Aquafeed and animal health provider Skretting is building a new, USD 6.1 million (EUR 5.1 million) research and development facility in Ecuador that will be the latest addition to the firm’s Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC) network.
The new facility, dubbed Skretting ARC Guayas Research Station, will complement existing Skretting ARC R&D facilities in Norway, Italy, Japan, Chile, and China, with additional validation facilities throughout the world. The center – to be located next to Skretting Ecuador’s recently-completed feed-manufacturing plant – will have fully equipped laboratories and state-of-the art experimental units and green-water tanks to perform trials under controlled conditions.
The move aims to support the shrimp sector – the fastest-growing aquaculture protein, with world growth expected at 4-5 percent a year over the next few years – with the latest R&D, Skretting said in a release.
“We are committed to supporting the growth of the shrimp industry globally,” Skretting R&D Director Alex Obach said. “We also know the importance of optimal diets, combined with high post-larvae quality and professional farming practices. The development of solutions requires world-class R&D facilities, combined with local expertise.”
The company touted its team of “140 highly skilled specialists,” backed by an annual R&D budget of USD 18 million (EUR 15 million).
“Over the years our scientists, together with our extensive research network, have contributed to the launch of important feed solutions for all the shrimp life stages,” Obach said. “Now, we want to go further. This new world-class shrimp research facility will drive our knowledge of shrimp nutrition in Skretting and deliver new solutions to improve shrimp performance: faster growth, shorter production cycles and higher survival rates. We are excited to see where our curiosity takes us on the next part of our journey.”
Stavanger, Norway-based Skretting boasts production facilities in 19 countries on five continents, manufacturing and delivering more than two million metric tons a year of feed from hatching to harvest for more than 60 species. It is the aquaculture division of leading animal nutrition firm Nutreco NV.
In January, Skretting announced a partnership with Łódź, Poland-based Proteon Pharmaceuticals to develop bacteriophage technology for use in animal health.
Photo courtesy of Skretting
