Alltech European Technical Summit to focus on wealth of positive opportunities for agriculture industry

Animal health sector experts and thought leaders will also discuss challenges facing European agriculture

[DUBLIN] – The Alltech European Technical Summit will be held in Dublin, Ireland, on March 14–15, 2019. The summit will feature scientific and research-based learning, problem-solving and unique networking opportunities for more than 300 leading animal nutrition professionals from across Europe.

“Recent media attention has focused heavily on issues such as climate change, hunger and obesity, and antimicrobial and pesticide use,” said Cathal McCormack, country manager of Alltech Ireland. “There has never been a greater need for our industry to deliver a strong message about the wealth of positive opportunities in agriculture, especially in terms of sustainability and human health.”

Industry experts will tackle the bigger issues on the plenary stage on Friday, March 15, while species-specific sessions on Thursday, March 14, will give attendees an opportunity to explore topics within their particular fields of interest, including ruminant, pig, poultry, crop science and ag-tech.

Alltech President and CEO Dr. Mark Lyons will be joined at Friday’s plenary session by Mairead McGuinness, vice president of the European Parliament, and Patrick Wall, professor of public health at University College Dublin (UCD).

Having spent most of his childhood travelling with his father, the late Alltech founder Dr. Pearse Lyons, Dr. Mark Lyons can offer attendees unique insights into global agriculture and share educated advice about tackling shifting trends in the industry. McGuinness, who has a background in agricultural economics, works to influence the future shape of agriculture and rural development policies, global development policy, the environment, public health, and food safety and security. Professor Wall’s research interests include food safety, nutrition and managing lifestyle-related disease through behavioural change.

The Thursday species sessions will focus on scientific and research-based learning. During the ruminant session, attendees will hear discussions about solving the environmental puzzle surrounding beef and dairy production from such speakers as Dr. Carolyn Opio of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation; Adam Henson, farmer and TV presenter with BBC’s Countryfile; and Chris Kerston of the Savory Institute in the United States.

Getting a gut feeling for antimicrobial-free pig farming is the theme of the pig session, which will include presentations from Mark Cigan from Genus R&D in the U.S.; Leigh Marques of Quantum Genetix, Canada; and UCD’s Dr. Seamus Fanning.

Key industry speakers for the poultry session, which will explore the exploitation of birds’ genetic potential through immunity, include Ben Huntington of Avara Foods in the U.K.; Eilir Jones, international poultry consultant; and Richard Turner of St. David’s Poultry Team in the U.K.

Growing toward a pesticide-free future is the overarching theme of the crop science session, featuring talks by Pedro Palazón from Ideagro, Spain; Cody Eubanks of JR Simplot in the U.S., and Professor Adrian Newton from the James Hutton Institute in Dundee.

Species session topics include*:

Ruminant:

• Ruminant agriculture and a healthy climate
• Re-engaging the consumer with a positive message about agriculture
• Can ruminant animals save our planet?

Pig:

• Reducing antimicrobial use: Implications for human health
• Measuring and managing AMR on your pig farm
• Gut health: the importance of the microbiome

Poultry:

• Production is vanity, feed conversion is sanity — worldwide “best-in-class” experiences
• Intestinal health and the microbiome — rehabilitation through nutrition
• Global burden of animal diseases: problem, solution, legacy

Crop:

• Feeding tomorrow’s world — the way nature intended
• Innovative platforms for sustainable crop production
• Early disease detection — the role of genomics in modern crop farming

Ag-tech

• Ag-tech: where we are now
• Dreaming of an ag-tech unicorn: the new world of startups
• Keeping InTouch with your customers

*More topics can be found at www.alltech.com/eurotechsummit. Topics are subject to change as the schedule evolves.

Learn more at www.alltech.com/eurotechsummit. To register for free, please contact your local Alltech office.

-Ends-

Contact: Maria Daly

Communications Manager, European

+353 86 466 9554

Image:

Caption: The Alltech European Technical Summit will be held in Dublin, Ireland, on March 14–15, 2019. Pictured are Alltech Ireland country manager, Cathal McCormack with Mairead McGuinness, vice president of the European Parliament, and Patrick Wall, professor of public health at University College Dublin (UCD). McGuinness and Prof. Wall will join Alltech President and CEO Dr. Mark Lyons on the main stage of the European Technical Summit on Friday, March 15 for the plenary session. Learn more at www.alltech.com/eurotechsummit.

About Alltech:

Founded in 1980 by Irish entrepreneur and scientist Dr. Pearse Lyons, Alltech discovers and delivers solutions for the sustainable nutrition of plants, animals and people. With expertise in yeast fermentation, solid state fermentation and the science of nutrigenomics, Alltech is a leading producer and processor of yeast additives, organic trace minerals, feed ingredients, premix and feed.

Our guiding ACE principle seeks to develop solutions that are safe for the Animal, Consumer and the Environment. Our more than 6,000 talented team members worldwide put this purpose to work every day for our customers.

Alltech is a family-owned company, which allows us to adapt quickly to emerging customer needs and to stay focused on advanced innovation. Headquartered just outside of Lexington, Kentucky, USA, Alltech has a strong presence in all regions of the world. For further information, visit www.alltech.com/news. Join us in conversation on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.