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COCCI News

Updates from Industry

Guillot: ‘Organic product is difficult because of problems with the feed.’

Most poultry companies point to Europe when they think of the so-called trend toward producing organic and free-range broilers, but that may be more perception than reality, according to Isabelle Guillot, a veterinarian who heads Schering-Plough Animal Health’s poultry business in Germany.

According to Guillot, organic and free-range birds make up only 1.2% of the 461 million birds produced in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. “Organic product is difficult because of problems with the feed,” she says, “and the market is unlikely to increase past the present level of 0.8 million birds.”

Lack of consumer demand for free-range birds is another turnoff. One German company has stopped producing them, and at one site 50% of the production was being sold as conventional broilers.

“Only one company in Germany now produces freerange birds — and it represents only 1% of their production,” she reports. “They’re also afraid to promote the product too much because it might discredit their conventional broiler products.”

Despite the shrinking market for free-range and organic birds, she says more mainstream operations are still backing off infeed anticoccidials and trending toward vaccination to avoid concerns over drug resistance and residues.

New TSB Details Sensitivity Trial

Want more information on the anticoccidial sensitivity trial described on page 4 of this issue? Schering- Plough Animal Health has published a new Technical Service Bulletin summarizing the key data from the study, complete with tables and color charts. For a free copy, contact your company representative or send your request to Phyllis Middleton. Email: [email protected]. Fax: 908- 629-3206. Ask for publication SPAH-PBU-275 and remember to include your full name and address.

More Support for Cocci Management

Schering-Plough Animal Health has realigned two US sales territories and appointed new representatives to service poultry customers in key areas.

Paul Burke (paul.burke@ spcorp.com) — a 10-year veteran of the company’s Poultry Business Unit and the winner of numerous sales awards, including top sales representative in 1994 and 2000 — will continue as a Senior Area Manager but will be relocating to Texas to serve his new western territory, which also includes California, Oregon and Washington.

Earlier in his career, Burke was a grow-out manager for Cargill, Jacksonville, Fla., and attended Texas A&M University, College Station. He is currently based in Gallatin, Tenn.

Burke is being replaced by Ray Abner (ray.abner@ spcorp.com) who recently joined Schering-Plough Animal Health with more than 20 years of industry experience, including sales positions with Hoechst Roussel Vet and Hoffmann- LaRoche. Abner has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in animal science and nutrition from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Based in Lowndesboro, Ala., Abner will cover his home state plus Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

Source: CocciForum Issue No.7, Schering-Plough Animal Health.