Animal AgTech Innovation Summit Europe 2021

Speakers:
Nick Davies, Group Agricultural Director, 2SISTERS, UK
Cees Jan Hollander, Global Farming Expert, DANONE, NETHERLANDS
George Tice, Executive Director for Public Policy International, ELANCO ANIMAL HEALTH, IRELAND
Gavin Hodgson, Buying Manager Meat, Fish & Poultry, SAINSBURY’S, UK

• How can farmers balance the need to reduce carbon emissions on their farms with other drivers for change, such as higher animal welfare? Are there examples of when these two goals are in conflict and how are farmers tackling this challenge?
• How is the use of life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies in agricultural production supporting producers to monitor and make improvements to their farm, and offer greater transparency to retailers and consumers?
• What are the latest approaches to delivering a full life-cycle and holistic view of production systems?
• How can we continue to ensure that animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and financial sustainability for the farmer go hand in hand?

Speaker:
Eli Kamhine, VP, Head of Strategy & Discovery, Mahi Technology Labs, MSD, ISRAEL

• Where do we see animal husbandry in the next 30-50 years? What do we predict will be the most consumed sources of animal protein?
• How can the livestock, dairy and aquaculture industry communicate its role as a source of sustainable protein, and a vital component of a green, circular economy?
• Which technologies and solutions will be most critical in supporting the industry to achieve these goals?

Speaker:
Stephen Wilson, CEO, GENUS, UK

• How significant are breeding and genomics to the improvement of animal health, welfare and productivity?
• To what degree is genetic selection a more promising strategy in combating infectious diseases in livestock than currently believed?
• What opportunities do transgenic and genome-editing technologies offer? What about genomics in feed crops e.g. to reduce methane content or improve digestibility/gut health?
• How does the public perception of gene editing impact the commercialisation of using genomics, and do we see legislation easing up in the EU?
• Where is R&D at the moment in genomics? What new and exciting technologies are on the horizon, and how will they change the entire agri-food industry? With long research and approval times of genomics, what impact does this have on investment and partnership opportunities?

Speakers:
Kerryann Kocher, CEO, VYTELLE, USA
Peter Kristensen, CEO, SYNOMICS, UK

Join our speakers in breakout groups to brainstorm solutions to the challenges raised during today’s sessions.

Moderator:
Laetitia Gerbe, Partner, SEVENTURE PARTNERS, FRANCE

Speakers:
Anthony Finbow, CEO, EAGLE GENOMICS, UK
Pierre-Joseph Paoli, President Additives, Ingredients & Amino-Acids, ADM ANIMAL NUTRITION, FRANCE
Annemarie Rebel, Professor Healthy and Resilient Livestock, WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY, NETHERLANDS

• Research has shown that the gut microbiome contributes to more than just a healthy gut but the overall physiological and behaviour needs of animals. What are the next steps in exploiting the potential that feed additives can have on animal health and welfare?
• How can scientists, veterinarians and regulators work more closely with stakeholders to bring products to the market?
• Added feed solutions could means added cost: How can the value of improving digestibility and nutrient absorption be communicated at a farmer level?
• What opportunities are there for innovators and stakeholders to develop diagnostic tools to deepen the understanding of the connection between nutrition, health and welfare?

Moderator:
Emmy Koeleman, Freelance Editor, Animal Nutrition and AgTech, NETHERLANDS

Speakers:
Steve Lindsley, President, GROV TECHNOLOGIES, USA
Stéphane Roussel, Venture Partner, ECBF
Leon Marchal, Innovation Director, IFF HEALTH & BIOSCIENCE, NETHERLANDS
Steve Meller, CEO, CH4 GLOBAL, USA

• As feed remains the largest financial and environmental cost in animal production, which new feed alternatives are gaining traction with today’s producers?
• How can novel feeds such as algae or insect-based feeds help reduce the environmental impact of livestock and dairy farming? How scalable are they?
• What new innovations are emerging in feed derived from waste, and other circular economy-based solutions? How viable are new models for closed-loop farming?
• How great is the potential for indoor-grown livestock feed, and under what circumstances?
• What legislative barriers are holding us back from making advances in feed efficiency and how can governments play a more supportive role in accelerating innovation in feeds?
• Who is financing the research and development of feed alternatives and what successful partnerships are being modelled?

Speaker:
Christopher Belnap, CEO, RESILIENT BIOTICS, SWITZERLAND

Speaker:
Peter van Wingerden, CEO, FLOATING FARM, NETHERLANDS

• At last year’s summit we announced the winner of the Manure Challenge. Since then, are we seeing greater adoption of new innovations that reduce the environmental impact of manure?
• Which solutions offer the greatest potential to capture value from manure-based by-products?
• How are feed innovations reducing the GHG emissions from livestock farming?
• How are genetics and other solutions targeting methane reduction?
• What could the future of circular farming systems look like?

Speakers:
Jean-Louis Hunault, Secretary General, DIAGNOSTICS FOR ANIMALS, FRANCE
Alan Beynon, CEO, POULTRY SENSE/MSD, UK

• Where are we on the journey towards diagnostics, preventative health, and treatment? Should vaccines be the primary focus in R&D to get us to a healthier and safer food system?
• Where are the gaps in the delivery mechanisms for animal health?
• How can the industry work with regulators to allow broader use of alternatives to antimicrobials and speed up their approval?
• How are AI and other digital technologies helping in the prevention of disease and reduction in antimicrobials?
• How are animal health companies, producers and technology providers working together to develop more precise delivery of prevention and treatment solutions?

Judges:
Nicky Deasy, Managing Partner, YIELD LAB EUROPE, IRELAND
Paul Kengen, Innovation & Corporate Venturing, ROYAL AGRIFIRM GROUP, THE NETHERLANDS

Start-Up:
Rob Hannam, Director Business Development, FARM HEALTH GUARDIAN, USA

Speaker:
Barney Debnam, Director, Agribusiness Industry Solutions, MICROSOFT, USA

• Gathering data on farms is nothing new, but who should own, control, pay for and get access to the data? Where is the value in the data and how can the industry get better at aggregating, understanding, and applying it?
• How can data be shared in a precise, valuable, and secure way so that it’s user-friendly and safe for the farmer, as well as benefitting those along the supply chain?
• How can technology solutions be better integrated and interoperable so they are simpler, more affordable and applicable across different farming systems? Are there platforms that already do this?
• What are the leading examples of best-practice collaboration between big tech and producers? What impact have we seen on supply chain efficiency and transparency?

Speakers:
Justin Sherrard, Global Animal Protein Strategist, RABOBANK, NETHERLANDS
Larsen Mettler, Managing Director, S2G VENTURES, USA
Matthew Tebeau, Chief Operating Officer, PROTEON PHARMACEUTICALS, POLAND
Rajiv Singh, Partner, OPEN PRAIRIE, USA

• What are the main obstacles and concerns preventing new innovations coming to market?
• How can we tackle the ‘lack of capital’ and limited funding in animal agtech?
• Which players in the eco-system do we need to engage more for better collaboration to see these technologies evolve?
• What can the animal agtech industry learn from food and crop-agtech when it comes to technology adoption?
• What role does EU regulation/legislation and the Green Deal play in driving innovation?
• Which companies are modelling partnership success, and what lessons can be learned to help future partnerships thrive?
• What are the key takeaways from the summit and what’s on the horizon for 2022?