The attendees were invited exclusively by Petersime's subsidiary in Brazil, Petersime do Brasil Incubadoras e Incubatórios Ltda. Together, they represented a large share of Brazil's leading poultry-producing companies.

The main objective of the Technical Incubation Seminar was to share new ideas with hatchery managers, production managers and directors from the poultry industry. The agenda of this year's seminar was set up around possibilities to optimise their businesses, hereby focusing on hatchery efficiency. The incubation process is the link between breeder and commercial broiler or layer operations, and thus a key element in the poultry production chain. Managing this process more accurately is a logical step towards better profitability in any poultry operation.

During the seminar, an explanation on the latest technology in single-stage incubators, the S-line, was followed by a presentation on the field results of Embryo-Response Incubation^TM. The effect of incubation on post-hatch performance remains one of the main objects of study of Petersime's incubation specialists and the R&D department.

Energy-efficient climate control and options for hatchery automation were also brought into the picture, since they can considerably reduce the overall production cost of day-old chicks.

The seminar was concluded by several visits to modern European hatcheries where theory is put into practice. During discussions with local hatchery managers, the attendees had the opportunity to find out how these hatcheries cope with the major challenges faced by Brazilian hatcheries.

Mauri Mazurek, director of Pluma Agroavícola, said: "We had an open and direct contact with various specialists and customers of Petersime. Having access to modern hatchery operations is an excellent way to gather some new ideas for our own business."

Heladio Lorenzi, hatchery manager of Agrogen: "It was an excellent visit, with new insights both culturally and technologically. We have seen a number of innovations we can certainly implement in our hatchery in Brazil."