BRAZIL—Royal DSM, a science driven global company, is set to expand its global precision tech market into Brazil by acquiring Prodap, a Brazilian animal generation and nutrition company that combines tailored nutrition, consulting and technology to boost livestock potency and sustainability.
The bullish growth of global precision farming is driven by a demand for efficiency, traceability and improved animal welfare as food companies try to meet the need to provide quality animal protein to an expanding population.
“Precision nutrition is a key pathway to improving the efficiency and sustainability of animal farming, creating value for a range of stakeholders, including farmers and society at large,” says Ivo Lansbergen, executive vice president, Animal Nutrition and Health, DSM.
Serving more than 5000 farmers in Brazil, Prodap collects data and develops insights in real-time, which are translated into nutritional solutions for ruminant farming operations.
DSM said it will further develop Prodap’s digital solutions to reach more global markets and advance data collection of various animal species.
The company commented that Prodap will complement its in-depth knowledge and advice on animal nutrition with extensive consulting experience and facilitate an even higher level of customer experience.
In addition, by supporting more efficient agriculture, the acquisition contributed to DSM’s commitment to realize a two-digit reduction in farm emissions by 2030 as part of its 2021 food system commitment.
A recent meta-analysis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), concludes that, diligently applied farming strategies could mitigate livestock methane emissions to help the sector limit its share of global warming to the 1.5 °C targets by 2030.
David Nickell, vice president, sustainability and business solutions, DSM animal nutrition and health said that to do this, first the industry needs to understand what needs to change.
He also pointed out the significant role retailers play in influencing the rest of the supply chain in terms of tracking environmental footprint.
“A significant number of retailers have signed up to science-based targets and have set their Scope 3 objectives, so they must reduce year-on-year, and 90% of a retailer’s carbon emissions are upstream, on the farm, with nutrition a huge part of that,” he said.
Thus, he concluded that for sustainable animal nutrition, monitoring the raw materials going into feed, that is, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, soil quality, the use of land and water resources, as well as the impacts on biodiversity, are just as significant as reducing GHG emissions.
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