INTERVIEW ▶▶▶
be part of the solution. But it’s no easy task. We must produce even more food, while advancing rural development, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and continuing to protect our precious ecosystems. With high-quality animal genetics as a starting point, we can secure the world’s food supply and reduce agriculture’s impact on the environment.” “Our vision is that we have the opportunity to lead the way in set- ting the standard for sustainable animal breeding. There are cur- rently no sustainable animal breeding standards but they are needed if we are to feed a growing world population in a sustain- able manner for many years to come. To create these standards, we look at multiple factors. Food safety, animal welfare, environ- mental impact, responsible consumption and the well-being of society must be placed in different contexts by region and coun- try. By choosing the right animal with the right quality for the right region or consumer group, we can select for the right bal- ance of sustainability issues and maintain our mission to support the food challenge.”
“We want to ‘step on the accelerator pedal’ and grow as a company”
How do you commit to that as a company? “We are committed to setting the standard by leading by example through improved biosecurity, additional genetic advances to im- prove protein production efficiency, balanced breeding pro- grammes, improved survivability of animals to capture the full value of their genetics and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At Hendrix Genetics we are continually seeking innovative and sus- tainable solutions along the entire animal protein value chain. We are at the start of this chain and therefore have a significant influ- ence. Hendrix Genetics’ vision of setting the standard for sustaina- ble animal breeding will provide solutions to help feed the world and build a sustainable future.”
Will Hendrix Genetics venture into insects, aqua and cul- tured meat markets? “We started activities in insect genetics in 2018. Through our part- nership with Protix we have demonstrated that insect genetics has a lot to offer to this developing industry. Our activities in aqua are bigger where we see good opportunities for growth in shrimp. At this time we have no aspirations in the cultured meat market.”
Can you give us an example of the type of research work that you’ll be taking forward thanks to the new financial agreement? “We will strengthen our activities in swine, traditional poultry and
8 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 6, 2022
shrimp. The investments of PSP will enable us to achieve this and grow our research and development. Technology and data have played an important role in our development so far. Collecting in- formation on our animals and turning that into genetic improve- ment is at the heart of our activities. The importance of technolo- gy and data will increase further. That is necessary to address the global food challenge. Technologies and data science enable us to capture more data that enables us to address the needs of our customers even better.”
Will the involvement of Paine Schwartz bring changes, for instance, in the area of governance? “Jolanda van Haarlem has played an instrumental role in taking the company to the next level by bringing Paine Schwartz Partners on board as a new shareholder and formulating the strategy for 2026. She considers it the right moment to take the next step. To ensure continuity and minimal disruption to the company, the superviso- ry board invited Antoon van den Berg to step back from the role of chief executive officer (CEO). Antoon held this position since Hendrix Genetics was founded in 2005 up until May 2021. Wout Dekker (former CEO at Nutreco) brings many years of experience to the supervisory board, not only in the agri-food sector but also on the supervisory boards of international companies. In this role he wants to contribute to the further development of Hendrix Genet- ics in a fast-changing world by helping it to realise its strategy.”
What is your personal drive towards the future? “The world is constantly changing and with that we have new challenges to meet. These encompass animal welfare, environ- mental footprint and, of course, the ever-growing need for more and affordable food. It is my belief that we can meet those chal- lenges. I want to keep building on a resilient, multi species com- pany with our experienced incumbent staff and new elan. I am confident that the Hendrix Genetics family will set the standard for sustainable breeding to solve the global food challenge now and well beyond 2026.”
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