5 November 2024

3 minute read

By: Aviagen

Ross® Central Africa (RCA), Aviagen’s joint venture in Zambia, held their Hatchery Distributor Customer Focus Team (DCFT) meeting in Lusaka, Zambia from 17-20 September. The meeting was organized in conjunction with Pas Reform, the world’s supplier of integrated hatchery solutions. Over 50 attendees from across the Central Africa region attended the meeting, where they received a number of presentations on a range of key topics related to both hatchery and broiler management. In addition to this, the attendees also took part in some practical sessions and were given a guided tour of a customer hatchery.

Adriaen Sligcher, Director of Sales, SSA, Pas Reform, opened the seminar with a company overview, followed by a series of presentations from Gerd de Lange, Senior Poultry & Hatchery Specialist, Pas Reform, focusing on optimal egg quality and embryology and incubation. Attendees were also given presentations on the importance of the first week, and broiler management practices, given by Quinton Pretorius, Technical Support & Business Development Manager, CBH Africa.

The participants also had a full day at the hatchery and received presentations focused on key hatchery topics such as hatchery data management, and the advantages of inovo vaccination. The final day of the event centered on farm and hatchery vaccinations, along with training on health assessments led by Alex Bili, Veterinarian at Ross Breeders Zambia. Steve Kyriazis, General Manager of Nutrifeeds Zambia, wrapped up the day with an in-depth session on nutrition and broiler performance.

“Our DCFT meeting is of great importance, not only to Ross Central Africa and Pas Reform, but also to our customers. The focus of the meeting this year was on the hatchery and broiler performance. This meeting is the perfect opportunity for our customers to come together and discuss their experiences and any challenges they may face in their respective markets. The DCFT is also designed to give participants the professional advice they require in order to maximize the performance of their flocks, and their chicks that are coming from their own hatcheries, which in turn will also further improve their return on investment,” commented Andrew Clarkson, Technical Director, RCA.

Stuart Mitchell, Owner of Masvingo Chicks expressed his thoughts on the event, “Everything from the content and variety of the sessions, to the quality of the speakers was interesting and engaging. A huge amount of thought and effort was put into hosting this event to ensure all relevant topics related to the hatchery environment were covered.

Thank you for an outstanding DCFT, I’m looking forward to next years’ meeting already.”Donavan Perumal, Operations Manager, Zamhatch added, “I really enjoyed this years’ DCFT. It was great being able to network with like-minded poultry professionals. Thank you to the Ross Central Africa and Pas Reform teams for organizing a great event.”