NEWS 12 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE August 2025 De Heus announced that, in a significant and unprecedented milestone, three new De Heus feed mills are commencing operations in Uganda, India and Kenya — all within a period of just three months. By providing safe, high-quality feed, these facilities are expected to help local farmers improve their business performance and contribute to sustainable food supplies in these countries. De Heus highlights this achievement as a demonstration of its capacity to rapidly scale its impact across multiple geographies, reinforcing its long-term vision for responsible food production. Uganda, Kenya and India are all dealing with inefficiencies in their value chains. "In Uganda, fish is a big part of the country's diet," says Stefan van den Bogaard, De Heus’ Group Director Technology & Investments. "Aquaculture is growing, but almost all aquafeed is imported so the price of fish feed is too high. The first step towards a sustainable food supply is domestic production of high-quality aquafeed. That's why we've invested in an aquafeed plant in Njeru, near Jinja, on the north shore of Lake Victoria. By reducing dependence on imported feed, avoiding stock-outs, and providing high-quality extruded aqua feed, we will help lower costs for local farmers and increase their incomes." Kenya relies heavily on imported raw materials, which is one of the key reasons agriculture has become the government's top priority. Read more>> Atlantic salmon possess a biological mechanism for breaking down excess fat, offering potential for improving fish health and sustainability in the aquaculture industry, research shows. A cellular recycling process, previously found in humans and mice, is also present in Atlantic salmon, scientists at the Roslin Institute have discovered. The institute focuses on animal sciences and their application in veterinary and human medicine. This process, known as autophagy, helps manage and break down excessive fat stored inside cells, which can otherwise lead to an unhealthy fat buildup and impaired immune function. This discovery lays groundwork for improving welfare and reducing losses in a rapidly growing salmon industry, projected to be worth US$26 billion by 2030. The discovery could help address a challenge brought about by changes in composition of commercial salmon feed over the past two decades. As the industry expands, traditional fish oils in feed have been replaced with plant-based oils. These dietary changes may contribute to increased fat accumulation and declining immune health in farmed salmon, leading to higher mortality rates and economic losses, the research team explains. Researchers used salmon cells grown in the lab to study the impact of fat overload, allowing them to study how excess fat affects cell health. The team used a compound known to trigger autophagy, called rapamycin, to switch on the cells’ recycling system. Read more>> De Heus expands feed operations in Africa and Asia Breakthrough in fat regulation discovered in Atlantic salmon Photo: De Heus Photo: Konstantin Novikov
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