SPACE highlights innovations in livestock production

With hopes of drawing attention to new products, SPACE created the Innov’Space awards in 1995 to highlight the unique technologies.

Photo by Jackie Roembke
Photo by Jackie Roembke

In its 30th year, French livestock exhibition SPACE has been bringing farmers from around the world together in Rennes, France, to explore the latest equipment and services in animal production. With hopes of drawing attention to new products, SPACE created the Innov’Space awards in 1995 to highlight the unique technologies.

This year a technical panel of Innov’Space judges selected the winning products, equipment or services from 160 entries, selecting winners based on solutions it felt embody significant innovation.

“Stock raising equipment, technical and economic management tools – particularly digital tools -- and animal health and welfare products compose the vast majority of the projects presented and rewarded,” the exhibition reports.

Five companies received Three Stars, Innov’Space’s highest ranking:

  • Easy Path from Asserva – Automated animal movement
  • Trac’r from Calipro-Socobati-Calimat – Animal excrement treatment
  • Levobovin from Mazeron Naudot – Cow restraint equipment
  • Haytech from Quanturi – Fire prevention system
  • TiOne from Tibot – Assisting robot for poultry breeder

An additional 50 companies received one- and two-star Innov’Space honors.

While French companies were represented (20 percent), the majority of winning suppliers hail from the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Germany, Finland and Ireland.

The 30th edition of the annual French livestock exhibition SPACE welcomed 1,445 exhibitors from 42 countries and expects more than 100,000 visitors. The event runs Sept. 13-16 in Rennes, France.

Problems in French agriculture

Despite the size and scope of the exhibition, the French dairy crisis weighs heavily on SPACE attendees and exhibitors. While the poultry and swine sectors have been dealt their own difficulties, the end of the milk quota last year greatly impacted French dairy producers, forcing many farmers to temporarily halt production or go out of business permanently.

The ministry of agriculture in France has reported the detection of an HPAI virus belonging to the H5 family in a duck flock in Cruejouls in the department of Aveyron. The flock comprises around 11,000 birds, ready for fattening. This is the second flock to be affected by the disease in this department and it brings the total for the country since December of 2015 to 81. Ten departments have produced HPAI virus-positive results, all in the southwest of the country.

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