NEWS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE November 2022 91 Benchmark Genetics, a leading company in salmon genetics, recently opened a new incubation centre in Iceland to meet its customers’ growing demand for bio-secure salmon eggs year round. “Through our bio-secure facilities in Iceland, we are able to serve our customers in the salmon industry across all production paradigms – from traditional salmon farming to new land-based systems – year-round,”” the company said in a statement. “In order to satisfy the growing demand, we have increased our capacity in Iceland through the construction of a new incubation centre. The new incubation centre, built to the highest standards of biosecurity and water management has a 400 million egg capacity, equivalent to more than 1 million tonnes of harvested salmon,” the statement added. To ensure the highest biosecurity standards, the facility has 10,000 5-litre single incubators, each of which matures eggs from one female. In addition, the purest fresh and sea water, cleaned by lava sand is pumped from deep wells into the centre. This water has never been in contact with wild fish. "This is a big milestone for Benchmark Genetics Iceland and gives us an opportunity to grow even further. This facility makes us able to produce more quality ova and meet the increasing demand from the salmon farming industry," said Jónas Jónasson, CEO Benchmark Genetics Iceland. Benchmark opens new incubation facility in Iceland Arla Foods, one of the world’s largest dairy cooperatives, introduced a sustainability incentive to its farmer owners to help fund and motivate actions required to hit the 2030 emission reduction target on farm. Arla earmarks up to 3 eurocent per kilo of milk for sustainability activities in addition to the existing 1 eurocent for submitting Climate Check data. Two years after implementing a comprehensive Climate Check on 8,000 farms across seven European countries, Arla farmers are taking another significant step to be at the forefront of environmentally sustainable dairy. From next year, the milk price that the individual Arla farmer will receive from the dairy cooperative will depend on his or her activities related to environmental sustainability. The cooperative is introducing a point-based Sustainability Incentive model, building on data from the Climate Check, to reward current and future sustainability activities on farm. The Board of Directors is putting up to three eurocent per kilo of milk on the table annually to fund and motivate environmental improvements on 19 levers. The full incentive package includes the one eurocent that farmers will receive for submitting their Climate Check data. In the first full year, at least 270 million Euros is expected to be distributed through the monthly milk price based on what the farmers are doing on 19 levers in the model, e.g., feed, protein and fertilizer efficiency, manure delivery to biogas, biodiversity, carbon farming and use of renewable electricity and deforestation free soy. Based on Arla’s current owner milk volume, the four eurocents per kilo of milk amounts to an annual 500 million Euros. The first incentive payment will be paid out as part of the monthly milk price in August 2023, based on milk delivered in July. Arla earmarks up to €500 million annually for rewarding climate activities on farm
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUxNjkxNQ==