Virbac opened its first R&D center dedicated to warm water aquaculture in the Dong Nai province in Vietnam. With this new center, the company aims to continue to invest in order to offer new solutions for more sustainable aquaculture.
Coldwater aquaculture has been well established since the 1970s and has undergone many changes in terms of rearing techniques, feed, care and medicine requirements, to which the industry has already provided many answers. However, it represents only a small percentage of world aquaculture production (less than 10%), and it will not be sufficient on its own to meet future food challenges, Virbac said. Warm water aquaculture, which represents the vast majority of aquaculture production in tonnage with carp, tilapia and shrimp, for example, is therefore tending to develop strongly and is generating new needs in research and development.
“With the opening of this new R&D center in Vietnam, we intend to offer innovative solutions to support the advancement of warm water aquaculture and anticipate the rise of this sector by working hand in hand with local players who are experts in this field. Vietnam is indeed an important aquaculture country, rich in warm water species, and concerned by aquaculture diseases also present in other countries. This location allows us to carry out, from Vietnam, studies on locally identified pathogenic microorganisms that can be used to develop vaccines and therapeutic solutions that can be exported to support the development of aquaculture on the world market,” the company said.
The center aims to support the global warm water aquaculture market by becoming the company’s reference center for studies in Asia. It will also be a diagnostic center for customers to help them identify the cause of diseases that may occur on their farms. The company also wants to support Africa and the various global markets where the diagnostic offer is currently limited.
“The opening of the Virbac Aquaculture Technology Center is proof for our company of its strategic commitment to aquaculture, as close as possible to the markets of tomorrow. It will enable us to strengthen our know-how and accelerate our development in this field to offer new vaccines and therapeutic solutions to better meet the challenge of feeding the world's population of tomorrow,” said Sébastien Huron, CEO, Virbac Group.
The Virbac aquaculture technology center will enable the development of vaccines, probiotics and products to fight infections and ensure a more harmonious and sustainable growth of species.
