Tuesday, August 31, 2021

GSI celebrates their eighth anniversary this month

The Global Salmon Initiative celebrates its eighth year this month. GSI is a leadership initiative established by leading farmed salmon CEOs from around the world who share a vision of providing a healthy and sustainable source of protein to feed a growing population, while minimising their environmental footprint, and continuing to improve their social and economic contribution.

Looking back at the past eight years of the Global Salmon Initiative, a constant theme is their motivation to improve. Members are united by their commitment to continuously improve both their environmental performance and social contributions.

They've had a lot of change and progress over the years but still have a lot more to come to keep innovating and pushing the boundaries to raise salmon that is better for communities, people and the planet.

GSI have 13 salmon farming members in seven regions around the world, equating to 24,000 people across members, united in their vision to transform salmon farming. They also partner with feed and pharma companies to find healthy and planet-friendly ways to feed their salmon, and have six working groups tackle the most pressing issues facing aquaculture.

Around 60 percent of their production is Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified, although the goal is 100 percent. Being a GSI member requires sharing sustainability data across 14 indicators as part of their annual report.

'What make GSI stand out is that they brought together company CEOs and empowered technical staff to work together and do the hard work of addressing the sector's critical challenges – feed, welfare and impact. Through information-sharing to find solutions and motivate environmental improvements, they flattened the learning curve for everybody on how to make the industry more sustainable. The model has proven to be successful and deliver results, and now we need other sectors to follow suit,' says Jason Clay, World Wildlife Fund.

For more information visit the GSI website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Informa Markets announce digital platform to support Asian livestock and aquaculture

Informa Markets has announced the launch of 'Asia Livestock Hub,' the premier online platform dedicated to the Livestock and Aquaculture Industry.

As created to serve the real demands of the industry across the region, Asia Livestock Hub performs as a B2B online community for business listing, sourcing, networking, and a content hub that specialising in Livestock, Feed, Meat, and Aquaculture Industry where you can find the latest market trends, hot webinars, online business matching and networking dedicated for suppliers and buyers.
 
The platform itself is proud to be the first and leading in Asia with a proven record and support by a well-known series of Livestock events including Livestock Malaysia, Livestock and Aquaculture Philippines, Livestock Taiwan, Vietstock & Aquaculture Vietnam which have been establishing brand names in the region.

With more than 20,000 qualified buyers & attendees from over 50 countries/regions participating, Asia Livestock Hub promises to be the premier online platform serving for Asian Livestock, Feed, Meat & Aquaculture Industry.

For buyers and attendees, Asia Livestock Hub is a one-stop sourcing place that can fit in their needs not only for livestock, feed, meat but also for aquaculture products and services. more than that, the platform is a knowledge hub for learning and sharing where attendees can access unlimited world-class webinars & virtual events that are relevant to the industry.

For exhibitors & sponsors, Asia Livestock Hub is the right choice for digital marketing especially during this period when the Covid-19 pandemic is seriously affecting their in-person marketing activities. It will be a perfect marketing platform to support the business through its functions of listing, branding & generating business leads via online business matching and networking.

Asia Livestock Hub will officially launch on 30 August 2021 onwards and will be a one-year cycle platform. Buyers who are interested in joining can register, HERE.

Suppliers who are considering participating in this platform can find the link of the sponsorship brochure, HERE.


For more information contact the Asia Livestock Hub Team

Malaysia
Ms Rita – rita.lau@informa.com | +60 16 206 9096

Taiwan
Ms Sophia – sophia.lu@informa.com | +886-2-27383898

Vietnam
Ms Jane – jane.dang@informa.com | +84 96 680 99 60

Philippines, Thailand, and Rest of the World
Ms June – Chutimas.t@informa.com | +66 86 894 5180

The Aquaculturists

Cermaq awarded fish welfare prize at AquaNor

The prize was awarded to Cermaq at the AquaNor fair taking place in Trondheim, Norway, for the improvement work at the fry plant Holmvåg in Steigen, Norway, and the good results it has given.

 
Image credit: Cermaq
Good fish welfare is good for business
'Good health and welfare for our fish is fundamental in all our work throughout our value chain across all companies in Cermaq,' says Knut Ellekjær, Managing Director of Cermaq Norway. Good welfare gives a strong and robust fish, good production results and good financial results in the end, says Mr Ellekjær.

Small measures - great results
At Cermaq's fry facility Holmvåg in Steigen, they have specialised in the earliest stages of the salmon's life cycle, from roe to fry. The commitment among the staff at the facility is very high, bringing out good ideas for how fish welfare can be improved.

By careful observation of start feeding fry behavior, and adjustment of tank hydrodynamics, feed distribution and water temperature the staff has improved survival and fry quality significantly.

'By observing the fry's behaviour closely, we have been able to act and make adjustments that have given very good results. A result of these changes we now start with five percent fewer roe grains, but still produce the same amount of fry at the facility,' says Marit Mehus, fish health and freshwater manager in Cermaq Norway.

New equipment not crucial - the commitment to the animals more important
Holmvåg is not a new facility, and the tanks in which the fish swim are from the late 80s. But this has been no obstacle for improvements and the excellent results at the facility.

'These results show that we can make important steps for improved fish welfare also on older facilities,' says Marit Mehus. 'What the staff at Holmvåg have done here is impressive and demonstrates how important their strong commitment to the fish is,' says Mehus.

Fish welfare on the agenda in all Cermaq's operations
Fish welfare is a topic in all areas of Cermaq's value chain, and different measures are taken to optimise fish health and welfare, securing the quality and survival of the animals. With the development project iFarm, Cermaq aims to improve fish welfare by using artificial intelligence and machine learning, identifying each fish in a net pen, and giving it individual follow-up.

The Fish Welfare Prize
The newly established prize is awarded from the Fish Welfare Forum - a collaborative platform for the Norwegian Veterinary Instituteand the Institute of Marine Research.

For more information visit the Cermaq website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Friday, August 27, 2021

Beach clean to be business-wide effort, says Scottish Sea Farms

With just three weeks to go until the annual Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Great British Beach Clean, September 17-26, salmon farmer Scottish Sea Farms plans to make this year's event its biggest yet.

Image credit: Scottish Sea Farms
The company has asked all staff – more than 480 employees across its operations on Scotland's west coast, Orkney and Shetland Islands – to participate by choosing a registered beach local to them and helping to collect rubbish along a 100m stretch. 

This will be Scottish Sea Farms' fourth consecutive year of participation, with the company's Orkney, Shetland and Barcaldine teams having led the charge previously.

And whilst last year's involvement was restricted to employees only, operating in work 'bubbles' in line with Covid guidance, this year's beach cleans will once again be opened up to employees' families, friends and local communities with restrictions now having eased. 

Commenting on the decision to make participation in this year's Great British Beach Clean a business-wide effort, Scottish Sea Farms Managing Director Jim Gallagher says, 'We each, in our different ways, make our living from Scotland's waters. We each care deeply about doing so as responsibly and sustainably as we can, as evidenced by the sheer range of greener initiatives underway across the business today. So to devote a few more hours of our time to help collect and remove rubbish from our local shorelines seems like the right and natural thing to do.

'The more of us that get involved, the greater the difference we can make, so we're delighted to be able to welcome back family, friends and members of our local communities.'

Not only will participants be removing litter, they will also be recording what they find so the MCS can compile a national database to help inform and shape future policy around protecting our shores. 

Previous beach cleans have revealed a high proportion of plastic and polystyrene among the rubbish collected, as well as metal, wood, pottery and ceramics, glass, paper and cardboard, rubber, cloth and sanitary waste.

The MCS said collating this data has helped to make a positive impact on the ocean, with the information driving its conservation work and also feeding into the International Coastal Clean-up.

Data from previous hauls around the country has helped bring about environmental advances such as the introduction of the plastic bag charge, banning microplastics in personal care products, better wet wipe labelling, and supporting a tax on single-use plastic items.

Supporting this year's event, 10 Scottish Sea Farms beach clean coordinators have volunteered to oversee efforts in their communities: from Barcaldine, Eriboll, Kishorn, Mallaig, Mull, Oban, South Shian and the Summer Isles on the Scottish mainland, to the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

Each coordinator is responsible for registering their local beach cleans, completing a survey of the litter collected and submitting the data to the MCS national database.    

They will also deliver safety briefings on the day and issue protective gloves and bags, as well as packed lunches, to all those involved.

Scottish Sea Farms Environmental Scientist Kirsty Brown, a regular beach clean leader based in Orkney, said she was proud that what had been a relatively small, localised endeavour had now been embraced by the entire company.

'Having taken part in the Great British Beach Clean for the past three years, we were keen to continue our own local support of this vital nationwide campaign,' she said. 

'But to know that this year we will be supported by colleagues from across our farming estate, all pitching in to help clean their own local beaches, is really great to see. It might even encourage a little healthy competition as to who can collect the most litter per clean.'

A full list of all Scottish Sea Farms beach cleans will be made available online at scottishseafarms.com early next week, once the registration process has been completed, along with details of how to register attendance in advance. 

For information about Scottish Sea Farms visit their website, HERE.
For more information about the Great British Beach Clean visit the website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Thursday, August 26, 2021

Aller Aqua group is the world’s first fish feed company verified in CO2-labelling of their products

On Wednesday the 25th of August the Aller Aqua organisation reached a historical milestone when months of hard work culminated in the verification of CO2-labelling of fish feed at our European Factories. The verification process was conducted by Bureau Veritas.

Image credit: Aller Aqua
It is a huge milestone for them to be the first company to be able to label their entire product portfolio by the recognised PEFCR (Product Environment Footprint Category Rules) principles Feed for food-producing animals. Each of the raw materials used have been through the process and Aller Aqua therefore now have the necessary data to label their products.

This means they can offer customers a full carbon footprint declaration on each type of feed. This is a big step towards carbon footprint declaration of fish produced by our customers, and all the way to the consumer. Aquaculture is already one of the most environmentally friendly ways of producing protein compared to other types of animal farming.

Aller Aqua wished to create full transparency for customers and the world around them, and particularly to contribute to reducing CO2-emissions. This project checks all those boxes.

They have already taken other measures such as replacing South American soya with regionally produced soya in their European factories.

It has been important for Aller Aqua to be verified in this process, which is why they have asked Bureau Veritas to control their work – this was rewarded with verification with any annotations.

The practicalities regarding the declaration can therefore start. Initially they include their three European factories, but shortly they plan to include the rest of the seven factories in the process.

For more information visit the Aller Aqua website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

Bluefront Equity invests in AquaBioTech Group

AquaBioTech Group and Bluefront Equity have announced that they have entered into a letter of intent whereby Bluefront Equity will acquire a significant stake in the company through a combination of purchase of shares and new capital to accelerate the growth.

The planned investment by Bluefront Equity will enable AquaBioTech Group to continue to rapidly develop its international expansion plans, including the opening of a major office in Norway and Singapore.
 
Image credit: Apasciuto on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)


AquaBioTech Group consists of three main divisions. The first is an aquaculture, fisheries and marine environment consulting, advisory and training company with offices in five countries serving hundreds of international clients.

The second is the Contract Research Organisation (CRO) division, which has grown to become one of the largest licensed aquatic CRO facilities in the European Union (EU) with more than fifty research RAS units in operation. The facility is used by all of the major vetriceutical, nutraceutical and aquatic nutrition companies for the testing, development and certification of aquatic vaccines and shrimp / fish feeds.

The third is an engineering and development company focused on the turnkey supply of Recirculation Aquaculture Systems (RAS) for commercial and research purposes that are designed for a variety of fish and shrimp species, including Salmon hatcheries, nurseries and grow-out facilities.

Visit the Aqua Bio Tech website, HERE.
Visit the Bluefront Equity website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Christi Brown announced as Business Development Director for Zinpro Corporation

Zinpro Corporation, a leading animal nutrition company, has welcomed Christi Brown as their new business development director. Ms Brown will lead the development and launch of new product offerings for ruminant nutrition that are designed to increase the sustainability and profitability of milk production around the world.
 
Christi Brown 
Image credit: Zinpro


'Christi is leading us to a new frontier in ruminant nutrition,' says Rob Sheffer, president and CEO of Zinpro. 'Her experiences, passion for excellence and deep knowledge of the cattle industry will help her team develop products beyond our proven mineral offering that improve the health and performance of animals and enable our customers to achieve their own unique goals.'

In addition to her bachelor's degree in business administration from Colorado State University and extensive leadership training, Brown brings 20 years of agricultural sales experience developing customer relationships and a track record of developing world-class teams to this role.

'Christi is a true champion of our Zinpro core values and will be a key partner to our customers,' Mr Sheffer continues. 'Under her direction, our ruminant nutrition team will be able to deliver new, innovative and effective solutions to producers across the globe, helping them responsibly serve a growing population and rapidly increasing demand for high quality protein products.'

For more information visit the Zinpro website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

EuroTier 2022 with guiding theme "Transforming Animal Farming'

The next EuroTier, the world's leading trade fair for animal farming and livestock management, will take place in 2022 and be held alongside EnergyDecentral, the leading trade fair for decentralised energy supply, from 15-18 November 2022 in Hanover, Germany. The organiser DLG (German Agricultural Society) has selected the guiding theme "Transforming Animal Farming" to underpin the technical program.
 
Image credit: DLG


"Production and value chains, as well as social and environmental demands on livestock farming are constantly evolving," emphasises EuroTier project manager Ines Rathke. "Together farmers, farm managers and agricultural companies are actively shaping the future, in management, purchasing and marketing. As an international platform, EuroTier presents innovations and solution strategies – not just for the current hot-button topics," adds Ms Rathke.

New: Platform for startups
New at EuroTier 2022 is the dedicated start-up area "DLG-AgrifutureLab" for newly-founded innovative companies. This prime location within the trade fair allows both national and international company founders to launch their presence prominently, attracting plenty of footfall. The German Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) supports the participation of German start-ups at the trade fair.

New award: 'Agrifuture Concept Winner'
For the first time at EuroTier 2022, DLG will be adding a new award category 'Agrifuture Concept Winner' to its EuroTier innovation award scheme. The new award will recognise innovative and pioneering concepts for the animal husbandry of tomorrow. This award category allows exhibitors to submit concepts and future visions that are not yet market-ready and still in the development phase but already demonstrate strong potential for improved professional practice or process optimisation.

Virtual industry network "DLG-Connect' – DLG's online platform
DLG-Connect, DLG's online platform, is an online professional venue that accompanies DLG's trade fairs and events in the agricultural, agri-food and food industries, presenting topical and current content relevant to the industry as well as networking and a comprehensive market overview along the value chain.

For more information visit the Eurotier 2022 website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Aqua Nor 2021 organisers announce Innovation Award winner

In strong competition with other nominees, the winner of the Nor-Fishing Foundation's Innovation Award was announced at the opening ceremony of Aqua Nor 2021...

Previous winners have stated that the Innovation Award has been an important hallmark of quality in meetings with investors, and a door opener in both national and international markets.

Winners SeaRAS Aquasense receives NOK100,000 (~US$11,300) and a plaque showing that they have won.

SeaRAS's solution for measuring and observing water quality, especially with regard to hydrogen sulphide values ​​(H2S), caught the jury's interest early on. The gas has a very negative effect on fish health and can also lead to mortality. SeaRAS technology can measure H2S levels as low as 0.05 µg / liter, and an alarm can also be set if the H2S level, for example, exceeds the limit values ​​set by the authorities.

SeaRAS is already installed in a number of RAS facilities and has also been used in well boats during pumping, transport and treatment.

The Aqua Nor team expresses their congratulations to SeaRAS on their victory, with the award accepted by SeaRas manager Eldar Lien, who will present completely fresh H2S measurement data from both RAS and well boats during the scientific conference tomorrow (Thursday August 26, 2021).

"We are very pleased to present the innovation award to SeaRas Aquasense from Bergen, Norway!" state the organisers on Twitter.

"There were three very strong nominees, but SeaRas took it home during the opening ceremony of Aqua Nor 2021."

To read more about this story or for the very latest news from Aqua Nor 2021, be sure to follow the link HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Ace Aquatec’s newest sales manager, Unn Eilen Vik, to attend this year’s Aqua Nor Exhibition

Ace Aquatec, who opened its Norway office last year, will be represented by their growing division at this year's Aqua Nor with the welcoming of its latest appointment, Unn Eilen Vik, who joins as the country's sales manager.

Unn Eilen Vik
Image credit: Ace Aquatec
Ms Vik, who officially starts in October, will oversee Ace Aquatec's physical stall at Aqua Nor, the world's largest aquaculture technology exhibition, with regional manager of Northern Europe, Preben Imset Matre.

Ms Vik has previously held senior positions as the global sales and marketing director at IntraFish and sales and marketing manager at Atlantic Seafish. She is looking forward to the opportunities offered by Ace Aquatec in the global aquaculture industry.

Winners of the Aqua Nor innovation award for its humane electric fish stunners, Ace Aquatec will be showcasing and sharing the latest developments in fish stunners and biomass cameras at its digital and physical stand.

Ms Vik comments, 'Aqua Nor is such a staple event in the aquaculture diary it's so important for companies to attend and have a presence there. I first heard of Ace Aquatec when they won the innovation award at the event and have been following their journey ever since. I'm looking forward to seeing familiar and new faces at Aqua Nor and can't wait to showcase Ace Aquatec's offering.'

Preben Imset Matre also adds, 'It's an exciting time for Unn to become part of the Norway team as we go to the market with our latest research and developments. Unn's enthusiasm for the aquaculture sector is apparent when you speak to her, so we're glad the event will be hosted physically for people to meet her.'

Aqua Nor takes place between 24th – 27th August 2021 in Trondheim, Norway. Those unable to attend the physical event will be able to join digitally with materials being available for up to a year.

For more information about Ace Aquatec visit their website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Halibut farmer Sterling White Halibut and Aller Aqua have signed a six year contract together

Sterling White Halibut has signed a 6-year feed contract with Aller Aqua, based on the positive results and beneficial dialogue and cooperation between the two companies, which has taken place since 2017. Aller Aqua is proud of the close collaboration with this highly skilled specialist fish farmer and the trust that they have placed in both the feed and the company.

Sturle Skeidsvoll and Magne Torgersen
Image credit: Aller Aqua
Sterling White Halibut (SWH) is the world's largest producer of farmed halibut and produces in the region of 1700 tonnes of halibut yearly. Halibut grows slowly and it takes 4 years for the fish to reach an ideal size. Besides patience, halibut-farming requires expert knowledge and a specialised feed that can support the long-term growth and health of the fish. SWH and Aller Aqua have developed a close-knit relationship during the past years, through positive cooperation about the best feed for growth.

The halibut are grown in Ryfylke in Norway, and SWH handles the entire lifecycle of the fish, from broodstock through roe and larvae, to grow-out until the fish are ready for harvest. SWH delivers their fish to top restaurants, caterers and retailers in several countries and are rightfully proud of their high-quality gourmet product. This is clear from their website where you can find several recipes for preparing the fish. The SWH halibut comes recommended by both caterers and top chefs and has been included as an ingredient in several prestigious cooking competitions.

In addition to optimum farming conditions throughout the fish's lifecycle, an important parameter in farming a healthy well-performing fish is the feed. This feed recipe is created with an ideal blend of high-quality raw materials to meet the nutritional requirements of halibut. SWH naturally demands a lot from the feed in terms of performance and growth, to be able to continuously satisfy their customers with top quality fish. 

Magne Torgersen, CEO of SWH, says that he is happy about the cooperation to grow the halibut, 'Aller Aqua has shown us that they mean it when they say they want to grow together. Their feed quality, but also their input and availability has been key in our decision, and we, therefore, have no queries signing a long-term contract. Together we find solutions and our fish have never been better.'

Aller Aqua is proud that Sterling White Halibut has chosen to grow with them as their partner for the next 6 years. 

For more information visit the Aller Aqua website, HERE.
For information about Sterling White Halibut visit their website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Monday, August 23, 2021

Bygora readies launch of their Novel Proteins Industry News Page

Bygora has launched a new digital industry news portal focused on novel proteins. Insect proteins, algal proteins, and proteins from single-cell organisms are the ingredients of the future. Until now, however, it has been difficult for suppliers and buyers of innovative raw materials to obtain information about regulatory requirements and other significant industry developments. This is where bygora comes in.

Bygora's purpose is to support the novel protein industry in every possible way.

'We understand that the b2b world needs transparency and data to make good business decisions,' notes Alexander Fuehren, Digital Transformation Specialist at bygora 'that's why we built our digital industry news platform. Here at bygora, we believe that digitalisation and sustainability go hand in hand, and we intend to support all sustainability efforts in the industry by providing the information and software the industry requires to buy and sell novel proteins in a modern and efficient way."

The industry, as well as anyone interested in the topic of novel proteins, can now sign up for the bygora news platform. The registration is free because they believe that all topics, especially those that are future-oriented and sustainable, should be available to everyone who wants to make a positive impact on the planet.

What to expect
The bygora industry news page provides real-time content about insect, algae, single cell, and other innovative proteins for the animal feed, pet food, and aqua feed industries. All users will also have access to bygora's exclusive publications on these subjects.

Bygora is already a leading novel proteins platform online covering the most important topics and keywords with over 42,000 impressions per month on the publications and growing rapidly.

All users will also be kept up to date on bygora's latest developments, such as the upcoming launch of the b2b marketplace. On the company's website and on LinkedIn, you can get more information about the company and the platform.


Mr. Michael Koid founded bygora in the year 2020 when he was consulting a company that dealt in animal and plant proteins. By that time he met Alexander Fuehren. Soon after, the two began working on plans for a new digital business model centred on the next generation of proteins.

For more information visit the bygora website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

AFIA’s annual PISC brings industry colleagues together to reconnect, and discuss issues

This week, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) welcomed over 275 feed ingredient buyers and sellers from across the country to Orlando, Florida, for its annual Purchasing and Ingredient Suppliers Conference (PISC), postponed from March. The three-day program offered attendees the ability to reconnect with industry colleagues, make new connections, conduct business and engage in professional development.

Image credit: AFIA
'Since March 2020, our members have been solely focused on safely manufacturing animal food to keep the U.S. food and pet food supply chain stable amid many pandemic-induced challenges,' says AFIA's President and CEO Constance Cullman. 'Although our industry has adapted well to the new business environment, it thrives on personal relationships and we knew our members longed to reconnect with their industry colleagues in a professional forum. While we certainly missed those who could not be with us in-person this week, we heard from PISC attendees that they relished the time spent learning about the current market forces that could impact their businesses and networking with their industry colleagues.'

The event included two days' worth of educational programming, with a diverse lineup of speakers, including:

  • Temple Grandin, Ph.D., of Colorado State University, who challenged the industry to leverage the expertise and innovation from small players in agriculture to help the U.S. achieve its sustainability goals and address consumers' demands for locally produced products
  • Cassandra Jones, Ph.D., of Kansas State University, who discussed the ways the feed industry can mitigate the risk of spreading the African swine fever (ASF) virus via their manufacturing facilities to U.S. swine herds and the implications of the first ASF cases in the Dominican Republic on U.S. agriculture
  • Former U.S. ambassador Gregg Doud, of Aimpoint Research, who described how 'disrupters' in the marketplace can change the future trade environment for animal protein and dairy foods
  • Eric Mittenthal, of the North American Meat Institute, who spoke on changing consumer attitudes toward animal protein and plant-based foods
  • Richard Brock, of Brock Associates, Inc., and Joseph Kerns, of Partners for Production Agriculture, who provided expert economic analysis of the future grain and animal production markets
  • Kim Bremmer, of Ag Inspirations, who spoke on the need for agricultural companies to play an active role in their local and state civic organizations to correct misinformation
  • Lt. Colonel Dan Rooney, a fighter pilot and PGA professional, who spoke on how individuals can find purpose by following their dreams despite their fears of failure.

For the first time, the AFIA conducted a blood drive to assist in the nationwide blood shortage, collecting over a dozen units of blood with the potential to save 30 American lives.

A recording of the educational program will be made available for purchase in the AFIA Online Store starting in September and photos from the event are available on AFIA's social media channels. The AFIA thanks its sponsors: diamond sponsor Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production; platinum sponsors Barchart and The F.L. Emmert Company; gold sponsors Adisseo USA, Ardent Mills, CJ Bio America, Nutrien and Watt/Feed Strategies; and silver sponsors Alfagreen Supreme, Animal Agriculture Alliance, Baymag, Central Life Sciences, Diamond V, DSM Nutritional Products, Huvepharma, International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc., International Nutrition, Micronutrients, Mosaic, Phileo by Lasaffre, Premier Magnesia and Zinpro Performance Minerals.

The 2021 PISC will be held in San Francisco, California, March 8-10.

For more information about AFIA visit their website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Friday, August 20, 2021

PerkinElmer expands their automated mycotoxin detection kits portfolio to include all major mycotoxins

PerkinElmer, Inc., a leading solutions provider in the life sciences, diagnostics, food and environmental testing markets globally, has announced the launch of its MaxSignal® Mycotoxin Automation Bundle. Using the new assays and automation of this bundle, food safety QA managers and lab teams at grain processors, feed mills, pet food companies and contract labs can accurately and efficiently process up to 180 samples in less than 90 minutes.

Image credit: PerkinElmer
Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxic compounds that can grow on a variety of common foodstuffs and have a wide range of negative health effects, from acute poisoning to immune deficiency and even cancer.

PerkinElmer's portfolio covers both phases of mycotoxin testing: screening and confirmation tests. This offering includes complete workflows from screening to analytical confirmation, integration software and application support to develop new methods and improve existing method performance.

In addition to significant improvement in sample throughput, these automated solutions are designed to handle complex matrices with high sensitivity and accuracy. The workflow is intended to be 'set it and forget it' to minimise the need for human intervention, reduce the risk of manual error and help customers meet regulatory standards.

The detection and elimination of mycotoxin contamination in the food supply chain has been in the spotlight this year, with the UK Food Standards Agency launching a new £19m cross-government project to aid in the surveillance of foodborne disease.

Chris Hughes, UK and Ireland Managing Director, says, 'Consumer safety in the food chain is paramount, that's why PerkinElmer continuously works with customers in the UK and the rest of the world to develop innovative and cost-effective food testing solutions. Our new MaxSignal Mycotoxin Automation Bundle delivers faster time to result, absorbing spikes in regional demand and helping customers realise higher lab productivity.'

Greg Sears, Vice President and General Manager, Food Segment and Organic Mass Spectrometry, says, 'Mycotoxin testing has always been a critical facet of the workflow for high volume food processors and has traditionally required significant investments in time and labour. With our new MaxSignal Mycotoxin Automation Bundle, we are combining better and faster solutions with lower total cost per sample for intricate food matrices.'

For more information visit the PerkinElmer website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

AgTech Breakthrough Awards name XpertSea ‘Trading Solution of the Year’

XpertSea, a Canadian company transforming how seafood is farmed and traded, has been awarded the 2021 AgTech Breakthrough Award for Trading Solution of the Year. The winners were announced by AgTech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organisation that recognises the top companies, technologies and products in the global agricultural technology market.

Image credit: apasciuto on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)
XpertSea won for its data-driven marketplace, which uses AI and financial services to connect shrimp farmers with a network of buyers and ensure same day payment. Using XpertSea's smartphone app and their phone's camera, farmers can capture crop data, transact with buyers and receive payment within 24 hours of harvest, which improves their cash flow, de-risks their business and unlocks growth.

"We're honoured to be counted among the companies building standout tech that helps farmers grow sustainably and deliver better food to consumers,' says Valerie Robitaille, XpertSea's CEO. 'With powerful AI tools and innovative financial services, we can build a better future for aquaculture producers and seafood consumers, and help aquaculture fulfil its potential as a sustainable source of protein.'

Earlier this month, XpertSea announced a $20M USD Series B funding round led by QED Investors and Atlantico, which will allow XpertSea to bring its marketplace and financial services to new international markets following 1000 percent revenue growth in Latin America.

XpertSea is a winner of the 2019 Aquaculture Awards for its AI-powered tech that helps farmers standardise data collection, track growth, improve animal health, and optimise harvest decisions.

The AgTech Breakthrough Awards program recognises the innovators and leaders from around the globe in a range of agricultural and food technology categories, including areas such as precision agriculture, yield forecasting, IoT, soil sensing, automation and robotics, integrated farm management, and more.

For more information visit the XpertSea website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Willem de Bruijn joins ASC as their new markets and communications leader

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council, the international farmed seafood certification programme and ecolabel, has appointed Willem de Bruijn as the new Senior Director of Markets and Communications. Mr De Bruijn will provide leadership and direction to the activities of ASC's newly restructured Marketing and Communications, Market Development and Market Research and Insight departments.

Willem de Bruijn
Image credit: ASC
Mr De Bruijn will also support the organisation at the executive level, working directly with the Chief Executive, Chris Ninnes to deliver the ASC value proposition, brand, and business model and expand the ASC's global market presence.

'Throughout my 23-year international marketing career I have gained many experiences and learnings, which I look forward to leveraging at the ASC,' says Mr De Bruijn. 'As well as leading product development, innovation and roll out of many loved and trusted international brands including Milka, Oreos, Bahlsen and Toblerone, I have also been responsible for the development of revolutionary and effective marketing campaigns and customer experience programmes.'

'Over the years, I have developed and steered the companies I worked with to do more for society and the environment. I have worked with UTZ and Rainforest Alliance and the Mondelez self-certification programs, led the Mondelez Coffee sustainability programme and played a key role in the sustainability strategy at Bahlsen. Now I am looking forward to putting my marketing experience and passion for sustainability into further enhancing the ASC's work to provide millions of people with the assurance of cleaner, healthier, and safer farm-raised seafood.'

The appointment of Mr De Bruijn follows the development and implementation of a Strategy Review in 2020 that saw the ASC Board sign off its primary recommendation 'to strengthen the ASC as a marketing organisation.'

Welcoming his appointment Chief Executive, Chris Ninnes says, 'Willem brings with him an impressive history of international market, product, and consumer success. His appointment is a clear signal of ASC 's strategic focus to innovate in - and invest in - the delivery of more value to all our partners. Not only will Willem help us realise our ambitious strategies for brand management, market development and marketing and communications, he will also play a pivotal role in the alignment of ASC's Standards and Science and Programme Assurance teams with the new strategy to ensure the continued development of the ASC as a leader in its field and a trusted organisation across all audiences.'

For more information visit the Aquaculture Stewardship Council website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists