Poultry integrators from Africa, East Europe, South America and the Middle East were represented in a 3 day event in Montreal, Canada last April 12 to 15. Guests, mainly composed of executives, were exposed to the poultry operation run by Nutreco Canada.

Pierre Houde, General Director Poultry Production Nutreco Canada, explained how the quota system control checks redefines the power balance among the different elements of the supply chain. Business comparisons among guests raised some interesting insights.

One example is that key data gathered along the chain can produce valuable managerial information, which financial value can be objectively determined.

Trouw Nutrition presented how to define return on investment in raw material quality assurance in feed milling, for instance, where many integrators know exactly how much resource is spent in raw material analysis, but often not sure how this paramount laboratory control is tangibly generating value.

Another important insight was the fact that with better monitoring systems, animal management and climate control, animal modelling becomes much more reliable and applicable in a scenario of input and output prices volatility. Higher feed conversion resulted from less dense diets may lead to profitability in broilers as long as this worse feed conversion does not come from heath issues or mortality.

Attendees were able to experience these tools in a practical demo on precision feeding based on the NutriOpt concept, a system developed and marketed by Trouw Nutrition. Sylvain Fournaise, Vice-president Olymel, one of the leading meat processors in Canada, shared his experience on customer perception and demands on quality assurance and food safety.

In this area, the take-home message was that comprehensive quality programs involving each element of the chain insures a much more reliable outcome in Salmonella and contamination prevention programs, as demonstrated in practical cases using Selko Feed Additives concepts.