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Last updated: 17 July 2026
| TIME | DESCRIPTION | |
|---|---|---|
| TUESDAY, 8 SEPTEMBER 2026 Reflection of our journey & legacy: The industry we operate in |
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| 07:00 | Registration open | |
| 12:30 | Exhibition open | |
| 12:30 | Welcome lunch in Exhibition Hall | |
| 14:00 - 16:00 | CONFRONTING THE REALITY DRIVING THE CHAIN | |
| Conference Opening Liesl Breytenbach (Executive Director, AFMA) |
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| Welcome Address: The state of the feed industry Anina Hunter (Chairperson, AFMA) |
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| Ministerial Address Minister of Agriculture, South Africa |
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| Future of animal feed manufacturing Prof. Henrik von Scheel (Industry 4.0 originator and Strategic Intelligence expert) - Sponsored by AFMA |
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| 16:10 - 17:00 | AFMA Annual General Meeting | |
| 17:00 | Tea / Coffee break | |
| 18:30 | Welcome function | |
| WEDNESDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 2026 Responding to the reality for a sustainable feed industry |
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| 07:00 | Exhibition & Registration open | |
| 07:00 | Welcome refreshments | |
| 08:00 - 10:10 | ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE - SCIENCE, STEWARDSHIP AND INDUSTRY ACTION | |
| The role of animal nutrition in reducing reliance on antimicrobials: Global feed industry perspective Prof. Coen Smits (Director Sustainability Trouw Nutrition, Professor Animal Nutrition Wageningen University & Research) - Sponsored by Trouw Nutrition South Africa |
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| Antimicrobial stewardship in South Africa Panel discussion with panelists representing: SAHPRA | SAVA | AFMA | SAAHA | DoA |
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| 10:10 | Tea / Coffee break | |
| 11:00 - 13:15 | GLOBAL SIGNALS, LOCAL IMPACT: MAKING SENSE OF MARKET VOLATILITY AND PERFORMANCE | |
| Global animal protein markets: Signals every feed manufacturer should be watching Nan-Dirk Mulder (Senior Global Specialist - Animal Protein, Rabobank) - Sponsored by AFMA |
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| Producer sector outlook: Challenges and opportunities across species CEO Leadership panel: SAPA | SAPPO | RPO | MPO | Grain SA |
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| 13:15 | Lunch | |
| 14:45 - 17:10 | NUTRITION: DRIVING EFFICIENCY & PERFORMANCE | |
| Monogastric: Nutrition and Innovation | Ruminant: Nutrition and Innovation | |
| Increased usage of saponins in animal feeds, a global perspective Dr. Ken Bafundo (Adjunct, Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, University of Georgia) - Sponsored by Huvepharma | Opportunities for targeted feed additives to Improve Metabolic Efficiency, Performance, and Environmental Sustainability in Dairy Cows Dr. Sion Richards (Ruminant Technical Service Manager EMEA, Balchem) - Sponsored by Vitam International |
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| The impact of dietary energy on early egg production and body composition in laying hens, using a novel NIR technology Dr. Lieske van Eck (Senior Poultry Researcher, Cargill) - Sponsored by Cargill Provimi SSA | Optimising vitamin D status in dairy cows to enhance calcium–phosphorus metabolism, immune function, and milk production efficiency Ignacio Artavia (Marketing & Business Development Manager, dsm-firmenich) - Sponsored by dsm-firmenich |
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| Updated mineral requirements of chickens Prof. Michael E. Persia (Prof Extension Specialist, Poultry Nutrition and Management, Virginia Tech) - Sponsored by Allied Nutrition | Fatty acid nutrition in sustainable ruminant systems – production, environmental, consumer targets and raw material sourcing Dr. Richard Kirkland (Global Technical Manager, Volac Wilmar Feed Ingredients Limited) - Sponsored by Nutribase |
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| Sustainable technologies, digital solutions and overall innovation to improve production Prof. Aaron Cowieson (Head of Digital Consultancy & Solutions, dsm-firmenich / Extraordinary Professor, University of Aberdeen) - Sponsored by dsm-firmenich | Feedlot efficiency and mineral nutrition Prof. Stephanie Hansen (Chair for Faculty Excellence in Animal Science, Iowa State University) - Sponsored by Chemuniqué |
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| 17:10 | Tea / Coffee break | |
| 18:00 | Delegates at leisure | |
| 17:30 - 18:30 | Sponsored Commercial Session | Sponsored Commercial Session |
| 22:00 | Exhibition close | |
| THURSDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 2026 Innovating for tomorrow |
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| 07:00 | Exhibition open | |
| 07:00 | Welcome refreshments | |
| 08:00 - 10:15 | AI & DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE FEED INDUSTRY | |
| AI in Agri-food: Where are we now, and what will the future be? Cynthia Zhu (Founder & AI Consultant, Agri-ai.nl) - Sponsored by AFMA |
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| Sustainable feed manufacturing of the future driven by novel ingredients, digitalisation, moisture management and optimized quality Dr. Dejan Miladinovic (Head of Center for Feed Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences) - Sponsored by Kemin Industries South Africa |
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| AFMA Student Industry Case Challenge | ||
| 10:15 | Tea / Coffee Break | |
| 11:00 - 13:10 | FROM DATA TO DECISIONS: INNOVATION IN FEED MANUFACTURING | |
| Decoding and solving limitations for animal performance using AI-based transcriptomic analyses Dr. Luis Romero (CEO, Biofractal) - Sponsored by AFMA |
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| Real-time protein monitoring, and automatic recipe adjustment, advancing precision feed milling, consistency, efficiency, and raw material optimisation Oliver Brägger (Head of Business Development: Digital Solutions, Bühler Group) - Sponsored by Bühler |
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| AFMA Awards | ||
| 13:10 | Lunch | |
| 14:30 | Exhibition Breakdown | |
| 14:30 - 16:05 | PREPARING FOR THE NEXT DECADE | |
| Building resilient food systems: The feed industry's next chapter Constance Cullman (Board Chair, IFIF) - Sponsored by AFMA |
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| Disruption doesn't knock: Rebuilding strategy, resilience and leadership in the animal feed system Dr. Abdullah Verachia (CEO, The Strategists) - Sponsored by AFMA |
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| 16:05 | Tea / Coffee Break | |
| 17:30 | Pre-drinks for Closing function in Seers Court | |
| 18:30 | Closing function | |
| FRIDAY, 11 SEPTEMBER 2026 | ||
| 10:00 | Delegates check out and departure | |