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International livestock jamboree lures Africa

by Grace Kisembo

Curtains have come down at the 33rd,  SPACE 2019, where 1,400 exhibitors from 42 countries, and 105,318 visitors, including 14,706 international visitors from 122 countries participated at the international livestock Expo

The international attendance, up two percent reflected the global dimension of the edition.

The Expo was marked by the participation of many delegations who came to our great livestock region of Western France to find information on developing animal production in their countries: Russia with its national agency for the development of organic agriculture; China, with a delegation led by the Vice-Governor of Shandong Province; Kazakhstan with its Vice-Minister of Agriculture and its Ambassador to France; and many more.

Several participants were also drawn from Africa -Senegal, Cameroon, Nigeria, Mali, Guinea Conakry and Côte d’Ivoire who came to SPACE with very specific objectives of promoting livestock development in their countries.

This year’s edition was also dedicated to the climate.

Farmers are already largely engaged in efforts to combat climate change, and this was clearly demonstrated at the Espace for the Future, with its theme: ‘Climate-Friendly Practices and Technologies’.

Meanwhile a wide range of pragmatic and financially viable solutions for greenhouse gas reduction, energy production and energy efficient systems in livestock buildings were presented at the Espace for the Future.

SPACE 2019 once again showcased innovation in livestock farming thanks to 46 Innov’SPACE winners and four Top Choice awards. Sustainability, health excellence and animal welfare, digital technology and improved working conditions were the main areas addressed by these new products.

All these themes were addressed in depth at the nearly hundred conferences and debates on the agenda this year. The full and varied programme makes SPACE an absolutely unique venue for sharing knowledge geared towards promoting and developing agriculture.

The animal presentations were also very successful this year, with 560 cattle (out of 1,500 candidates) of 13 different breeds, and 180 sheep. Thanks to the variety of breeds present, SPACE promotes genetics at the national and international levels by showcasing these animals and their breeders. The breeds in the spotlight were Salers for beef breeds, and Pie Rouge for dairy breeds. For the first time, the SPACE organised a European Pie Rouge Challenge, with 45 elite animals from France, Belgium and Germany.

SPACE opened its doors to aquaculture this year by organising two conferences on the topic, as well as a tour of a fish farm, and by clearly identifying companies offering solutions for this sector. Given the success of this initiative, a special area featuring stands dedicated to fish farming will be set up at SPACE 2020, which will take place from Tuesday 15 to Friday 18 September.

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