After five years of absence, the FERMA Fair returned to the EPXO and MOSiR halls in Łódź. This is a meeting for professionals in the breeding and raising of cattle, pigs and poultry.
During this year's edition of FERMA, nearly 200 exhibitors presented a rich offer of everything necessary in breeding, starting from genetics through feeds and their distribution systems, breeding management applications, veterinary medicines and preparations, milking robots, equipment, livestock buildings, machines for harvesting and preserving feed, as well as projects and solutions for agricultural biogas plants. The event attracted 17,985 animal production experts from all over Poland, thus consolidating its position as a specialist event for professionals in the breeding industry.
There was a presence of companies from 12 countries, including South Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Israel, Portugal, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and Ukraine.
The fair is not just an exhibition of companies. On Friday and Saturday, a scientific and technical conference was held with the participation of many outstanding specialists and practitioners, enjoying great interest from breeders.
On the first day of the pig farmers' fair, Dr. Tomasz Schwarz from the University of Life Sciences in Krakow led a panel discussion, the participants of which discussed the greatest threats to pig production in Poland and Europe. The topics discussed included: ASF and other diseases, profitability fluctuations - causes and possibilities of mitigation, Poland's dependence on imports (impairment of Polish genetics, feed raw materials), social perception of farmers (including the issue of aggressive rhetoric of animal rights activists and ecologists), structural changes in agriculture (fewer and larger farms, contract production), precedent-setting judgments on animal stench and noise from farms, veganism and the prevalence of lies about meat (environmental production costs, nutritional value, impact on human health, possibility of substitution).
On Friday, a forum was also held – renewable energy sources/biogas and biomethane, moderated by prof. dr hab. Jacek Dach from the University of Life Sciences in Poznań. The panelists introduced the audience to issues related to the construction and operation of biogas plants on farms involved in animal breeding. They tried to answer the question of how biogas plants can save the animal production sector, whether digestate is an excellent fertilizer, what to look for when planning an investment, why there is no alternative to the development of biogas plants in the animal breeding sector, and whether the certification of products with a carbon footprint will lead to a collapse of Polish food exports?
Also on the first day of the fair, the Poultry Breeding Forum was held, prepared by the National Chamber of Poultry and Feed Producers, under the slogan - Polish poultry farming in an exceptionally unstable environment - balance of opportunities and threats, risk management, operating strategies and key decision-making variables.
Saturday was a day for both dairy and beef cattle breeders. For milk producers, PFHBiPM prepared a panel entitled “For humans, animals and the environment”, where the moderator – Martin Ziaja, together with the participants of the discussion, raised issues related to cow welfare, discussed innovative methods of reducing methane emissions, and also tried to present facts and myths about cows, seeking an answer to the question whether they are parasites or symbionts? Beef producers, in turn, were invited to the discussion by the Polish Association of Beef Cattle Producers, where, under the chairmanship of Jerzy Wierzbicki, the participants sought an answer to the question - will ESG reporting force farmers to reduce emissions?
On the second day of the fair, a debate with the participation of the Minister of Agriculture, Czesław Siekierski, prepared by the Chamber of Agriculture of the Łódź Province, entitled "The Future of Polish Agriculture" was held.
At the FERMA trade fair, two world premieres of devices took place. The first one is the Polish answer to mastitis, i.e. the domestic technology of washing milking units - Hyperin CluStar. The machine is made of acid-resistant stainless steel. It is hung on an adapted strip that allows movement behind the milker along the milking parlor. Using Hyperin CluStar to wash milking units after each milked cow effectively limits the spread of mastitis among dairy cattle, greatly reducing cross-infections.
The second premiere is an automatic feeding system, which was presented in an impressive show by EUROMILK. After 6 years from the presentation of the concept, the time has come for the final, production version of EM QUBE - an innovative feeding system that revolutionizes feed management on the farm.
During the fair, the Competition Committee consisting of members of the Łódź Province Chamber of Agriculture distinguished innovative products and technologies by awarding 8 Gold Medals and 5 "Innovation" Signs. The full list of winners is available https://targiferma.com.pl/program/nowosci-medale/
During the awards ceremony, the medal awarded by the Minister of Agriculture - "Meritorious for Agriculture" was awarded to the long-time agricultural attaché at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Poland, Mr. Friedemann Kraft. The medal was presented by the President of Polish Federation of Cattle Breeders and Milk Producers Leszek Hądzlik and Member of the Management Board of PFCB&MP Martin Ziaja.
After a long break, the competition for visitors also returned in a new formula, the main prize of which was a Swimer Eco Comfort Line 2500 liter diesel tank, funded by the editorial team of the BydloMleczne.pl portal and TÜV SÜD Polska Sp. z o. o. The lucky winner was the coupon of Mr. Dariusz Cyganiak from Sułkowice Drugie.
During this year's edition of FERMA, the results of the competition run by the BydłoMleczne.pl portal entitled "Show us your heifer" were also announced, in which the main prize was a SAMBA (SAMASZ) disc mower. This initiative aims to disseminate good practices in the field of ensuring the welfare of farm animals, to encourage cattle breeders and milk producers from all over the country to present the breeding achievements of their farms and to promote dairy cattle breeding. The winning photograph was sent by Mr. Grzegorz Kulesza from Rębiszewo Studzianki
