The Feedstuffs team was on the ground in Hannover, Germany, covering the news coming out this year's show.
Innovation, animal welfare, sustainability drive EuroTier 2022 discussions
Digitalization and robotics in livestock production were key topics at EuroTier 2022, where know-how from the areas of breeding, feeding and husbandry were showcased at the trade fairgrounds in Hanover, Germany.When assessing the value of new technology and innovation for the European livestock industry, animal welfare, farm labor and sustainability were among the main focus.Around 1,700 companies from 55 countries attended the 2022 event, exhibiting a complete range of products and services for modern animal husbandry, including the solutions for the challenges of the future. In numerous expert presentations and panels taking place over the four days of the exhibition, the latest findings and solutions were discussed. The organizer of the trade fair and its technical program is the DLG (German Agricultural Society).
The German Association of Practicing Veterinarians (bpt) also hosted its annual congress in parallel with EuroTier 2022, creating the opportunity for international veterinarians and farmers to share experiences and exchange opinions on animal health and welfare.The presentation of the trends shows that the national and international companies within the animal production industry remain exceedingly innovative and are launching products for sustainable animal production onto the market, says Heinz Brenhardt, EuroTier Innovations Committee; Chair of Agricultural Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich.
Digitalization takes main stage
In the area of digitalization, sensor systems capable of monitoring animal-related parameters, such as feed consumption or the state of health of cattle, were featured. Monitoring by means of pedometers or rumination sensors not only offers information for proactive and customized health management, but it also provides insights concerning the fertility and well-being of dairy cows and fattening cattle as well as calves for rearing and young stock.In tandem with a microphone-based system, for instance, coughing noises can be used to draw conclusions regarding the state of health and to detect diseases before they become apparent.
The digital collection and documentation of health data in the barn additionally provide information on how zoonoses can be prevented or contained. It was stated that around 60% of human infectious diseases originate from animals; 75% of newly emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses.
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Shortage of veterinarians puts Germany’s animal health, animal protection acutely at risk
Of the roughly 22,000 veterinary surgeons currently practicing in Germany, including around 12,000 practice owners and 10,000 salaried vets, only around 3,500 are still involved in the care of agricultural livestock.“Veterinary resources are becoming increasingly scarce, especially in rural areas, because there is a lack of young talent in curative care,” explains Heiko Farber, Managing Director of the Bundesverband Praktizierender Tierärzte (bpt, German Association of Practicing Veterinary Surgeons).Besides the desire for proximity to an urban setting and the work/life balance, the working conditions that are still difficult in part as well as insufficient selection processes for veterinary medicine students are also playing a role among the younger generation. Ever increasing statutory requirements and the related bureaucracy are additionally exacerbating the situation.
National implementation of the EU Veterinary Medicinal Products Regulation and the latest (first) amendment of the German Veterinary Medicinal Products Act established additional reporting obligations and a further reduction of necessary antibiotic treatments. Over the past 10 years, antibiotic use has decreased by 60% in the EU.
Preventing pathogen ingression from feed to live bird productionWith peak feed prices, rising energy costs and one of the worst highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks across Europe and North America, Matt Oldnall of Anitox, says strategies to prevent salmonella ingression and other pathogens in live bird production operations might not be top of mind right now, but can still impact a producer's bottom line. "We still have other things we need to deal with such as salmonella in the EU which is still costing about $3 billion Euros on average to the healthcare system and then, clostridia perfringens, necrotic enteritis in flocks in production, been shown to be up to 37% in some flocks in the UK in subclinical, and its costing between $0.50 and a $1.50 (USD)," Oldnall says. Read more
Turbulent economic times putting pressure on EU agriculture sector
The war in Ukraine, the pandemic, the pending CAP reform in Europe, a record drought as well as the African swine fever are pressuring EU agriculture. All were topics during EuroTier 2022.
Production and value chains as well as social and environmental demands on livestock farming are changing rapidly in Europe and also increasingly worldwide. This makes it all the more important for farms and agribusinesses to play an active role in shaping the future, says Dr. Lothar Hovelmann, Chief Executive Officer of DLG (German Agricultural Society). DLG is the organizer of the EuroTier 2022 technical program.
Turbulent economic conditions associated with upstream and downstream sectors are currently affecting global agriculture. They include the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, the pending CAP reform in Europe, a record drought as well as the African swine fever, which has resulted in the blocking of pig exports to China from some countries, including Germany, says Hovelmann.
In 2021-2022, the price level of agricultural products rose sharply in the EU27. For cereals in particular, speculation and uncertainties caused by the war in Ukraine drove up prices. A good harvest and political trade agreements have dampened the price increase somewhat though prices are expected to remain high and therefore represent a significant burden on feed costs for livestock.The global wheat crop from this year’s harvest is currently being outstripped by demand, resulting in declining stocks in key exporting countries. Both supply and demand are down for the first time in years. At the same time, nearly 58% of wheat is in storage in China, while the rest of the world is under-supplied. Commodity price levels are now highly dependent on the harvest outcome and on exports from Ukraine and Russia.
The traded volume of oilseeds has increased at different growth rates in recent years. Total production is expected to increase in 2022-2023 as soybean and rapeseed acreage expands. However, due to the situation in Ukraine, sunflower production is dropping. In the EU, rapeseed production and demand are increasing while stock levels remain low.
The supply balance in the EU for feed grains and corn shows a declining trend for feed production and stocks for 2022-2023, which has led to declining export volumes. Drought is resulting in lower corn yields in Europe in 2022, exacerbating this trend. An extended drought across Europe of this scale has not been seen since the mid-1800s.Read more
