The top concern among feedmillers and producers this week has been Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and how this may destabilize feed prices once again. While the constant resets are tiring, they are inevitable and quite likely will encourage regional trade and the use of alternative feed ingredients.

As economies in Asia slowly reopen and producers gear up to embrace pent-up demand, what’s worrying is a possible deceleration in consumption once again, if animal protein prices rise again because of feed prices.

Keeping pathogens out of animal feed is an overwhelming task that needs a lot of planning and assessment. Asian Agribiz talks to Dr Simon Carlton from Anitox to demystify this process. He is responsible for customer technical support to help improve both feed biosecurity and milling efficiency in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Russia and Asia Pacific for Anitox.

The podcast will touch on:

• How bad feedmill design can contribute to biosecurity risks
• The use of in-feed mitigants to reduce the spread of pathogens
• Focusing on recontamination and cross contamination at the feedmill

After the start stop mode in the economy last year, producers recoiled to review strategy. With economies reopening, although conservatively in Asia, confidence levels are running higher. Producers that Asian Agribiz continuously speak to say that this time, their plans are not likely to get derailed. They have deeper knowledge of the market and the hurdles and can be more definitive in their strategy. But first, they need a winsome threesome in balancing demand, supply, and pricing. Demand has contracted alongside incomes, while disease and feed prices have been a tail-spinner for supply and cost.

The past two years have been tough for Asia's livestock industry with many challenges resulting from the double scourge of ASF and Covid-19.

David John Whitehead, Chairman of Mavin Group, said the Group has survived thanks to many effective and creative solutions put in place during the pandemic.

However, he believes producers should learn from the challenges to prepare for the future, and adapt to the new trends that are driving the industry, such as consumer habits and environmental concerns.

Moving forward, he still has confidence in a positive future and progress for the animal protein industry.

When Asian Agribiz organized the ‘Living with African Swine Fever’ virtual conference last year, it was with the insight that we are not going to see the virus vaporize and disappear anytime soon. The learning and understanding delivered by industry professionals then, is now helping producers in Asia recalibrate and grow. We are seeing life is returning to the pig sector and while it is unfortunate that may smaller producers have had to exit, consolidation, growth and modernization are reaping rewards.

In this second part, Vincent Guyonnet, Managing Director at FFI Consulting and past speaker of Asian Agribiz’s Layer Feed Quality Conference, says the time is right for Southeast Asian egg producers to innovateand invest in branding and packaging.

Dr Guyonnet also suggests the producers invest in egg processing to enjoy price and supply stability. “The potential is great as there are only few egg-processing plants in the region,” he says.

On environmental sustainability, Dr Guyonnet says producers should address the issue beginning with feed because almost 70% of production emissions come from feed. Therefore, producers should find ways to improve the feed conversion ratio.

Finally, Dr Guyonnet addresses the importance of modern precision farming and automation and their link to production costs, animal health, food safety, and sustainability.

From recent news reports, it appears that the feed sector in Asia is bracing for another challenging year. Our Feedmill Construction Report 2021 registered stalled expansion plans and rising prices led by freight charges and supply disruption. We see no respite on the horizon. While Alltech’s Agri-Food Outlook 2022 acknowledged a 2.3% increase in feed production globally, mainly in China, most countries have seen contraction in flocks/herds and feed production. This in part is a result of decline in consumption as prices rise.

As home to 670 million people, Southeast Asia offers a huge opportunity for the egg industry. However, there are challenges for the industry to grow and develop.

In this podcast, Vincent Guyonnet, Managing Director at FFI Consulting and past speaker of Asian Agribiz’s Layer Feed Quality Conference, discusses opportunities in the region particularly in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand.

In grabbing the opportunities, Dr Guyonnet suggests egg producers collaborate to increase market volume through nutrition and egg consumption campaigns, among others.

On challenges, he cites disease as a constant reminder for producers to keep strengthening and improving biosecurity.

Last but not the least, Dr Guyonnet offeres his analytical and objective view on the cage-free movement in the region.

We are coming up to the Lunar New Year on February 1. In usual tradition families will gather for a reunion dinner on the eve. The prosperity meal, however, may look quite different this year, with food prices inching onto dining tables. In Singapore, the fractured supply chain has driven up meat and seafood prices by 40-45%. Local restaurant owners said prices of some beef brands have almost doubled in the past six months and customers have cancelled festive food orders. In other countries, we see consumption and production contracting on higher prices, while processors India that have invested in delivery and value addition and now reaping the benefits.

Producers blame vaccination failure when diseases occur in farms, but often, it is the handling/administration/procedures that are the cause. In this podcast with Meliyana of Asian Agribiz, Jessica Lee of Ceva Animal Health discusses:

• Why to vaccinate and how vaccines work
• The right time to vaccinate
• How should vaccines be handled/stored
• Why vaccination may not be effective
• Vaccine technology in the future

Jessica Lee is Veterinary Services Manager at Ceva Animal Health Asia, overseeing veterinary services related affairs in the region. She had experience in hatchery vaccination equipment, product registration, field veterinary services and vaccination support in hatchery.