Interview with Yoav Rosen

Yoav Rosen is Global Marketing Director, Aqua, ADM Animal Nutrition.

AQ: What has been your journey in aquafeeds? How did you get to where you are today?

YR: I started my wonderful journey in the aquaculture sector working at the hatchery level, optimizing the usage of live feed in marine fish operations. This rich experience helped me understand the fundamentals of our industry. Later in my career, I had the opportunity to take part in the development of feed additives, vaccines and other solutions for the sector. Overall, I’m lucky to have almost 20 years in the field of marine environment and aquaculture, both in the academy and at international companies. I also hold a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science and attended the Tel Aviv University in Israel where I graduated with a Master of Business Administration.

AQ: ADM provides nutritional and farming solutions to aquaculture farmers, hatcheries and feed millers around the world. After recent acquisitions, such as Neovia, where is the company now in terms of size, markets served and volume for feed additives and aquafeeds?

YR: ADM has an international presence with local agility, tailoring our science-based nutrition solutions to specific aquaculture farming conditions. Our primary focus is shrimp, tilapia and marine fish in the APAC and LATAM regions, and we have a global network of research and development facilities. ADM’s aquaculture business is distinct in that we have the expertise and portfolio to address the nutritional needs of aquaculture at all life stages, from hatchery to harvest. Furthermore, we are committed to building a more sustainable value

chain by developing alternative protein formulations, minimizing waste, improving water quality, enhancing animal welfare and optimizing feed efficiency for improved fish and shrimp production.

AQ: Ocialis is the aquafeed brand for the Asia Pacific and Latin America. What are the main targeted species and markets in Asia Pacific and does ADM plan any expansions and feed developments for this region?

YR: Many of our APAC customers are located in Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and China. Ocialis products deliver precision nutrition to shrimp, marine and freshwater fish. For example, Vanalis Pro is a functional feed that delivers an active probiotic combined with a blend of specialty feed additives to enhance immune function and improve gut health. Our shrimp product is commercially available and we’re currently launching a tailored formulation for fish.

AQ: What about LATAM? What is the focus for this area?

YR: In LATAM, as in Asia, we serve hatcheries, farmers and feed millers. Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and Central America are the main countries we support by providing nutrition solutions for shrimp and tilapia aquaculture. To help farms keep animals in good health, we are developing and providing feed additives and functional feeds, such as AquaTrax, a new functional ingredient for resilience and performance support in the shrimp industry. To help optimize business operations and performance, we offer a variety of high-quality feed formulations, such as seasonal feed, which are nutrition formulations tailored to support different environmental conditions.

Additionally, early life nutrition is a key focus area for ADM. We understand that the development of fish and shrimp, as with all organisms, at their early life stages is critical in determining lifelong development. The better the nutrition during the early life stages, the better the growth performance will be in the grow-out stages. We are invested in developing the best nutrition for fish and shrimp broodstock and larvae fingerlings.

AQ: ADM developed a shrimp farming model for more sustainable and high-tech farms. Would you tell us more about BIOSIPEC?

YR: BIOSIPEC is the Bio-Secure Intensive Shrimp Production system launched by ADM in 2017. It’s ideal for areas with poor water sources, including low salinity and disease-prone areas. BIOSIPEC applies several innovative technologies, including water treatment to improve biosecurity and prevent disease outbreaks, an aeration system to reduce energy cost and optimize water aeration, and a customized feed formulated to improve shrimp growth and maintain water quality. A BIOSIPEC demonstration farm is located in southern Vietnam, allowing Asian farmers to discover different technologies for successful and sustainable intensive shrimp production. The solution helps to reduce farming risks and environmental impacts and maximizes profitability for shrimp farmers.

AQ: BernAqua is the hatchery feed brand of ADM with a long presence in the market. Is there any specific goal in terms of production, geographic reach or product development, such as Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) feeds?

YR: BernAqua is ADM’s solution for high-performance nutrition during the critical early life stages of fish and shrimp, in hatchery and nursery phases. Our R&D centers around the globe are continuously exploring better nutrition solutions for cultivated fish and shrimp, such as highly digestible raw materials and microextrusion processing technology for superior buoyancy and particle quality.

As Recirculating Aquaculture Systems are common in many hatcheries around the world, we can find BernAqua products being used in these types of systems. We believe the bigger question is about the expanding use of RAS in the grow-out level of different aquaculture species, including shrimp. We are tracking the development in this field and closely monitoring the nutritional needs for RAS.

AQ: ADM recently opened an aquaculture innovation lab in the US. What will this center add to the other capabilities the company has in other regions?

YR: The new Aquaculture Innovation Lab is housed within our state-of-the-art Animal Nutrition Technology Center. It’s also strategically positioned near another ADM research facility and our production facilities. Our aqua researchers have access to a pilot lab that enables rapid prototyping of new technologies, such as feed ingredients and additives that can increase production efficiency, mitigate environmental impact and improve

animal resilience and welfare. What’s really unique about this lab is its flexibility: trials can be conducted with a variety of target species and segments, including various water temperatures and salinities with tight control over water quality conditions, fish performances, behavior and health status. The upstream research and development that occurs in the U.S. will directly benefit our activities in other parts of the world.

AQ: ADM partnered with Nuseed for omega-3 canola processing in the US. Does ADM use or plan to use alternative ingredients in its aquafeeds?

YR: Innovating aqua nutrition with alternative ingredients is crucial to maintaining protein security and the health of our oceans. Fishmeal and oil are finite resources, so reducing their use is a critical mission for the entire aquaculture industry. Specifically, at ADM, we are focusing on developing sustainable solutions on two levels. First, by developing functional specialties that help reduce FCR and optimize feed utilization, which helps reduce the number of resources needed in the production of fish and shrimp. Secondly, we develop and supply high-quality protein meals as a source of digestible amino acids and that do not contain animal protein. Our alternative nutrition solutions are backed by scientific research and are produced with our formulation expertise and technical ingenuity. We also work directly with farmers to incorporate transparent and traceable sourcing practices across the supply chain, which ultimately helps our customers reduce their environmental impact.

AQ: How about sustainability? What are ADM sustainability goals?

YR: Sustainability is built into every aspect of our business at ADM. As a global leader in the industry, we’re committed to supporting the decarbonization of the ag and food value chains. Our scale, supplier relationships and partnerships help deliver a collective impact. Specifically, we’re working toward our Strive 35 sustainability goals for energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste management. Over the last decade, we’ve achieved a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity across our global footprint. We’re also aiming to reduce our Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2035.

AQ: Finally, where would you like to see the aquaculture industry in the next ten years?

YR: The aquaculture industry has evolved in so many aspects in the last few decades, from small family farms to more sophisticated, larger operations that access veterinary and nutritional knowledge. We are in a very exciting period in this development as we see technology and know-how driving the industry forward. With evolutions in data management, water management and RAS, genetics, nutrition, veterinary treatments and vaccines, we should expect big advancements in the next ten years.

As such, I would like to see a sustainable aquaculture industry in ten years. I envision an industry with solid fish and shrimp health and performance management programs and one that relies on zero wild resources from the oceans.

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