Keynote speakers included Aviagen CEO Randall Ennis and Graeme Dear, General Manager, Aviagen Limited, who both discussed the way Aviagen was on track to keep the promises made twelve months previously.

Randall Ennis said: “When we made this move in France it was for strategic reasons. We wanted to be closer to customers so we could understand the market conditions and the needs of the French poultry industry. We are doing that and this event is another big step along that road.

After one year of being an integral part of the French industry we wanted to share with the attendees how Aviagen could contribute to address the market demand and expectations of our customers.

Other speakers included Mr Nan-Dirk Mulder from RABOBANK International who set the scene for the day by giving his outlook of the French industry from an international perspective.

Randall Ennis added: “We’ve already made some great progress, France has a number of competitive advantages and there is no reason why the French industry should not be able to increase market share especially within the domestic market. I believe that Aviagen has the right products and support network to make that happen.”

In addition to wider discussions on strategy, a number of presentations on genetic potential as well as breeder and broiler performance were given. With feed costs making up a significant portion of farming costs this was an area of special focus, as was the upcoming changes in the way antibiotics can be administered.

Aviagen UK Breeding Programme Director, Jim McAdam said: “In the Ross PM3, Aviagen has a great bird for the French market and we are led by what the market demands. Thanks to the support of our customers we are able to show just how well the birds perform in the field and offer some helpful advice. The key element is to better express the performance potential of the Ross PM3. Investing in a more concentrated diet can pay real dividends in terms of feed conversion and meat yield.”

The audience was made up of representatives from all areas of the French poultry industry, including customers, feed mill owners, growers and processors as well as a group of Aviagen customers from Morocco. Whilst the progress made in the last year was recognised, Aviagen also acknowledged that more work would be done.

Graeme Dear explained: “There are some very specific challenges we are tackling. We’re working hard to ensure chick quality is the highest it can be by producing high quality antibiotic free chicks from our hatchery in Champtocé sur Loire. The increasing drive towards eliminating the use of antibiotics across the industry puts even more importance on effective brooding conditions and getting chicks off to a good start. As a primary breeder our role is crucial so we’ll be making sure we start at first principles by implementing new techniques for disinfecting eggs to reduce the bacterial load and thus reduce the need for on farm use of antibiotics.

“Our aim is to listen and to be responsive to our customers. I am confident that in Thierry Rolland and his team we have the right level of highly skilled support in France. We have a clear vision and strategy to succeed and we will be working closely with customers to make that vision a reality.”

Thierry Rolland added: “This meeting was very well attended and we enjoyed a lot of positive feedback. This type of event is very important in enabling us to bring customers, the local Aviagen France team and Aviagen’s senior management together to ensure our efforts are in line with customer requirements, now and in the future. We hope to hold another event in the near future for broiler customers, where management and nutrition will be more specifically addressed.”