During the livestock conference SPACE, the second most important farmers exhibition in the world, held in Rennes/France with almost 1,300 exhibitors and over 110,000 visitors, the French NAH FAB team, notably Christophe Daubignard, Head of FAB France, was granted the SPACE Innovation Award for the BrachyTest. The prize was handed over to Christophe on behalf of Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Agriculture, by Luc Guyau, the co-president of the highly influential farmers force association (FNSEA = Federation Nationale des Syndicats d'Exploitants Agricoles) and one of the top three decision makers in the French agriculture industry and politics.

This prestigious award was received for a test which Novartis Santé Animale has put together with a collaborative laboratory. The so-called BrachyTest is a simple 2-in-1 tool for quick and easy detection of brachyspires. These quite unknown bacteria are of a real interest in pig and poultry productions as causative agents of enteric diseases and substantial profit losses. It is a very easy-to-use test for both pigs and poultry and comes in a light packaging. Thanks to the simple and quick mailing process, farmers doing the test receive feedback within 48 to 72 hours. Should the test be positive, it helps vets to take the Denagard option as a very effective treatment against brachyspires infection.

“It all started with the imperious need to prove the existence of brachyspires in France, both in pig and poultry production", states Pierre-Yves Ruelland, P&P sales manager. “The evidence of the brachyspires prevalence yet suffered from a lack of efficient detection techniques. As a compound of upgraded genetic techniques and “down-to-earth” sampling tool box , the BrachyTest has quickly had a real echo within the French pig & poultry community. In a very short term, the BrachyTest shown to poultry vets the strong link between the laying production losses, the implication of brachyspires as major causative agents and the real benefits given by health, production and financial improvements when treating with Denagard.”

The BrachyTest puts Novartis Animal Health at the forefront for technical leadership in epidemiology for swine and poultry. And it is a key contributor in raising awareness for our second largest product Denagard, be it through direct communication with our customers or the attention by the trade media. The BrachyTest has also direct commercial advantages such as quick and efficient Poultry Market penetration for Denagard as well as added valuable services proposed in bid and tenders as a response to generic pricing.

The success of the BrachyTest in France inspired various other European NAH countries (CEE, Spain) as well as Brazil and China which could adapt the test to local needs. Other countries are expected to follow. To ensure continuation of the acclaimed program and implementation across the globe plans are in place to transfer ownership of the BrachyTest from France to the global NAH organization.

ThePoultrySite News Desk