‘Leveraging knowledge and technology to improve performance’
Historically, the Cargill company was known as a feed commodity trading house. Nowadays, the name Cargill is involved in the whole chain, from farm to fork. It’s time to speak to Christos Antipatis, global strategic marketing and technology director, micronutrition and health solutions at Cargill Animal Nutrition, to understand the dynamics behind it all.
What was the thinking behind the acquisitions of Diamond V and Delacon?
For many years we have been in the complete feed and premix business. A couple of years ago we ventured into the additive and specialty space as well, and put our legacy business together with that of Diamond V and Delacon. We want to create complete solutions, from farm to fork, by putting innovation and knowledge together. Micronutrients, especially, mean that we can get the most out of the all-important microbiome.
Animal health and welfare are top of mind. How does that translate into Cargill’s course?
Adding to the above, micronutrition focuses on delivering holistic feeding solutions that lead to the overall improvement of animal health, while reducing nutrient waste and the use of antibiotics. It also helps our customers to address specific challenges and maximise the productivity of their animals.
What about sustainability?
Higher performance with fewer inputs will automatically lead to a reduction in environmental impact. Feed additives play a crucial role in reducing waste, maximising nutrition and enhancing efficiency. Cargill sees sustainability both as a responsibility and as an opportunity to create value. Our ambition is to enhance the power of farmers and nutrition by doing more with less, to feed the world and protect the planet.
Where do you see challenges and opportunities?
Demand for food is rising with the rapidly expanding world population that also has a higher mean disposable income. In future years, as demand grows and environmental and economic pressures increase, economically-viable livestock production on a global level is likely to be a constant challenge for all of us. With appropriate animal feeding we aim to balance food security and availability with a sound livelihood for farmers.
What is your focus moving forward?
We want to leverage our knowledge, technology and innovation to provide added benefits to our customers. Data, predictive tools and artificial intelligence will take centre stage. One great example is Cargill’s recent innovation, Galleon. An analysis tool that helps customers determine how the gut microbiome of their broiler flocks relates to their nutrition, health and management practices. By employing artificial intelligence and advanced statistical modelling techniques, we can determine the most important bacteria linked to performance, disease and food safety. As a result, we can recommend the most effective additive intervention to achieve performance and health in production systems.
