The Schippers Group and Healthy Livestock hosted an online conference about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that featured leading scientists and practitioners in the field of antimicrobial use in farm animals

The Schippers Group is an organisation that aims to empower livestock farmers to optimise farm hygiene, eliminate antibiotics while increasing animal health and profitability.

Healthy Livestock is a collaborative research project comprised of academia, research institutes, private partners and companies aimed at studying the contributions of enhanced animal health and welfare on reducing the need to use antimicrobials in pigs and poultry and tackle AMR. 

With more than 300 attendees from 60 countries, the conference brought together voices from veterinarians, scientists, practitioners and policymakers to discuss strategies for reducing AMR. 

In this half-day conference, experts discussed prevention, early detection and precision medication of diseases in pigs, poultry and cattle. Prevention of diseases can be achieved by improving biosecurity enhancing resilience and these improvements in farm management are instrumental to reducing antimicrobial use and therefore AMR, according to the Schippers Group.

The organisation also said that scientific leads although are very strong, practical implementation appears challenging and effective but feasible concepts are required to achieve said goals. 

The conference is a precursor to a larger conference that will be held in Bologna, Italy, in June 2022. With these conferences, the Schippers Group aims to raise awareness of AMR as a threat to animal, human and environmental health, and to contribute to developing robust and sustainable livestock production systems. 

Small abattoirs were the focus at Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC), with an expert panel including Defra, farmers, abattoir owners and campaigners

Roxell, one of the leading manufacturers of automated animal feeding, drinking, nesting and heating systems, has announced to expand its range of convection heaters for poultry houses with the Siroc Sterling space heater

According to Roxell, the appliance with closed combustion aims to create good vertical air circulation in tall houses exceeding 4.5 m. Siroc Sterling recuperates the rising warm air, mixes it with outdoor air and releases the warm air at floor level. Using the space heater, Roxell said it records a temperature difference between the attic and the floor of just 0.5 C. 

This space heater running on gas is 'Roxell’s Energy-Efficient' solution for uniform heat distribution in tall spaces. The convection heaters in the Siroc range is said to be suited to specific applications; a summary of the options is below: 

With chimney and gas-fired: horizontal or vertical air circulation

Roxell said space heaters with closed combustion carry away CO and CO₂ and condensate through a chimney,  which means less required ventilation to keep the indoor air clean, dry and low in ammonia. Less condensation does also imply an improved condition of the litter and the animals’ health. Roxell has two convection appliances that run on gas with closed combustion:

The Siroc Pure space heater generates a horizontal flow of warm air to heat narrow and longhouses of over 120 m. This appliance also offers a long-range heat projection of 70 m and can be installed on the side walls.

The Siroc Sterling space heater creates a vertical flow of warm air to heat tall houses in an energy-efficient way. The heater requires to be installed in the center of the house, with the heated air blown around the house. This appliance recuperates the rising warm air from the attic and aims to ensure that the heat in the house is distributed evenly across the space.

Zero emissions with alternative fuel: vertical air circulation

The Siroc Hydro hot water heater generates a vertical flow of warm air to heat tall houses. The air circulation has the same pattern as the Siroc Sterling but with a different combustion process that uses an external boiler that runs on alternative renewable fuels such as biomass or wood pellets. The main house does not require a chimney using this setup, since the boiler is located in a separate space externally.

Open combustion with gas or oil: basic models

The Siroc Turbo cannon heater running on gas or oil also creates a horizontal flow of warm air. This appliance is direct-fired, which means that the fumes are not carried away. The company says energy efficiency is key as open combustion allows all the heat generated to remain indoors. Siroc Turbo claims that the energy performance of the Siroc Turbo is therefore very high. The cannon heater is a basic solution for poultry as well as pig houses.

Frank Hartmann, marketing manager at Roxell said, “In early 2021, Roxell launched three new convection heaters. This expansion arose due to a partnership with Holland Heater. The positive collaborations and promising growth opportunities led to Roxell’s acquisition of Holland Heater in March 2021. Now we are continuing to gauge the needs of our end customers with regard to house heating and enhancing our range with the innovative offering from Holland Heater. The name ‘Holland Heater’ is staying due to the reputation that the company has built among its horticultural customers. However, the appliances included in Roxell’s range are sold under the brand name ‘Siroc’.

Aviagen, along with its regional distributor, Ross Breeders Zambia, is continuing to invest in the African region to enhance its developing supply chain and its ‘global reach, local touch’ strategy, with the creation of Ross Central Africa Limited based in Zambia