fish (Channa striata) commonly called stripped murrel in India, is one of the most popular freshwater fishes. Live snakehead fish fetches a stable high price between INR 400-500/kg (US $6-8/kg) in different retail markets. Murrel was officially declared as the “state fish” for Telangana in 2016, which focused upon the promotion of murrel farming and conserving the indigenous aquatic diversity in the water bodies of Telangana.
 


Considering the need to bring more high value species into aquaculture in India, Uno Feeds, one of India’s largest extruded fish feed manufacturers, has entered into a strategic co-operation with Nutriera Group, the biggest integrated aquafeed technology solution provider, to bring the technology for domestication and grow out of snakehead fish in India. Since 2015, Uno Feeds has set up a dedicated hatchery and research facility for breeding snakehead in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh with the assistance of the Nutriera team.

From 2016 to 2019, the commercial scale artificial breeding of snakehead fish was successfully carried out at this facility and the fry was gradually weaned to take specially formulated extruded snakehead feed. The grow-out phase of these weaned seeds was also carried out in several farming areas in West Godavari, East Godavari and Krishna District, widely spread over 100 acres with a 100 percent planned increase in farmed area annually. Throughout the past five years, snakehead fish intensive farming at Uno Feeds has also encountered some farm-end difficulties, such as limited fresh water resources, microcystis bloom, extreme high temperature and severe fish diseases like water moulds and Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome outbreak during the winter season.

Snakehead fish is a typical carnivorous fish with high level feed nutrition requirements. As the result of the unavailability of the natural water resources for water exchange, the continuous feeding and fish feces bring about worsening water quality, and then microcystis proliferation occurs during farming under the conditions of higher temperature. Fish liver was also noted to be especially vulnerable after encountering with microcystin breakout, which became yellowed and fragile.

Read more, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

FAMSUN company profile



Muyang Co, Ltd recently announced changing its brand name from Muyang to FAMSUN starting May 2014. This move is prompted by the idea of better illustrating the company’s business and the farm-to-table industry chain it serves. It is consistent with Muyang’s global strategy and its aim of becoming an integrated solution provider in the agro-industry.

FAMSUN originates from “famous, farm, family, sun and union”; it implies Muyang Co, Ltd’s development concept and vision, which is to build a green and healthy supply chain from farm to table together with its customers and to convert traditional agriculture into a modern, profitable and sustainable business with its integrated solutions in feed manufacturing, grain milling, grain handling and storage, food processing, as well as industrial automation.

The creative design of the FAMSUN logo features a beveled letter “F”, a curvy letter “A”, a stretching letter “S” and a friendly letter “U”. It will be the only signage representing Muyang’s business, products, service and solutions. Meanwhile, the company will continue to operate in its current structure, provide follow-up service based on relevant agreement, and its business contacts will remain unchanged. 


Visit the website HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Canada’s ocean supercluster announces $29M Ocean Aware project

On the 28th July alongside project partners, Canada's Ocean Supercluster announced the Ocean Aware project. The Ocean Aware project will develop and commercialise world-class solutions for monitoring fish health, fish movement, and the environment, and supporting both profitable and sustainable practices in the ocean.

With a total project value of $29 million, the Ocean Supercluster will provide $13.74 million in funding for the project, with $15.7 million in funding coming from industry partners. Ocean Aware is led by Innovasea together with Emera, Nova Scotia Power, Ocean Choice International, Irving Shipbuilding, Dartmouth Ocean Technologies, Xeos Technologies, and with the support of the Ocean Tracking Network, Dalhousie University, Fisheries Marine Institute of Memorial University, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and others.
 


Kendra MacDonald, CEO, Canada's Ocean Supercluster commented, 'The Ocean Aware project is a game-changing project that demonstrates the transformational opportunities we have in ocean innovation when we bring partners from across ocean sectors together. This will create significant benefits for Canadians now and for generations to come. To bring this to fruition while we continue to see the impacts of a global pandemic only adds to its significance.'

Ocean Aware represents the first-of-its-kind collaboration across ocean sectors in fisheries, aquaculture, energy, shipping, and ocean technology where the project team will develop world leading aquaculture technology to monitor fish health; new approaches to stock assessment modelling and predictive fishing in the wild fishery, and; innovative and increased capability to monitor marine life around fixed subsea structures. This will not only enable ocean growth that is sustainable, but also disrupt competition on a global scale, position Canada as a leader, and help grow the economy and create new jobs.

Mark Jollymore, President, Innovasea said, 'This is a big day for Canada, and Innovasea is proud to be leading this consortium in tackling this important challenge. When this project is complete, we will have given three key maritime industries the technology, tools, understanding and insight they need to operate in a more ecologically sustainable manner. Ultimately, the impact of the Ocean Aware project is going to be felt far beyond Canada and the Atlantic provinces; it will serve as a blueprint for the rest of the world.'

With an innovative model for growth that reduces risk for Canadian companies, Canada's Ocean Supercluster are increasing collaboration and data exchange across ocean sectors, creating a platform for the development for commercial, sustainable ocean solutions, building an inclusive and highly-capable workforce, and continuing to drive resiliency in our oceans.

For more information visit the Ocean Super Cluster website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Lallemand strengthens its Centres of Excellence team

Lallemand Animal Nutrition have recently appointed some new members to their Centres of Excellence teams, adding talent to ruminant, forage and monogastric fields.
 

Image credit: Coolship Yeast on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)

Emmanuelle Apper, Ph.D., Manager of the Centres of Excellence,  commented, 'With this team, we expect to reinforce expertise in our various fields of investigation and to bring value by providing high-quality science and communicating our work both internally and externally. We also expect to accelerate our innovation processes.' With these new hires, the Centres of Excellence will cover Lallemand Animal Nutrition's major markets as well as new and emerging markets such as the pet food industry. 

Ana Rodiles
Image credit: Lallemand


Ana Rodiles, Ph.D., has joined the Monogastric Centre of Excellence as a senior scientist. In this position, Dr Rodiles will lead bioinformatics analysis trials on pets, fish, shrimps, and horses and will actively participate with research and development in these fields. In addition, she will ensure scientific intelligence in the field of bioinformatics to develop and test new models and will train both research and marketing teams.

Dr Rodiles holds a master's degree in aquaculture and a doctorate in fish nutrition from the University of Cadiz (UCA, Spain). She conducted a postdoctoral research on fish gut microbiota at the University of Plymouth (PU, UK), enabling implementation of bioinformatics analysis. During her scientific carrier, Dr Rodiles worked with massive data analysis of the microbiome of more than 15 animal species and published 35 peer-reviewed papers. Finally, she jumped into applied sciences in farming animals working as a gut microbiota researcher for a Dutch company for two years before joining Lallemand. 

Laurie Guillot
Image credit: Lallemand


Laurie Guillot joined the Ruminant Centre of Excellence based at UMR MEDIS, INRAE Rhône Alpes Auvergne-University of Clermont Auvergne as a research project leader. Ms Guillot will lead some research projects applying molecular biology based approaches — OMICS — to document the mode of action of Lallemand Animal Nutrition products and will develop new methods and models.

Ms Guillot holds a master's degree in microbiology. She has worked for four years as an engineer at INRAE where she researched the human gut microbiota. She has strong experience in anaerobic microbiology, molecular biology methods and the use of animal models like gnotobiotic rodents.
 

Richard Scuderi
Image credit: Lallemand


Richard Scuderi has joined the Forage Centre of Excellence in Chazy, N.Y. (USA). Mr Scuderiwill lead some innovative research projects applying OMICS technologies to characterise Lallemand Animal Nutrition bacteria strains and investigate the application of forage inoculants during ensiling and their subsequent animal performance during feedout.

Mr Scuderiholds a master's degree in animal science from the University of Vermont. Prior to joining Lallemand Animal Nutrition, he acted as the director of dairy nutrition and quality assurance for Mercer Milling Company in Liverpool, N.Y., for two years. He has also conducted research at the University of Vermont's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Animal & Veterinary Sciences Department, Burlington, Vt.

Visit the Lallemand Animal Nutrition website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Monday, July 27, 2020

Livestock Philippines 2020 E-Marketplace officially opens

Livestock Philippines for the first time has gone online. This is a digital platform with an online exhibition, online business matching and a digital showroom that aims to provide opportunities for exhibitors and buyers to match and meet, network and share business ideas.
 


Livestock Philippines E-Marketplace will connect global livestock industrial players during this travel restriction period. Take advantage of this three day online exhibition that aims to bring you 200+ products and services to source, a channel to do Business matching and share ideas between thousands of buyers and over 100 exhibitors through virtual digital interaction.

Visit the Livestock Philippines website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Student Social Entrepreneurship Programme

By Clifford Spencer, Chairman, Aquaculture without Frontiers

Events of 2020 have bought into sharp focus global health and food security. AwF is responding to these changes in global outlook in directing its support appropriately. Many of us are disconnected from our food supply chain, which is now almost certainly global in some aspect. As a result of recent events these supply chains will change and retake into account national, regional and local self-sufficiency.

Healthy food, in turn, supports a healthy immune system, which is proving to be important for human survival in today’s pandemic. Education covering the food and health of tomorrow’s citizens and workforce has never been more important for nation states.
 


One such development is AwF forging a relationship with Perlis University in Malaysia. This involves supporting individual students for the entirety of a one-year course to set them on a path to an aquacultural future. We have selected the most financially challenged students for allocating this support, in order to make real difference to those most in need. Our intent is that both a career and food security come hand in hand.

AwF is also involved in other educational activity designed to encourage school leavers to choose a career in aquaculture and the vital healthy food production so necessary for future generations. All this in a circular food production model designed to provide environmentally designed and pollutant free food.

Read more, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Zheng Chang company profile



Zhengchang
, established in 1918, has made constant innovations in feed machinery industry and accumulated a wealth of experience in tackling the various challenges facing feed companies and, more importantly, is able to offer a range of comprehensive solutions.

Zhengchang has now evolved into China’s largest manufacture of feed machinery and has 16 branches in China with over 1300 staff and more than thirty offices all over the world. 

Zhengchang to date has successfully constructed more than 2000 turnkey projects world around the world, covering fields of poultry and livestock feed, aquatic feed, pet feed, premix feed, sawdust pellet, fertiliser, silo storage, pasture, electrical control and garbage treatment, etc.

Zhengchang projects are designed to deliver to the client higher feed quality, higher overall capacity and more profits. 
Zhengchang have conquered challenges one after another for the customers and accumulated rich experience over the past 90 years.

They are now making great endeavors to apply their latest achievements to feed, pasture, environment protection, fertilizer, sawdust shaping industries.


Zhengchang is more than a professional partner who can provide advanced machinery, technology and management ideas.

It is also a true problem solver who knows you well during your development. Zhengchang is with you every step of the way.


Visit the website HERE.


The Aquaculturists

BAP seeks public comment on new farm standard

On the 27th July Global Aquaculture Alliance announced that Issue 3.0 of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Farm Standard is now available for public comment. The 60-day public comment period expires on September 26th.

The renamed BAP Farm Standard replaces Issue 2.4 of the BAP Finfish and Crustacean Farm Standard, released on May 23, 2017. The new standard now covers all eligible fed aquaculture species, but BAP will continue to maintain a separate farm standard for salmonids raised in marine net pens. Unfed mollusk species such as mussels and oysters will continue to be covered under the BAP Mollusk Standard. 
 
Image credit: BAP

The new Farm Standard contains a number of new requirements under BAP's four pillars of sustainability – Food Safety, Social Accountability, Environmental Responsibility, and Animal Welfare. Traceability requirements have also been updated. Specific environmental monitoring approaches for recirculating aquaculture systems and coastal flow-through systems have been added, and the requirements for efficient use of key feed ingredients such as fish and soybean meals and oils have been updated, with new limits set for the BAP Fish-In Fish-Out (FIFO) ratios for many species.

To comment, download the BAP Farm Standard Issue 3.0 comment form and submit the form to dan.lee@aquaculturealliance.org and david.yunker@bapcertification.org.

The standard can be found, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

AFIA’s PISC delivers timely information on state of the animal food industry

The American Feed Industry Association hosted its Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference (PISC) Webinar Series last week. The five-day event offered attendees valuable insights on what is happening in the animal food industry and its outlook, in light of the current events surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

Veronica Rovelli, AFIA's senior director of meetings and events  said, 'Since our PISC attendees missed hearing important, new information on many hot-button issues in the animal food industry this spring, we were thrilled to be able to offer the same opportunity, from the comfort and convenience of their own desks.'
 


The webinar series featured new learnings in biosecurity, the current state-of-play in politics and expert analysis of how COVID-19 is impacting the feed industry, the crop and livestock markets and consumer demand for animal protein products.

Constance Cullman, AFIA's president and CEO, shared a preview of what is happening in Washington, D.C., and what the industry can expect to see with the upcoming presidential election. She also focused on the importance of advocating in this new policy environment.

'Have conversations with both parties – they need to understand the importance of what we do,' Ms Cullman said. Increasing lawmakers' understanding of how the industry operates has been critical in recent months, she explained, particularly in keeping this essential industry open for business amid state shutdown orders.

Jayson Lusk, Ph.D., distinguished professor and head of the agricultural economics department at Purdue University, spoke on how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting consumers' shopping behaviors and what they will demand in the future.

'We will see an accelerated trend to e-grocery, more food-at-home will bypass the traditional grocery stores in favour of Amazon, Walmart and others delivering food straight to doorsteps, a rising interest in local food and direct farm delivery and more ghost kitchens,' Dr Lusk said. The reallocation of food from the food-service industry to homes will continue to challenge the agriculture industry, as it shifts resources to keep the food supply stable.

Cassandra Jones, Ph.D., undergraduate research coordinator in Kansas State University's Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, discussed the latest research on how the African swine fever virus spreads, particularly focusing on new research her team is conducting in Vietnam on how the virus can spread from farm to feed mill to farm.

'Like COVID-19, the virus is spreading faster than the speed of research,' Dr Jones said. 'But some vaccines on the horizon are looking promising, while not commercially available yet.'

Other speakers included Joseph Kerns, president of Kerns and Associates, who discussed the current economics of the animal agriculture industry, and Richard Brock, of Brock Associates, who provided a commodity outlook.

The recorded proceedings are available for purchase by contacting Veronica Rovelli, AFIA's senior director of meetings and events. Next year's conference will be held March 9-11th in Orlando, Fla, USA.

Visit the AFIA PISC website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Sustainable aquaculture and functional brewer’s yeast products: Industry guest lecture at University of Plymouth

Industry guest lecture, 25th Feb 2020

Aquaculture significantly contributes to food and protein supplies around the globe. Aquaculture production now exceeds capture fisheries landings as a source of food for human consumption, accounting for 53 percent of total global fish production (FAO, 2018). Aquaculture already is a relatively sustainable production system, but more can be done to help underpin the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015.

At the University of Plymouth, students on the MSc Sustainable Aquaculture course are offered an excellent training programme on the sustainable use of resources for aquaculture production, aquatic animal health, reduction of environmental impacts and addressing socio-economic factors.
 


As part of the programme, a series of industry guest lectures is delivered by representatives from leading companies and organisations along the value chain in order to give students first-hand insights from a commercial perspective. This year’s initial lecture was given by Dr Holger Kühlwein, Global Key Account Manager Aquaculture at Leiber GmbH. He presented an overview of the wide brewer’s yeast product range using different fractions of the yeast cell, their quality aspects and applications in aquafeeds and aquatic animal health, and how these products can contribute to overall sustainable aquaculture.

Industry Scholarship Programme
As part of the extended collaboration and commitment to sustainable aquaculture Leiber GmbH is also investing in the Aquaculture Sustainability Industry Scholarship Programme by providing funding for two of the students. Each of them will be able to apply and further develop acquired knowledge and lab skills by being part of the testing of two selected brewer’s yeast products.

Their specific functionalities require scientific evaluation across various species and their life stages, as well as a constant (re)adjustment according to scientific developments and changing requirements in the aquafeed industry as a whole.

Read more, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Amandus Kahl company profile



More than 130 years of experience in plant and machine manufacture have made Amandus Kahl a respected manufacturer and supplier of extruders, compound feed presses, wood pelleting plants or granulate coolers, for example.

The company’s motivation has always been to develop an even better product for their customers. For this reason they cooperate with research institutes and universities. You can always be sure that they will supply you an optimally customised wood pelleting plant, grain cooking plant, waste-tyre recycling plant etc.

Their scope of services also comprises maintenance and repair of the compacting machines, compound feed presses, extruders and wood pelleting plants as well as all other products they offer in their company.

Visit the website HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by
Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquaculture-news

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Extru-Tech introduces a self-adjusting die/knife cutter head

Dramatic reductions in maintenance costs and downtime are just two of the benefits of a new Self-Adjusting Die/Knife Cutter System from Extru-Tech, Inc. Equally important, the new advanced feature cutter head can be used across the full spectrum of wear plates.

According to John Menold, field service manager for Extru-Tech, the new die/knife cutter system offers a cleaner cut than cast blade configurations due to a 'precision' pressure pack and individually replaceable blades, which can be sharpened from three to five times.


Extru-Tech's new Self-Adjusting Die/Knife Cutter System
Image credit: Extru-Tech
 'Not only can they be re-sharpened, but the new blades have been reported to last from 2 1/2 to 10 times longer than cast blades,' Mr Menold adds. 'This translates into lower overall cost, particularly when you consider the automatic adjustment feature allows one cutter head system to be used on multiple dies. The cutter assembly is easily secured and automatically set parallel to the wear plate with just one bolt.'

Mr Menold notes that the self-levelling feature also allows the system to accommodate non-perpendicular die stubs and worn plates.

For additional ease of maintenance, the self-adjusting die/knife cutter system is rated for wash-down and utilises high temperature, sealed bearings for longer life. The single cutting edge of the blades also minimises the risk of injury to employees and personnel.

Visit the Extru-Tech website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

AFIA honours animal scientists with nutrition research awards

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has recently honoured two individuals in the animal science field at the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), Canadian Society of Animal Science, Western Section ASAS virtual annual meeting and tradeshow.

Martin Nyachoti, Ph.D., of the University of Manitoba (U of M), received the AFIA-ASAS Non-Ruminant Animal Nutrition Research Award, and Terry Engle, Ph.D., of Colorado State University (CSU), received the AFIA-ASAS Ruminant Animal Nutrition Research Award.

'Dr Nyachoti and Dr Engle have undoubtedly advanced the livestock industry, both with their research programs and by mentoring young industry leaders,' said Paul Davis, Ph.D., AFIA's director of quality, animal food safety and education. 'AFIA is honoured to present them with these awards.' 

Martin Nyachoti, Ph.D., of the
University of Manitoba, received
the AFIA-ASAS Non-Ruminant
Animal Nutrition Research Award.
Image credit: AFIA

Non-Ruminant Animal Nutrition Research Award
Dr Nyachoti, professor and director of the T. K. Cheung Centre for Animal Science Research at U of M, is known for his internationally recognised research program emphasising the nutritional characterisation of feed ingredients and nutrition and gut health interactions to advance productivity, profitability and sustainability of the livestock industry. His research focuses on improved dietary energy and nutrient utilisation, gut health and function, and environmental impact mitigation.

A professor of animal science, Dr Nyachoti currently advises four masters and three Ph.D. students, directs one research associate and has advised an additional 37 graduate students, eight post-doctoral fellows and seven research associates since joining U of M in 2000.

He has authored or co-authored over 250 papers in peer-reviewed journals and earns more than 1,000 citations per year. He has made over 125 conference presentations and given 87 invited presentations in 16 countries. In 2013, Dr Nyachoti received the Canadian Society of Animal Science Award for Excellence in Nutrition and Meat Sciences. 

Terry Engle, Ph.D., of Colorado
State University, received the
AFIA-ASAS Ruminant Animal
Nutrition Research Award.
Image credit: AFIA

Ruminant Animal Nutrition Research Award
Dr Engle is a professor in CSU's Department of Animal Sciences. His research program focuses on the role of trace minerals in lipid metabolism and absorption and transport mechanisms associated with trace mineral homeostasis in ruminants.

He has graduated 22 masters and 10 Ph.D. students, is responsible for more than $8.1 million of funding as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator and has published over 130 peer review publications and several book chapters. He has given numerous invited presentations domestically and internationally and has served as a member of national, regional, college and departmental committees.

Dr Engle puts the training and education of his graduate students first and graduates from his research program are working in academia and private sectors throughout animal agriculture.

Visit the AFIA website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists