The Dr. Eckel World Tour 2022 kicked off with a well-attended event in Hua Hin, Thailand. The series focuses on the use of phytogenic additives for profitable and sustainable animal production. Following a visit to VICTAM Asia, the participants travelled to the conference venue. Dr Andreas Lewke, Managing Director of Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition (Thailand), welcomed around 50 participants from all over Asia to the InterContinental Hua Hin Resort. Over three days, academic and industry experts shared and discussed the most promising innovations and solutions for effective ruminant feeding, poultry production and aquaculture.

Rarely has the industry faced such challenges: lockdowns, sanctions and political instability are putting markets, supply chains and pricing under enormous pressure, while the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly manifest. Producers worldwide need to find solutions to utilise resources that are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive as efficiently as possible, in order to meet the demand for animal protein and still remain profitable. And these are the solutions the first World Tour conference in 2022 addressed.

In his keynote address, Vice President Dr Bernhard Eckel posed the central question of how we can secure a global food supply for a growing population in the face of current challenges. He clearly demonstrated how phytogenic additives can be used to attain the United Nations’ sustainability goals and even increase production.

Professor Carsten Malisch from Aarhus University in Denmark outlined the various potential uses of plant secondary compounds and provided exciting insight into his current research on tannins and their benefits to animal nutrition, particularly that of reducing emissions in ruminant feeding.

The potential of plant-based additives in aquaculture has so far been hardly exploited. Dr Tirawat Rairat from the Department of Fishery Biology at Kasetsart University in Thailand clearly stated why it is urgent to reduce the use of antibiotics in aquaculture and why phytogenic additives are the better choice.

And finally, Dr. Eckel’s Muhammad Umar introduced Anta^®Phyt, a phytogenic champion from the Dr. Eckel product portfolio, and its possible applications. He also presented compelling trial results demonstrating its effectiveness. Veterinarian and entrepreneur Dr Forouzandeh Boroujerdi from Mavicarno Co. Ltd in Iran corroborated this with evidence of her own, acquired from her experience of using Dr. Eckel’s product Anta^®Phyt in poultry. Dr Viktor Eckel concluded the series of talks with a presentation on the company’s product portfolio, present and future, in terms of phytogenic additives.

The well-debated concluding discussion reaffirmed the topicality of phytogenics. Both the participants and the speakers examined the most promising solutions and exchanged practical experiences. They agreed that, in addition to the technical information, the exchange between the various countries and regions was particularly valuable. All at the World Tour conference came to the unanimous conclusion that it is only through production methods that make the most efficient use of resources and promote healthy animal production that we will manage to produce sufficient healthy food in the future. Indeed, the path to successful, profitable and sustainable production is through the efficient use of resources, while that to optimal performance is through a focus on animal welfare and healthy animals with a strong immune system, combined with a holistic approach to management. This is the only way to secure the future of animal nutrition. And phytogenic additives are the key to this.

Conference host Andreas Lewke thanked all the participants and speakers for their valuable contributions and the overall success of the event. The World Tour 2022 will proceed to Surabaya in Indonesia, São Paulo in Brazil and, just before EuroTier, Braunschweig in Germany.