The inaugural edition of EuroTier Middle East, the world’s leading trade show for animal husbandry and livestock management currently underway at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), has drawn the strong participation of leading farm owners and animal breeders from the UAE and the wider region.
The three-day event is taking place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), and in strategic partnership with ADAFSA.
The packed agenda on day two featured the EuroTier Middle East International Conference that convened renowned specialists in animal production and biosecurity from across the globe to highlight the most pressing issues in the animal husbandry sector. Organised under the supervision of ADAFSA and supported by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the event attracted leading experts and researchers from ADAFSA as well as prominent local and international universities, institutes and research centres.
Experts at the conference presented 12 research papers addressing key issues and developments related to contemporary dairy farming in arid regions. Dr Ahmed Mahfouz Said Zahran, veterinarian at Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, discussed animal welfare, while Donald Gribble, professional engineer of Five-G Consulting in cooperation with Global Diary Institute – USA outlined ways to manage heat stress in dairy herds. In addition, Dr Hans Peter Klindworth, Veterinarian and Hoof Specialist from Germany examined modern hoof care in dairy herds.
Also headlining the conference, Andrew Brewer, UK Dairy Farmer & Ambassador of Global Diary Farmers, the Netherlands, and Yvonne Osseforth, Manager, Global Diary Farmers, the Netherlands, highlighted successful dairy farm management with economics as a main pillar, while Dylan Parry, Technical Support Manager, ALLFLEX, UK discussed precision farming in the diary business through using technology for diary monitoring.
The conference also examined opportunities and constraints in pastoral and agro-pastoral livestock systems: the ILRI experience presented by Chinyere Ekine, specialist/scientist from ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya. Other topics under the scanner included livestock investment opportunities in the emirate of Abu Dhabi by Zainab Al Junaibi ADAFSA, veterinary extension by Dr Ibrahim Ben Ahmed Kasim, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia, and biosecurity by Dr Ali Bin Mohamed Al Dewireg, Director of Animal Health & Monitoring, KSA.
In her session on livestock investment opportunities in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, Zainab Al Junaibi from ADAFSA highlighted the opportunities available within wide-ranging industries utilising secondary livestock products, fisheries, milk collection and cheese production centres, animal vaccines and medications, cultivation of algae, recycling green waste and food waste industries.
EroTier Middle East supports ADAFSA’s efforts to improve livestock management in line with the highest global standards through the implementation of various programmes targeting farm owners and animal breeders.
His Excellency Rashed Mohammed Al Mansoori, Chairman of the EuroTier Middle East Organising Committee, said: “We are delighted with the overwhelming response to the inaugural edition of EuroTier Middle East and its sideline events. In organising this event, we seek to enable local breeders to adopt global best practices in the livestock sector to enhance the potential and capabilities of the sector. Doing so will allow us to advance the local livestock sector through promoting technology-enabled breeding and production processes to ensure optimal use of our resources and deliver best possible returns for breeders and farm owners.”
Al Mansoori added: “Home to more than 5,000 animal holdings and 3.5 million heads of food-producing animals, Abu Dhabi demonstrates strong potential and solid foundations for the development of the livestock sector. Through implementing a series of advanced support programmes, enriching local knowledge and promoting modern technology across herd management processes, we continue to make significant strides in this vital economic sector.
“The strong presence of more than 150 local and international companies showcasing the latest innovations, equipment and services offers an unprecedented opportunity for key stakeholders in the livestock sector including investors, breeders and consumers to learn about the latest technologies, innovations and solutions in animal production.”
As part of its participation in the event, ADAFSA launched the Livestock Development and Sustainability Programme that aims to transform breeding practices of food-producing animals in animal holdings from consumption-oriented to production-oriented in order to generate better income for breeders. This is achieved through optimising the results of national feed-subsidy programmes, spreading the culture of profitable breeding to reduce reliance on subsidy programmes, and supporting the prosperity of the private livestock sector.
To be implemented in a phased manner between 2019 and 2023, the five-year programme is expected to deliver the following outputs: collect data on animal feed requirements of goats, sheep and camels under the prevailing breeding conditions in Abu Dhabi, provide data on the production cost of red meat, camel and sheep milk, enable breeders to enhance the productivity and efficiency of holdings, increase the share of holdings among products aimed for local consumption by more than 5 per cent over current levels, and raise the income of breeders through utilising byproducts of holdings.
The programme’s action plan includes four focus areas: improving productivity and efficiency, enhancing the added value of byproducts, managing the health of herds, and increasing marketing opportunities.
EuroTier Middle East workshops on day two introduced farmers to key skills and competencies necessary to enhance their operations. Moderated by Engineer Mohamed Omar Barasheed, the sessions discussed a wide range of topics such as sheep and goat farming supply for meat and milk presented by Salim Abdulaziz Almutawa, an animal breeder from Kuwait. Chinyere Ekine, specialist from ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya, highlighted breeding targets in small ruminants – and explored next target and steps ahead. The use of drugs ‘STC BIO’ for the production of environmentally friendly agricultural products was discussed by Ayrin LLC, Moscow, Russia, while control of cultivation and plant growth, veterinary equipment and products, and veterinarian preparations were the topics of discussion for Anton Pravdin, CBDO Kseniya Martseva, veterinarian analyst, Dmitry Grigoriev, CEO of Belfarmacom LTD-Russia.
EuroTier’s busy schedule will continue on Thursday with several crowd-pulling activities, live demos, formal workshops and panel discussions planned. Visitors can also benefit from significant discounts on the products displayed and obtain comprehensive insights into the latest innovations in the farming and agricultural industries. The event also features an animal beauty contest that showcases food-producing animals from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman, as well as an auction of the best local breeds.
