‘Globally Connected with LOHMANN’ was the motto for this year’s Franchise Distributor Meeting in Madrid, attended by almost 160 representatives from 45 some nations.

Welcome to Madrid!

Monday evening was the kick-off with a reception at Madrid’s impressive Casino. Our Managing Director Javier Ramírez welcomed the guests and there were speeches by several local politicians (names – Andrea?). Traditional Spanish dishes provided a suitable culinary background, while our guests enjoyed the warm atmosphere of the historical casino.

Globally connected with LOHMANN

The motto ‘Globally Connected with LOHMANN’ was viewed from every conceivable angle, on the first seminar day. Based on this subject, a number of presentations were provided by our own specialists and external experts including Dr. Carlos Buxadé and representatives of Spain’s public health authorities.

In the afternoon, we travelled a short distance to the Palacio del Negralejo where our guests enjoyed a culinary tour of Spain’s many regions, in delightful surroundings, culminating in a series of traditional presentations including a flamenco show. In the evening, there was space for even more culture at the Museo del Prado in the form of a private tour of the exhibition galleries, followed by a cocktail dinner.

One challenge – one opportunity

On the second seminar day, it was time for our customers to take the floor. Under the motto ‘One Challenge – One Opportunity’, they spoke of their experiences and successes. These provided the subject matter for a subsequent round of discussions on how to overcome and exploit the crises in the poultry business. Around lunchtime, we travelled by bus to the traditional Café de Oriente, where the seminar visitors enjoyed their lunch while soaking up the seasonal weather and fabulous view of the Palacio Real, just opposite. Lunch was followed by a 3-hour guided tour on foot through the magnificent historical city centre of Madrid. The evening of the final official seminar day concluded with our gala dinner with live music. A successful end to a successful seminar. For most of us, Thursday meant ‘Adiós Madrid’.

Valencia here we come!

For a number of seminar visitors, however, the journey was not yet over. Instead they started their additional tour to Valencia. After a journey of just less than 2 hours on the high speed AVE train, our stay in Valencia started with a 3-hour guided tour of the historical parts of the city. The afternoon was free for delegates to continue their own journey of discovery around Valencia, or to simply soak up the warm summer weather on the magnificent sandy beaches.

In the evening, a barbecue dinner was organised at Hotel las Arenas, where the mood was further enhanced by a musical concert. A variety of choices were offered for spending the Friday morning. Options included a visit to the City of Arts and Science and the Park by bycicle, or by bus, followed by a lightning visit to Valencia’s opera house. The motto for the afternoon was: ‘Bring on the wooden spoons! The objective was to produce a delicious paella in the magnificent villa Masia Xamandreu. A great time was had by all, and the best paella was offered up for tasting. The final evening was spent at the marvellous location Veles e Vents where everyone enjoyed a pleasant end to the conference with a standing cocktail dinner, before heading back home on Saturday.

Muchas Gracias

We would like to thank all those who attended for a wonderful time in Madrid and Valencia, and express the hope that all our guests enjoyed the conference as much as the LOHMANN tea

Poultry, Sustainability and Future

Prof. Dr. Carlos Buxadé Carbó presented an excellent summary on the future needs for farm animal production with a special focus on poultry during the Franchise Distributor Meeting in Madrid at the beginning of September 2017. Feeding the growing population of the world requires joint efforts to improve feed efficiency and performance profile especially when arable land is shrinking all over the world.

Honour of lifetime achievements

After his presentation and discussions with the audience, Prof. Dr. Ernst Kalm, former chair of the Institute for Animal Breeding and Husbandry at the Christian – Albrechts University (CAU) in Kiel, Germany, personally honoured the lifetime achievements of Carlos Buxadé.

Scientific career

Buxadé graduated with a degree in animal science at the University of Madrid and started his scientific career at the university in Kiel. Even Prof. Dr. Preisinger, Dr. Schmutz, Dr. Wiebke Icken and Dr. Cavero, attained their PhD degrees from this university under the then leadership of Prof. Kalm. Buxadé received a fellowship from the university in Kiel in 1969. In 1971, he finished his PhD studies on growth pattern and carcass yield in pigs. From 1971 until 1973, he worked as a Postdoc in the milk recording centre in Kiel. In the years to follow, he worked for the animal nutrition company, NANTA – España in Spain. In 1985, he went back to Kiel to further pursue his studies in order to apply for a Professorship. He attended congresses and organised a lot of excursions to Germany for Spanish dairy and pig farmers. He successfully received his Professorship in Madrid a few years after. Based on his excellent and fond experiences with the university in Kiel, he encouraged and sent more than 15 PhD students from Madrid to Kiel and all of them have graduated at that very same university in the last 30 years.

New challenges

The number of publications and books which Carlos has produced is very impressive. His emotional and energetic way of presenting different topics related to farm animal production, with a special focus of economics, is well appreciated in Europe and Latin America. After retiring from the University in Madrid, Carlos has decided to start his own consulting company, a move that did not come as a surprise to his friends. Carlos needs the challenge and he is very eager to push our industry into further horizons. All of us wish Carlos all the best for the future and we are certain, we will meet him again in future events in which he will most likely continue to present the latest results and recommendations in his unique and passionate way.

Prof. Dr. Rudolf Preisinger