By Muhammed Akatay & Derya Yildiz, Feed & Additive Magazine
Africa and the Middle East have undergone a remarkable transformation in the livestock sector in recent years. A growing population, rising income levels, and food security policies are making the region one of the new centers of global animal protein production. Poultry production, in particular, is rapidly expanding in terms of both investment and production capacity. However, this growth brings with it significant structural challenges: Sustainability, productivity, biosecurity, and heat stress are the most critical issues that producers face.
It is precisely at this point that the “New Horizons in Poultry Production” conference, organized by EW Nutrition in Hurghada, Egypt’s tourism hub, served as an important platform to assess the region’s current situation and discuss solutions for the future. The event, which brought together 250 participants from 40 countries on October 21–23, 2025, featured globally recognized academics, application specialists, and professional industry representatives sharing their knowledge and experience over three days.
Attending this event as Feed & Additive Magazine, we had the opportunity to closely follow the transformation of the sector and the vision that EW Nutrition offers to the region.
REGIONAL GROWTH: A RISING ANIMAL PROTEIN HUB
Africa and the Middle East have shown significant growth in feed and poultry production, particularly over the last five years. Many countries in the region have significantly expanded their production capacity through investments in new feed mills. For example, new feed mills, hatcheries, and integrated facilities in countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are driving momentum in the sector. However, this rapid growth is accompanied by fundamental challenges, including dependence on external sources for feed raw materials, the effects of climate change, and heat stress limiting production efficiency. EW Nutrition’s event was built around precisely these dynamics: Offering scientific and practical solutions to make the region’s growth potential sustainable.
DEMAND FOR ANIMAL PROTEIN IS RISING
The conference began with an opening speech by EW Nutrition’s CEO Jan Vanbrabant titled “Market Outlook and Industry Perspectives.” Vanbrabant noted that the global demand for animal protein is expected to increase by 16% over the next decade, emphasizing that this growth will largely occur in emerging markets such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He also stated that limited natural resources and increasing geopolitical risks are forcing producers to focus on efficiency, sustainability, and innovation. In his speech, Vanbrabant highlighted the resilience of the poultry sector despite economic uncertainties, noting that poultry products remain as the most accessible protein source for consumers. Defining EW Nutrition’s vision as “supporting safe, affordable, and sustainable protein production,” Vanbrabant summarized the priority areas for future work as: Disease prevention, biosecurity and hygiene, combating antimicrobial resistance, reducing mycotoxin risks, operational efficiency, and genetic and nutrition optimization.
KEY SPEECHES SHAPING THE SECTOR
On the first day of the conference, Prof. Dr. Saadia Nassik from Morocco’s Agronomic and Veterinary Institute Hassan II gave a presentation titled “Antimicrobial Resistance: Risks and Practical Mitigation Tools,” highlighting that antimicrobial resistance has become a global threat not only for veterinary care but also for food safety and sustainable production. Nassik stated that incorrect or excessive antibiotic use accelerates the emergence of resistant microorganisms and that the solution lies not in a single intervention but in a holistic approach. Effective biosecurity practices, vaccination, proper feeding strategies, diagnosis and monitoring systems, producer education, and the field applicability of regulations emerged as key elements of this approach.
Poland-based Biosecurity Expert Marcin Wolak, in his presentation titled “A Practical View on Farm Biosecurity,” emphasized the importance of a comprehensive cleaning and disinfection plan. Explaining the entire cleaning and disinfection process step by step, Wolak stressed that staff training, procedures/checklists, and standardized workflows are vital to the effectiveness of this process. Dr. Mohammad Ezzat, CEO of Al Ajban Poultry & Al Ain Group from the United Arab Emirates, gave a presentation titled “Preventive Tools in Poultry Production”. In his speech, Dr. Ezzat detailed how a holistic health approach, combining all integration steps such as biosecurity, preventive vaccination, as well as feed and water quality, minimizes disease, growth stagnation, and yield losses that may occur in flocks. Polish Avi-Vet Servis’ Laboratory Manager Jaroslaw Wilczynski, in his presentation titled “Enteropathies in Poultry – Challenges in Poultry Production,” emphasized that infections caused by pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella, and Clostridium perfringens have a serious impact on poultry performance. Wilczynski highlighted the importance of early diagnosis, proper sampling procedures, and regular laboratory testing in combating these diseases.
The first day of the conference concluded with presentations by Marie Gallissot, Global Feed Quality Manager at EW Nutrition, titled “Toxin Risk Management: Current Challenges and What Works Against Them” and Rani Ahmad, Regional Business Manager, Life Sciences and Laboratory Diagnostics at Hygiena, titled “Preventing Food Safety Hazards with Proactive Solutions.” In her presentation, Marie Gallissot shared current approaches to feed quality and mycotoxin management, addressing the effects of mycotoxin contamination in feed on poultry health and productivity. Gallissot emphasized that even low levels of mycotoxin contamination can lead to reduced growth performance, immunosuppression, and economic losses. She drew attention to the importance of integrating raw material selection, regular analysis, and regional mycotoxin monitoring programs to reduce risks. Rani Ahmad, who explained the importance of early warning and prevention systems in the food safety chain, drew attention to proactive approaches in food safety. Ahmad stated that smart environmental monitoring and rapid detection technologies help businesses sustainably maintain hygiene standards by identifying contamination risks at an early stage.
DAY TWO: PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS AND VISION FOR THE FUTURE
The second day of the conference featured sessions highlighting practical production experiences. Regional Technical Manager TMEA of Aviagen Türkiye, Murat Yakar, in his presentation titled “Best Practices in Poultry Production,” emphasized that genetic potential must be supported by proper management, feeding, health, and environmental conditions to increase productivity. Yakar pointed out that even small differences can have a significant impact on economic results, drawing attention to the importance of performance tracking and regular analysis of field data. In his presentation titled “Nutritionists’ Challenges: Practical Perspectives and Solutions,” Brett Roosendaal, Technical Executive Animal Feed at South-Africa’s RCL Foods, focused on three main challenges in poultry nutrition: Gut health, antimicrobial resistance, and additive selection complexity. Roosendaal stressed that to overcome these challenges, measurable performance targets must be set, “case-specific” additive evaluations must be conducted, and a continuous improvement culture must be adopted.
Following Roosendaal, Jurek Grapentin, Commercial Managing Director of Lohmann Breeders GmbH from Germany, gave a presentation titled “Trends in Laying Hen Genetics, Review and Outlook to the Future,” while Madalina Diaconu, Global Business Development Manager at EW Nutrition, gave a presentation titled “Water Hygiene, the Key to Poultry Health and Productivity.” The two-day conference program concluded with a presentation by Prof. Dr. Necmettin Ceylan from Ankara University in Türkiye, titled “Holistic Strategies to Alleviate the Heat Stress in Poultry Production”. Ceylan emphasized that heat stress is a significant problem in terms of production efficiency and animal welfare in the MEA region. Continuing his presentation, he touched upon methods for combating heat stress, stating that practices such as balanced feeding, energy management, and the correct electrolyte-amino acid balance yield effective results.
A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON REGIONAL CHALLENGES
A recurring theme throughout the conference was that regional challenges can only be overcome through scientific knowledge, field experience, and collaboration. Participants emphasized that issues such as feed ingredient supply, hot climate conditions, disease pressure, feed hygiene, and production costs can be solved not only through technology but also through managerial awareness.
This event, organized by EW Nutrition, brought together experts from different regions, creating a common ground for knowledge exchange. In this respect, the conference was considered an important step in terms of regional solidarity as well as knowledge sharing.
Overall, “New Frontiers in Poultry Production” stood out not only as a technical seminar but also as a strategic meeting that shed light on the emerging animal protein market in Africa and the Middle East. EW Nutrition’s long-term vision serves as a guide for all stakeholders seeking to sustainably leverage the region’s potential.
