Latin American Swine Team Learns About U.S. Fats and Proteins

By Alberto Celis
Regional Director, Latin America, National Renderers Association

The National Renderers Association’s (NRA’s) International Market Development Committee is strongly committed to building long-term relations with potential overseas partners that produce meat, eggs, and milk. The grounds for this relationship should be that as they become more efficient and productive, the market would grow for high quality and safe U.S. feed fats and proteins.

For this reason, the NRA Mexico office coordinated, along with the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, IL, the fourth Advanced Swine Production Course. With support from the Foreign Agriculture Services’ Cochran Fellowship Program, six Latin American swine professionals were invited to attend this course: two from Mexico and one each from Honduras, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.

The course, held in mid-July, included presentations on protein and energy nutrition at the various stages of swine growth incorporating the benefits of animal fats and proteins. Another 12 Latin American swine specialists also attended the course. This was not only an excellent opportunity for the 18 attendees to exchange information amongst themselves, but also to raise the profile of U.S. rendered products since the six team members were identified as advocates for the use of animal fats and proteins.

The team included one of the most influential animal nutritionists in Mexico, a top nutritionist from Central America, and one of the most influential swine advisors in the Dominican Republic. It also included the manager of the largest Venezuelan integrated operation, a highly influential Mexican swine producer, and the second or third largest Honduran feed manufacturer. Having this caliber of international feed industry representatives participating in NRA activities represents an endorsement to U.S. rendered products.

The group also had the opportunity to visit two NRA members – Griffin Industries and National By-Products – and get a first-hand look at their quality assurance programs and to gather further information on the nutritional values and economic benefits from the use of animal fats and proteins. Given the high profile of the attendees, it is my belief that not only did the team members receive excellent information that will help them to make better choices on their ingredient purchases, but also NRA members recognized the importance of marketing U.S. rendered products in this part of the world.

The third part of the trip included the participation in the Federation of Animal Science Societies Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. Around 2,000 scientific papers were presented, half of them orally and at least one-third were on animal nutrition. Several papers included animal by-products in their experiments. The team was able to make many contacts and increase their knowledge of the current trends in the American swine industry.

At the close of the trip, the participants expressed a greater appreciation for the value of the services that the NRA and its members provide in developing a two-way partnership, and in the high quality and safety of American fats and proteins in improving swine nutrition under their local conditions.

As the participants were leaders, they will have a multiplier effect on the spread of information of U.S. rendered products in their respective countries.

International Report - October 2001 Render