In February, Brent Zacharias, Nufarm Group Executive of Seed Technologies and Evy Vikene, Aquaculture Lead for Norway & EU, attended the North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF), the world’s foremost seafood business conference.
Brent and Evy travelled to Bergen, Norway, to discuss emerging technologies and new fish feed ingredients in aquaculture and how Aquaterra Advanced Omega-3 can help bridge the growing gap between the supply of and demand for omega-3s.
As part of the forum, Brent and Evy introduced a panel discussion titled “Time to Embrace GMOs?” As described on the NASF website:
Biotechnology enables efficient and targeted development of biological resources to strengthen the sustainability and resilience of the bioeconomy and food systems. These technologies offer improved plant and animal health, climate adaptation, increased yield and reduced land use, improved nutritional value in food and feed, and improved animal welfare. However, realizing the potential of these technologies depends on the political and societal framework within which they exist. In Norway and Europe, regulations and consumer perception represent barriers to innovation and commercial use of genetically modified products (GMOs).
During his introduction to the session, Brent briefly explained why Nufarm has invested 14 years of time and effort into creating and scaling Aquaterra.
The subsequent discussion on aquaculture and biotech featured a talk by Sigrid Bratlie, a senior advisor at the Langsikt Center for Long-Term Policy, a Norwegian think tank dedicated to addressing global-scale scientific challenges and how they intersect with public policy. Sigrid is leading efforts to expedite Norway’s adoption of biotech technologies, and the Norwegian aquaculture industry’s use of feed ingredients sourced from biotech.
Sigrid began by describing some of the most recent innovations in biotech—including Aquaterra—and their potential for society. After further discussion of how biotechnologies are advancing in both sophistication and adoption, Sigrid closed her presentation by discussing Norway’s long-time opposition to biotech products, and how Aquaterra has played a unique role in helping to reverse that policy.
Sigrid’s presentation and the subsequent panel discussion clarified how quickly biotech’s role in feeding the world is expanding and evolving, and how policymakers are racing to catch up.
NASF was an enjoyable and informative experience. Keep an eye on our LinkedIn feed for clips from this event. We look forward to future opportunities to show aquaculture stakeholders how Aquaterra can grow their industry.