Cobb-Vantress, Inc. / Siloam Springs, Arkansas, USA: Cobb Europe recently welcomed poultry professionals from 28 countries to the biennial Cobb Europe Technical Seminar held July 7-13 in Harderwijk, Netherlands.
The event, held near Cobb’s research and development hub for the region, explored the future of the poultry industry — from industry trends and forecasts to the use of robotics on poultry farms. The five-day seminar introduced participants to Cobb and industry specialists while providing in-depth training and updates on key topics such as broilers and breeders, health, environment, processing, and hatchery.
The event included practical, hands-on technical training for participants to incorporate into their daily work environments while also learning from others in roles they may not typically interact with. Attendees also had an opportunity to engage with eight members of Cobb’s elite World Technical Support Team, adding depth to the geographical poultry knowledge available to the group.
Opening the event was Rabobank’s Nan-Dirk Mulder who presented on key trends in global and European meat production. Mulder discussed emerging market growth and challenges, as well as the need for efficiencies in production. “We want our technical schools to provide customers with the latest information, whether it comes from our technical team or from outside industry experts,” said Nigel Strain, senior regional manager of technical service for Cobb in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and host of the seminar. “These events also provide a venue for participants to learn from each other, whether they are seasoned industry veterans or young professionals.” To expand areas of focus for the 2019 seminar, Cobb added a new presentation on plant processing yield optimization led by Cobb’s processing specialist, Mike Casto, and a health and veterinary session held on-site at Voorstel Anatomiegebouw.
“I was really excited to be invited to this event as it was a great opportunity to enhance my skills and knowledge,” said Dimitris Theodosiou, a veterinarian with PTINEK in Greece. “I was impressed by the high level of professionalism, the depth of knowledge on all aspects of the business, and this great feeling of being part of the family.”
This year’s participants weren’t the only ones inspired by the technical seminar. Cobb team member Brendan Graaf, who presented at the 2019 seminar, was inspired by his participation as an attendee four years ago to become a Cobb broiler specialist. Launched in 2011, the next Cobb Europe Technical Seminar will be held in 2021 in Harderwijk once again.
