December 3, 2015
Egg Week by Alltech and partners gathers China layer industry
Leading nutrition, genetics and equipment companies gathered more than 500 egg industry leaders together for Egg Week, integrating knowledge and experience to discuss solutions to challenges in the food industry.
Following the event hosted by Alltech and Big Dutchman last year, this year''s collaboration expanded to include Lubing, MOBA and Lohmann. Events were held in three cities, Beijing, Mianyang and Changsha, welcoming executives from the layer industry across China including CP, Huayu and Sundaily.
Topics were presented by specialists from disciplines including nutrition, genetics and equipment. Dr. Fernando Rutz, Federal Universidade of Pelotas, and Dr. Steve Elliott, Alltech, shared layer nutrition requirements, illustrating the advantages of algae technology and organic minerals in egg production.
Dr. Chuck Strong, Big Dutchman, discussed ways to reduce the amount of cracked eggs. Michael Abeln, Lubing, spoke about conveyor systems, sharing layout and installation examples and highlighting benefits and weaknesses of each.
Jie Hou, Big Dutchman China, spoke about using the Amacs System to collect data related to egg production and implementing control and monitoring systems, stressing the importance of avoiding inefficiencies in production.
Christopher Ernst, MOBA, discussed world trends in egg grading, encouraging the audience to focus on efficiency, using more automation to reduce losses in processing and production time. He also spoke about the importance of food safety, stressing that producers must reduce the chance of cross-contamination during production and clean and disinfect equipment after production.
Douglas Grieve, Hy-Line, spoke about maintaining good quality eggs to 100 weeks, highlighting the importance of controlling egg size with nutrition and lighting programmes.
Ramírez Javier, Lohmann, discussed layer management, stressing that the number of eggs a hen can produce depends on breed, feed and season. He encouraged selecting for lifetime performance.
At the end of the meeting, Dr. Mark Lyons, global vice president and head of Greater China, Alltech, summarised: "The future of the agricultural industry consists of both opportunities and crises. Opportunities lie in areas such as the second child policy, algae technology, and DHA-enriched eggs. However, challenges to the industry include mycotoxin issues, increasing production costs, and food crises. The key to solving future food challenges is not only about innovation and urgency, it is also about teamwork and customer needs. Writing down a clear goal will help poultry producers seize opportunities that will help in the future, providing safe, nutritious food for an ever-increasing population."
More than 500 executives from the China layer industry gathered for Egg Week, learning from industry specialists about the latest in nutrition, genetics and equipment.