Koos van Middelkoop

CHALLENGE CHIEF

International consultant, Company Kosidé
Koos van Middelkoop holds a career of more than 40 years in genetics & breeding. He was part of organizations such as the Dutch Poultry Research Centre ‘Het Spelderholt’; later on he joined Hypeco Poultry Breeders in the Netherlands; also worked for the American Pureline Genetics, and lately he has been working as an International consultant in poultry management/husbandry and poultry breeding (Kosidé). He is also a Member of the Project team on Precision Broiler Breeder Feeding System at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

Randy Borg

SPEAKER

Geneticist, Cobb

Broiler Genetics in a Changing World

Dr. Randy Borg has been with Cobb since 2008 after earning his PhD in Animal Breeding and Genetics from Virginia Tech, and working for a year with Zoetis (formerly Pfizer Animal Health). While at Cobb, Randy was first brought to the team as a Pedigree Geneticist and then moved to lead Cobb’s Quantitative Genetics activities.  In his current role, Randy is European Director of Genetics since 2015.  Randy is originally from Nebraska, USA where he has had a strong farming background.  In 2015, he, his wife Kara and 3 young boys moved to The Netherlands.

Willem van Oetelaar

SPEAKER

Hatchery coaching manager, HatchTech
Superior incubation conditions fundamental in Antibiotic free production

With a Master’s degree in Animal Sciences and a specialization in Animal Health and Reproduction, Mr Willem van den Oetelaar MSc has a great drive and opportunity to implement and apply fundamental research, to develop innovative incubation techniques and customer driven product developments. Over the last 10 years he has gained vast knowledge worldwide. At the moment he has the role as Hatchery Coaching Manager.

Adriaan Smulders

SPEAKER

Species Technology Manager & Additives Lead, Cargill Premix and Nutrition EMEA
Early feeding a key in Antibiotic free production

Adriaan Smulders is responsible for two key areas in the Cargill Premix and Nutrition in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) business: poultry and additives. Prior to this role, he was leading the Strategic Marketing and Technology team. Before working at Provimi, he acted as general manager for LNB International Feed B.V. From 2004-2008 he spent a significant amount of time in the Russian market to set up and lead LNB’s subsidiary in Russia. He started his career in 1996 at Schothorst Feed Research as poultry nutrionist.

Bas Smaal

SPEAKER

Business unit manager poultry division, Viscon
Hygienic stress free chick handling essential for Antibiotic free production

Bas Smaal joined the Viscon Group in 1999 and worked as Sales Engineer in various industries. Over the last 10 years he specialized in hatchery automation and currently is the General Manager of this business unit. He is passionate about developing new technologies that make hatcheries more efficient, cleaner and improve the welfare of day old chicks.

Arjan Stegeman

CHALLENGE CHIEF

Professor farm animal health, Utrecht University
Arjan Stegeman is professor of farm animal health at Utrecht University The Netherlands. He is a veterinarian by training and a diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Public Health. Arjan Stegeman has (co)authored some 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals and supervised 45 PhD graduates. Currently he is the chairperson of the Dutch branch of WPSA.

Dr. Béatrice Conde-Petit

SPEAKER

Food Safety Officer, Bühler
Hygienization for salmonella control in the feed value chain

Béatrice Conde-Petit holds the position of Food Safety Officer at Bühler and drives strategic innovation projects to promote safety along the agro-feed-food value chain. Beatrice holds a Diploma and PhD in food engineering from ETH Zürich. Before joining Bühler Beatrice worked at ETH Zurich for 20 years as researcher, lecturer and consultant to the international food industry.

Marc Spackler

SPEAKER

Technical Sales Manager, Intracare
Guarantee optimum water hygiene to reduce antibiotics in poultry

Marc Spackler got his MSBA degree at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam. He has worked for almost 25 years at dairy giant FrieslandCampina, of which 14 years for FrieslandCampina Nutrifeed on dairy ingredients for young animal nutrition. Since 2014 he joined the strong team of Intracare and is responsible for specific product development projects and cooperates with partners in Asia, Europe and Brasil to create market leading positions in these markets.

Jeroen Dewulf

SPEAKER

full professor at Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University
Biosecurity as a tool to reduce antimicrobial use

Jeroen Dewulf graduated as a verterinarian and holds a PhD in the epidemiology and control of classical swine fever. Besides, he received a master of science degree in veterinary epidemiology. In 2014 he was appointed as full professor in Veterinary Epidemiology. His research consists predominantly of organising large field studies and conducting diseases modelling and risk assessment.

Nigel Horrox

CHALLENGE CHIEF

President, WVPA
Nigel Horrox is a poultry veterinarian who first worked in the UK and then in Africa and Asia. He created and still owns a UKAS accredited food testing laboratory and the publishing company which has among its titles International Poultry Production. He became president of WVPA in 2015.

Maarten De Gussem

SPEAKER

Poultry veterinarian, Vetworks

Disruptive Biosecurity: how to design veterinarian of the future

Maarten De Gussem received his DVM in 2000 with thesis on Infectious Bursal Disease Virus at the University of Arkansas, USA. After spending over one year as poultry field vet in a large poultry veterinarian group practice, DEGUDAP, in France, The Netherlands and Belgium. He joined Janssen Animal Health, division of J&J Global Poultry. Later, Maarten De Gussem was asked to join Alpharma Animal Health as Technical Manager. After 6 months he also got responsibility over Global Business Development for Anticoccidials. In 2009, Maarten De Gussem founded VETWORKS.

Ir. André Meeusen

SPEAKER

Consultant-nutrionist, Framelco
Eubiotic approach for food safety

Ir. Meeusen obtained his Master in Animal Science with specialization in animal production and animal nutrition. He has acquired a profound experience in animal nutrition and has been specialized in the development of feed additives. Today he is acting as an independent consultant and doing research and development on organic acid based feed additives and more particularly the use of short chain – and medium chain fatty acids and their glycerol esters, the alpha-monoglycerides.

Stef de Smet

SPEAKER

Sr. Technical Service Manager EMEA, Animal Nutrition and Health, Kemin Europe NV.
Can the animal manage what biosecurity cannot?

Stef De Smet graduated at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine where he specialized in the relation between nutrition and animal diseases. Prior to joining Kemin De Smet gained experience as an independent veterinarian and at multiple positions specializing in the veal industry. In January 2010 DVM De Smet joined Kemin, where he is responsible for setting out the technical service strategy and give scientific support for the health program across the EMENA region.

Roel Mulder

CHALLENGE CHIEF

Secretary General of the Worlds Poultry Science Association (WPSA)
Dr Roel Mulder graduated from the Faculty of Chemistry and completed his PhD in Agricultural Sciences. He worked for 30 years at the Spelderholt Centre for Poultry Research in different positions. After 3 years at the European Commission in Brussels at the Research Directorate, he started Spelderholt® Poultry Consulting and Research. Currently he is Secretary General of the Worlds Poultry Science Association.

Jasper Heerkens

SPEAKER

Poultry Specialist, Jansen Poultry Equipment

Antibiotic reduction thanks to hygienic living environment

After graduating the study Animal Sciences (Specialization Animal Health and Behaviour) at Wageningen University, Jasper Heerkens obtained his PhD degree in 2016 with his research on ‘Lifting laying hen welfare in aviaries to a higher level’. Since the beginning of 2016 he works as Poultry Specialist at Jansen Poultry Equipment where he is responsible for poultry management, training and research.

Lotte van der Ven

SPEAKER

Manager Knowledge & Marketing, Vencomatic group
The paradox of animal welfare, sustainability, and economics

Following her study Animal Sciences at Wageningen University, Lotte van de Ven worked with Pas Reform Hatchery Technologies from 2003-2007. She then did her PhD research on ‘Effects of hatching system and hatching time on broiler chick development’ and got her degree in 2012. Since then, Lotte is responsible for the Marketing, Knowledge and Product management departments at Vencomatic Group.

Maarten Frankenhuis

SPEAKER

Veterinarian & former Director Artis Zoo Amsterdam

Maarten Th. Frankenhuis studied veterinary sciences and finished his PhD dissertation on auto fertilisation in the domestic fowl. After a one year period as general practitioner he was involved from 1975 to 1979 in a research project on cryptorchidism and infertility. Frankenhuis was staff veterinarian at Rotterdam Zoo for 5 years and from 1984 to 1990 he had the position of full professor in poultry medicine and pathology. Frankenhuis was director of Artis Am­sterdam Zoo for 13 years.

Dr. ir. Pim Langhout

CHALLENGE CHIEF

Director of Nutrition for EMA, DSM
After graduation at the Agricultural University Wageningen, the Netherlands he started to work as a poultry and swine nutritionist at a cooperative feed mill in the Netherlands. In 2009 he became Technical Manager of Nutriad. January 2014 he joined DSM as a Director of Nutrition for EMEA. In this position he is heading the regional marketing and technical support team of the EMEA region.

Dr. sc. agr. Christian Lückstädt

SPEAKER

technical director Feed Addcon
Impact of dietary organic acids on health and performance in poultry

Christian obtained his Ph.D. in animal nutrition from Hohenheim University, Stuttgart; Germany in 2004. He has been working with acidifiers in animal husbandry since 2003. As of 2015 he is the Technical Director FEED of ADDCON GmbH, Germany, responsible next to others, for the further development of the feed additives in poultry.

Dr. Béatrice Conde-Petit,

SPEAKER

Dr. Béatrice Conde-Petit, Food Safety Officer, Bühler
Mycotoxin reduction by grain cleaning

Béatrice Conde-Petit holds the position of Food Safety Officer at Bühler and drives strategic innovation projects to promote safety along the agro-feed-food value chain. Beatrice holds a Diploma and PhD in food engineering from ETH Zürich.. Before joining Bühler Beatrice worked at ETH Zurich for 20 years as researcher, lecturer and consultant to the international food industry.

Prof. dr. ir. Geert Janssens

SPEAKER

Head of the Laboratory of Animal Nutrition of the Department ‘Nutrition, Genetics and Ethology’, University of Ghent, by Petersime
How to fuel young chicks?

His research focuses mainly on the role of intestinal events on metabolic traits, nutritional modulation of energy homeostasis, and micro mineral-related physiology. He appreciates the added value of comparative nutrition, involving species from throughout the animal kingdom within both wild and domesticated animals. He is president of the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition until September 2016.

Leo den Hartog

SPEAKER

professor in Sustainable Animal Nutrition in Production Chains at Wageningen University
Nutritional strategies to establish a responsible use of antibiotics

Professor Dr Leo den Hartog is director of R&D at Trouw Nutrition, a Nutreco company, and part-time professor in Sustainable Animal Nutrition in Production Chains at Wageningen University. He graduated in Animal sciences and obtained his PhD on the relationship between nutrition and fertility in gilts and sows. Den Hartog’s extensive experience in animal production is reflected in over 450 scientific and applied articles and seven books as author or co-author.

Tim Goossens

SPEAKER

Business Development Manager, Nutriad
Optimizing feed additives: slaying beautiful hypotheses with ugly facts

Tim Goossens got a Master’s degree in Biotechnology at Ghent University, and subsequently worked as an academic researcher in the Laboratory of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Antwerp. After that he took up a doctoral project on neurodevelopment in the Laboratory of Developmental Genetics at KU Leuven. After his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, he joined Nutriad to work as an R&D Engineer, and later as a Business Development Manager.

Yueming Dersjant-Li

SPEAKER

Innovation Manager, Dupont
The role of feed enzymes on gut health in poultry

Dr. Yueming Dersjant-Li is a senior scientist with the Global Innovation group within the Danisco Animal Nutrition industry team – which is part of DuPont Industrial Biosciences. At present, her main research area is enzyme application in non-ruminants animals. She obtained her PhD degree at Wageningen University (WUR), and has been working in the animal feed industry for many years. She has published numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings and commercial magazines.

Peter Best

CHALLENGE CHIEF

Journalist, The animal information network
Peter Best celebrated 50 years as an agricultural journalist in 2014. From a farming family with close connections to the animal feed industry, after studying animal science he trained in general journalism before joining a UK company that specialised in arable and livestock magazines. In his subsequent career Peter has been the editor of a number of international titles for businesses in animal agriculture as well as national and regional. Now retired from full-time journalism, he operates the Animal Information Network internationally and lives in southern England.

Mr. Bouke Hamminga

SPEAKER

Director International Sales & Business Development, Pas Reform
The sustainable Hatchery

Bouke Hamminga has worked in the poultry sector for more than 25 years. Before joining Pas Reform As Director International Sales & Business Development, he held various positions in poultry meat and egg industry, including senior positions with HYBRO worldwide and the SADA GROUP in Spain. His experiences includes knowledge of breeding and poultry production, as well as processing, further processing and modern retail.

Mr. Peter Oostenbach

SPEAKER

Associate Director Global Public Policy, MSD Animal Health
Reduction of antibiotics, a joint responsibility for a holistic commitment for continuous improvement

Studied at Wageningen University, worked for hatchery/broiler integration, veal calf industry and Dutch Product Board for Poultry & Eggs (IKB – quality control systems) before joining animal health industry in 1996. Since then involved in debate on use of antibiotics in animals. Member of company’s AntiBiotic Core Group, member Core Group European Platform for the Responsible Use of Medicines in Animals (EPRUMA) and member Advisory Board International Conference on Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Animals.

Marian Stamp Dawkins

SPEAKER

Professor of Animal Behaviour, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford
Efficiency, health and welfare in broiler production     

Marian Dawkins has many years experience of research into animal behaviour and welfare. She has worked extensively with the poultry industry to improve both efficiency and welfare of broiler chickens through improved flock management. She is the author of numerous research papers and books including Why Animals Matter: Animal Consciousness, Animal Welfare and Human Well-Being (2012).

Olivier Demeure

SPEAKER

Chief Scientific Officer, Grimaud
Breeding and health management to improve sustainability and welfare in poultry production

Olivier Demeure is Chief Scientific Officer at Groupe Grimaud, a multi-species breeding company. He holds a PhD in animal genetics from Agrocampus Ouest, France. Before joining Groupe Grimaud, Olivier worked over 10 years at INRA as researcher in poultry genetics.

Cees Vermeeren

CHALLENGE CHIEF

Secretary General a.v.e.c., Brussels

Cees Vermeeren Secretary General a.v.e.c., (Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the EU) and ELPHA (European Live Poultry and Hatching Egg Association). Before joining a.v.e.c. in 2005, Cees started his career in the poultry and egg sector in 1975 and has been working in a poultry breeding company, a hatchery company for laying hens, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, the Dutch Product Board for Poultry and Eggs and the association NEPLUVI, being a member of a.v.e.c. He holds a Bachelor degree in agriculture and a Master degree in Law.

John Kirkpatrick

SPEAKER

Agricultural Manager – Poultry & Eggs – UK & ROI, Tesco Plc.

Building Data on Antibiotic Usage – Where too next?  A retail perspective

John Kirkpatrick originally comes from a beef/sheep farming family based in Northern Ireland.   Initially with Scottish Government (Department of Agriculture) at the commence of my career, I have found opportunity in the intensive sector namely broiler chickens and laying hens, this has taken me on to both national and international opportunities in the UK/Ireland and Saudi Arabia. He currently represents TESCO as Agricultural Manager for Poultry and Eggs UK/ROI working across a global supply base, based in the UK he has responsibility for sourcing from the United Kingdom, ROI, Mainland Europe, Brazil and Thailand.

Justin Sherrard

SPEAKER

Global Strategist – Animal Protein, Rabobank
More of everything, except price: can consumers really have it all?

As Global Strategist Animal Protein, Justin Sherrard is responsible for the timely and agenda-setting analysis of issues of strategic importance to animal protein companies around the world. Justin has over 20 years of global experience having worked in Europe, the United States, Latin America, New Zealand as well as his native Australia. He holds a Master of Applied Science from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.