Innovation and collaboration in focus in NEC event
Producers can learn more about innovation and collaboration at this year’s British Pig & Poultry Fair in Birmingham, helping them to ensure a sustainable and low carbon future for their businesses.
Profiling exciting new technologies and advice on topics like disease management and alternative proteins, the Fair is focusing on the key themes of innovation, collaboration and sustainability.
“Ultimately, it is the job of everyone in the supply chain to work together to reduce the industry’s carbon impact, and new thinking and technology provide some of the answers here,” says Fair organiser Alice Bell.
The Innovation Theatre, new to this year’s Fair, will bring together a host of new products and ideas.
One example is Boehringer Ingelheim’s new ‘listening’ system for pigs, SoundTalks. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms, the system ‘listens’ to the pigs 24/7 and, based on frequency and intensity of coughs, alerts the producer to the onset of potential respiratory disease.
Another Innovation Theatre session will explore the circular economy from the perspective of animal bedding. The 2050 Group is creating a new highly absorbent straw crumb which will be provided free, on long term contracts to farmers, where the manure is made available to be processed into biomethane, Bio-CO2 and biobased fertiliser.
In addition, there will be a forum on insect farming, with Beta Bugs and Flybox talking about their combined solution which takes complexity and cost out of insect farming, by supplying eggs and larvae in containerised systems.
Visitors to the Fair will also be able to meet and gather ideas from around 330 exhibitors.
The headline sessions in each theatre will be the popular pig, egg and poultry meat outlooks, which will see speakers from throughout the supply chain share their views on the challenges and opportunities ahead. Other pig forums include contingency planning for African Swine Fever, and a practical workshop looking at how slurry and waste management can help farmers on their journey to net zero.
A specialist session in the Pig Theatre will examine how to encourage younger people to eat more pork, while the Poultry Theatre will explore upcoming grants under Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Partnership for investment in new equipment and infrastructure.
The British Pig & Poultry Fair takes place on May 15 and 16 at the NEC in Birmingham.
To find out more and register for your FREE ticket visit pigandpoultry.org.uk
