U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) – Europe and Middle East-North Africa (EU-MENA)

We have completed another successful USSEC event this week. It was our privilage to hear from Dr Mian Riaz, Dr Jan Van Eys and Dr Kees Geerse about building a fullfat soy facilities, learning about important points of fullfat soy production, how to do the quality control and key points in use of animal nutrition. Fullfat soy is one of the important raw material for animal feed production. And there is a lot of important points to get the most benefit from this material. This event provided our customer to refresh and improve their knowledge about fullfat soy production and quality control etc. We have special thanks to our customers for their great interest to this important industry event . Bu hafta bir başka başarılı USSEC etkinliğini tamamladık. Dr. Mian Riaz, Dr. Jan Van Eys ve Dr. Kees Geerse’den tam yağlı soya tesislerinin inşası, tam yağlı soya üretimindeki önemli noktalar, kalite kontrolün nasıl yapılacağı ve hayvan beslenmesinde kullanımın kilit noktaları hakkında bilgi almak bizim için bir ayrıcalıktı. Tam yağlı soya, hayvan beslemesinde en önemli yem hammaddelerden birisidir. Bu hammaddeden en iyi şekilde faydalanmak için dikkate alınması gereken birçok önemli nokta bulunmaktadır. Bu etkinlikle, Amerikan Soya fasulyesi kullanıcılarına tam yağlı soya üretimi ve kalite kontrolü gibi konulardaki bilgilerini tazeleme ve geliştirme fırsatı sunduğumuza inanıyoruz.. Bu önemli sektörel etkinliğe gösterdikleri büyük ilgi için Amerikan Soya fasulyesi kullanıcılarına teşekkürlerimizi sunarız.

NORWAY: A Case for Sustainability, Animal Welfare, and Efficiency: NTT DATA’s Approach to Sustainable Animal Welfare In a landmark project, one of Norway's largest food manufacturers partnered with NTT DATA to enhance sustainability, animal welfare, and operational efficiency in meat and egg production. With a commitment to quality and environmental responsibility, the client implemented advanced digital solutions to monitor farm conditions and ensure compliance with animal welfare regulations. By leveraging IoT technology, AI, and big data, this transformative initiative is set to revolutionize how food is produced while maintaining a focus on the future of farming. The challenge was clear: improve animal welfare while optimizing farm operations to meet the growing demands for food traceability. NTT DATA responded by deploying a comprehensive system of sensors, cameras, and AI algorithms to monitor health indicators, detect potential issues, and analyze growth patterns in livestock. The integration of these technologies allowed farmers to efficiently track animal conditions and enhance transparency in the food supply chain—ensuring that high welfare standards are maintained. As we look ahead, the project is set to expand further, with plans for scalable solutions that aim to empower not just this client, but food producers across the region. By developing an intuitive mobile interface and IoT infrastructure for localized data capture, NTT DATA envisions a comprehensive end-to-end traceability solution, supported by blockchain technology. This initiative represents a significant step forward for the industry, aligning productivity with ethical standards and sustainability. #Sustainability #AnimalWelfare #FoodProduction #TechnologyInnovation #DigitalTransformation #IoT #BigData #Traceability #NorwegianFoodIndustry #NTTDATA #AgTech #FarmEfficiency #FoodSafety #CircularEconomy #SmartFarming https://lnkd.in/drEKHKvD

We have completed another successful USSEC event this week. It was our privilage to hear from Dr Mian Riaz, Dr Jan Van Eys and Dr Kees Geerse about building a fullfat soy facilities, learning about important points of fullfat soy production, how to do the quality control and key points in use of animal nutrition. Fullfat soy is one of the important raw material for animal feed production. And there is a lot of important points to get the most benefit from this material. This event provided our customer to refresh and improve their knowledge about fullfat soy production and quality control etc. We have special thanks to our customers for their great interest to this important industry event . Bu hafta bir başka başarılı USSEC etkinliğini tamamladık. Dr. Mian Riaz, Dr. Jan Van Eys ve Dr. Kees Geerse’den tam yağlı soya tesislerinin inşası, tam yağlı soya üretimindeki önemli noktalar, kalite kontrolün nasıl yapılacağı ve hayvan beslenmesinde kullanımın kilit noktaları hakkında bilgi almak bizim için bir ayrıcalıktı. Tam yağlı soya, hayvan beslemesinde en önemli yem hammaddelerden birisidir. Bu hammaddeden en iyi şekilde faydalanmak için dikkate alınması gereken birçok önemli nokta bulunmaktadır. Bu etkinlikle, Amerikan Soya fasulyesi kullanıcılarına tam yağlı soya üretimi ve kalite kontrolü gibi konulardaki bilgilerini tazeleme ve geliştirme fırsatı sunduğumuza inanıyoruz.. Bu önemli sektörel etkinliğe gösterdikleri büyük ilgi için Amerikan Soya fasulyesi kullanıcılarına teşekkürlerimizi sunarız.

FRANCE:🌾🐔 Innovative Turkey Farming - A Step Towards Animal Welfare 🌾🐔 The Eureden cooperative group, consisting of 300 breeders, including 120 turkey farmers, is embracing this shift. After a long period of solitude with their yards, turkey producers are now multiplying building permits, with plans for around thirty new buildings equipped with these innovative covered courtyards! Covering approximately 400 square meters of well-maintained earth, the newly developed courtyard at Éric Humphry's breeding farm in Locoal-Mendon (Morbihan) is transforming the way we think about turkey farming. This space allows the birds to enjoy the fresh air and feel the wind on their feathers, enhancing their overall well-being. Developed in partnership with the NGO Wellfarm, the Well Faire specifications prioritize animal welfare while meeting society’s evolving expectations. This system provides turkeys with a safe outdoor area, promoting natural behaviors while remaining manageable for farmers. Eureden has found success by partnering with the Dutch manufacturer Plukon and is now expanding these practices to include other manufacturers like French LDC. With demanding specifications and a focus on sustainability, we’re paving the way for a new era of turkey farming! Eureden aims to produce 1.5 batches per week from these innovative buildings, facilitating better farming conditions that benefit both animals and farmers alike. #TurkeyFarming #AnimalWelfare #SustainableAgriculture #Eureden #WellFaire #InnovationInFarming #PoultryFarming #EnvironmentalResponsibility #HealthyBirds #FarmToTable #FrenchAgriculture #Collaboration https://lnkd.in/dtNf-42B

It’s #TradeTeamTuesday – The Northern European and Poland Trade Team began their trip with a stop at Soy Connext in San Francisco for networking, global market updates and key importer/exporter visits. After attending Soy Connext, the delegation travelled to Wisconsin. Their first stop was the DeLong Company elevator in Union Grove, where the group received a briefing on the operations of a traditional country elevator. This visit provided the team with a valuable opportunity to reconnect with key trade partners, including Brandon Bickham and Ed Brown from Thompson/RH Hall, as well as Arthur Vanden Avenne from Vanden Avenne Commodities—reinforcing relationships established during the May Soybean Meal Mission and highlighting ongoing trade negotiations. Following lunch, the group visited the Beaver Dam U.S. Soy farm of United Soybean Director Nancy Kavazanjian. Nancy and her husband provided an insightful tour focusing on sustainability practices and sustainable soy production, capped off with fresh corn on the cob and cold local brews. Next, the team toured DeLong Company’s export facility at Port Milwaukee. This was followed by detailed briefings from representatives of the Port of Milwaukee and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation at the port’s headquarters, deepening the group’s understanding of the region’s export infrastructure and trade potential. The program provided the team with valuable insights into U.S. Soy and agricultural operations, trade negotiations and sustainable farming practices while strengthening key relationships within the global soy industry. Special thanks to the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board for facilitating these visits. #USSoy

USDA hosted an Agribusiness Trade Mission in early December to Morocco, a key initiative aimed at strengthening agricultural partnerships and expanding trade opportunities between the United States and the region. The U.S. Soy delegation included April Hemmes, USB Director; Jim Sutter, USSEC CEO; Brent Babb, USSEC Regional Director for Europe and Middle East North Africa (MENA); and Dr. Khalid Benabdeljelil, USSEC Morocco representative. This visit reflects USSEC’s commitment to strengthening ties in the region and promoting the value of U.S. Soy as a trusted, sustainable, and high-quality product. Through strategic discussions and partnership-building efforts, the delegation aims to support Morocco’s growing agricultural sector while addressing its increasing demand for reliable and innovative soy-based solutions. A major milestone of the visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between USSEC and the Moroccan Federation of Poultry Associations (FISA). This agreement formalizes their collaboration to enhance the integration of U.S. Soy into Morocco’s feed and poultry industries, promoting innovation and sustainability. In 2023, Morocco became the second largest African market for U.S. agricultural exports, following Egypt, with imports surpassing $619 million. In fact, Morocco imported 464,000 metric tons (MT) of U.S. soybean meal and 21,000 MT of U.S. soybeans in the last marketing year. #USSoy

Thanks to all for support during the 5 years on the MENA U.S. Soy Excellence Center programs. 150 training programs with over 20,000 participants in support on MENA poultry, aquaculture, and feed industry.

I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Mian Nadeem Riaz on Sunday, who visited Romania on behalf of the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC). The images attached to this post are self-explanatory and reflect our long-standing relationships with the Romanian feed industry. Currently, Romania possesses the highest capacity of soy extrusion plants in Europe, thereby providing a competitive advantage for the feed milling sector. Thank you, Dr. Riaz, for your efforts and friendship, and thank you to US soy farmers for your ongoing support of US soy marketing through education. Our discussion centered on finishing the draft of "100 Questions & Answers on Full-Fat Soybean Meal Production, Quality, and Application," booklet written by Dr. Riaz for U.S. soy customers. We also discussed how well our joint efforts in Romania went, where Dr. Riaz was instrumental in the process of adoption of the #soyextrusion technology by the #feedindustry. At this stage, we are working with Mian to assist #USsoy customers in the use and adoption of extrusion technology in the production of #fishfeed and #petfood. Dr. Mian Riaz is a distinguished professor and researcher at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and holds the position of Director at the Food Protein Research & Development Center, where he oversees the extrusion technology program. His expertise includes food processing and technology, specifically in extrusion processing, plant-based proteins, pet foods, and aquafeed. Dr. Riaz has extensive expertise in food and feed extrusion, a technique employed to manufacture diverse products, including snacks and protein-enriched food. Meanwhile, he has authored several books, chapters, and articles. He also facilitates training workshops internationally on food extrusion technology. His contributions have positioned him as a preeminent authority in developing sustainable, nutritious, innovative food and feed products utilizing plant-based proteins. #ussoyadvantage #extrusion #soybean #soybeanmeal #foodextrusion #feedingredients #feedindustry #anfnc

GERMANY: 🐖 Pork Prices on the Decline, But Retail Costs Remain Steady 🛒 Recent reports indicate that pork prices are falling, with fatteners now receiving 10 cents less per kilogram of pork, bringing the price down to 1.82 euros per kilogram of slaughter weight. Despite this drop, consumers still see little to no change in supermarket prices. This phenomenon has surprised many experienced pig farmers accustomed to the typical market fluctuations but finds the current scenario quite unusual. As Jörn Ehlers, Vice President of Landvolk, notes, such significant price changes demand further scrutiny. The subdued demand following the holiday season has also contributed to this situation, with slaughterhouses processing fewer pigs and creating an unsettling backlog. The result? Farmers face decreased revenue and potential quality deductions due to delivering heavier pigs. While it's common to see fluctuations, this year's combination of reduced demand and falling prices poses serious challenges for pig farmers already operating at a loss. Interestingly, while farmers receive less, consumers still pay a premium at the counter, with prices reaching 8.21 euros per kilogram—an alarming 6.17 euro gap compared to what growers earn. Ehlers raises valid concerns about whether the industry is profiting at the farmers' expense. With the need to import pork for various market segments, he emphasizes that maintaining proper husbandry and origin labeling is crucial to transparent consumer choice. Retail prices must reflect the realities faced by producers. #PorkPrices #MeatMarket #Agriculture #FoodIndustry #SustainableFarming #FarmersVoice #swineindustry #swinfarming https://lnkd.in/dFuTPs8T