The Australasian Milling Conference 2012

The Australasian Milling Conference (AMC) is the leading conference for feed and flour millers held biannually in Australia. In May 2012, the 12th conference will be held, with this drawing delegates from Australia, New Zealand and countries in the South Pacific and South East Asia.

The conference provides a strong technical milling program together with trade displays and social functions. Make sure you set the conference date in you diary and register to attend as a delegate, trade exhibitor or sponsor. 

The 2012 Australasian Milling Conference is being combined with PIX (Poultry Information Exchange) conference. PIX is the premier Australasian poultry industry conference. For more information about PIX go to www.pix.org.au.

Bunge buys Saskatoon canola protein developer

A Saskatoon company developing canola protein ingredients for the feed sector, with an eye on the food and cosmetics markets, is the newest subsidiary of US agrifood giant Bunge. Bunge announced Wednesday it has bought the assets and patents of privately-held MCN BioProducts for an undisclosed sum.

Those assets include MCN's processes for converting de-oiled canola and rapeseed meals into "nutritionally dense protein concentrates" as potential replacements for fish meal and/or other vegetable protein concentrates in pet, livestock and aquaculture diets. The products MCN had been moving toward commercialisation include CanPro IP insoluble protein concentrate, CanPro SP soluble protein concentrate, CanPro FP fiber protein and CanSugar, a soluble sugar concentrate.

Vietnam Animal Feed Association sees increased investment

According to the Vietnam Animal Feed Association foreign investment firms have been pouring money into and expanding animal feed production. The domestic animal feed market is expected to see demand of 18-20 million tons by 2015 and 25-26 million tons by 2020. US-invested Cargill Vietnam in March added two factories to its nine existing feed production facilities, increasing total capacity to 1 million tons per year, accounting for 10 percent of the local market.

“Recent investment in animal nutrition is a sign of our continued commitment to fostering the economic growth of Vietnam,” said Cargill CEO Greg Page. Last year, CP, a Chinese animal feed producer operating in Vietnam, announced it would build six additional factories by 2014 while another Chinese firm, New Hope, confirmed it would construct six more. Read more ...

NGFA Issues Preliminary Recommendations

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) has issued its preliminary recommendations for safeguarding the sanctity of customer funds in the aftermath of the MF Global Inc bankruptcy.

"The demise of MF Global has shaken the confidence of many futures market participants concerning the safety of segregated customer funds," the NGFA said in letters this week to the Senate and House Agriculture Committees and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). "We believe these preliminary recommendations are essential to begin reestablishing confidence among futures market participants and to help safeguard customer funds."

But the NGFA said that while its initial recommendations will help enhance reporting, transparency and accountability in handling customer funds, they represent only first steps that can and should be implemented quickly.  Read more ...

Hormel Foods subsidiary Mountain Prairie LLC to build new mill

A subsidiary of Hormel Foods, Mountain Prairie LLC has obtained a building permit from Bent County to build a new feed mill for its sow operations. The company has hired Mill Tech Services (Sterling, Colorado, USA) for the construction. The mill will have the capability of an annual production of 40,000 tons with a computerised batching system and a state-of-the art air handling system. All the ingredients will be received by truck in bulk. The facility will need approximately 20 semi loads of grain per week for their operations at that location. Read more ...  

'Sustainability Vision 2020' published by Nutreco

Global animal nutrition and fish feed company Nutreco has issued its Sustainability Vision 2020. Making sustainability an integral part of everyday business will ensure Nutreco can contribute to the Feeding the Future challenge: feeding nine billion people sustainably in 2050.

The Nutreco Sustainability Vision 2020 is organised in four areas:
    1.    Ingredients: creating a sustainable base for feed;
    2.    Operations: ensuring our own house is in order;
    3.    Nutritional solutions: enabling the farmer and animal to perform best;
    4.    Commitment: involving people in the Feeding the Future challenge.
Each area sub-divides into three practical themes. For example,
    •    ingredients includes sustainable sourcing,
    •    operations includes reducing environmental impact in our own operations,
    •    the area nutritional solutions e.g. includes animal & human health, and
    •    commitment includes employee and stakeholder engagement.
Read more ...

Italian- Portuguese cooperation in medicated premix

Portuguese veterinary laboratory Vetlima and the animal nutrition and health factory of Doxal Italia have signed a Know-How Transfer Agreement, by which Vetlima is entitled to use the Bi-Modal Protection (BMP) technology, for the local manufacturing of an innovative form of Doxal’s medicated premix Oxitetravet BMP (based on Oxytetracycline).

“ We are proud that another European Veterinary Laboratory has decided to use our original BMP technology,” said Mauro Veneroni, Doxal’s Chief Executive Officer. “Since several years, companies from various EU countries, like Germany, UK, France and Spain, have been adopting our novel technique, for their production of medicated premixes and feed additives.” Read more ...

Packing system enhancement for Wynnstay Feed

Chronos BTH recently secured an order to enhance a Richard Simon supplied automatic feed packing system to enhance the speed of the existing packing system at the Llansantffraid Mill of Wynnstay Feed Division in Powys, Wales, UK. Wynnstay Feed Division is a major supplier of animal feeds and nutrition products for all species of livestock in Wales, the Borders and Midlands.

The company purchases a lot of home grown ingredients and has feed sales in excess of 300,000 tons of compound and blended feeds, which are supplied from five locations. At the Llansantffraid Mill two Richard Simon supplied UBM weighers and Computapak II controllers were used to pack a range of animal feed pellets into bags and Big Bags. Read more ...

San Miguel food company breaks new ground

Ground breaking ceremony

The largest owned feed milling firm in the Philippines, the San Miguel Foods Company has held a groundbreaking ceremony at Villanueva town, where its 15-hectare plant will be established. Norman A Ramos, the firm’s vice president and general manager, said "the company has found a niche in Villanueva and hoped to provide employment opportunities and push further development in the industrial town of the province". Ramos also said "once the plant is operational by 2013, not less than 300 personnel would be hired locally, ranging from lowest to highest positions". Read more ...

Costa Rica new fish feed factory getting ready

A new feed plant in Costa Rica is going ahead according to schedule and its expected to be in operation during May 2012. Together with plant BioMar will open a new research and trail facility for the development of tilapia diets. The new factory has been designed to the highest quality and technical standards, it will be the most modern and efficient plant in the region.  

The BioMar Group, which is this year celebrating its 50th anniversary, will, with the new factory, introduce the technologies and processes which have made BioMar to one of the most important global suppliers of high quality fish feed in the Central American region. The factory will be able to efficiently supply fish farmers in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, and other countries in Central and South America. Read more ...