Strong Dutch presence at the biggest livestock expo in Korea
The livestock sector is one of the backbones of the rural economy in the Republic of Korea. Meals in the country often include pork, beef, or chicken. Also, dairy products are increasingly popular. The geographical realities in Korea (mountainous and unsuitable for large-scale fodder production) and an aging rural population make for a dependency on imports and high-tech technologies to boost local productivity.
Korea International Livestock Expo
The latest developments in livestock and Korea’s anticipation of challenges in the sector were the core focus at the Korea International Livestock Expo (KISTOCK), held from 6-8 September in Daegu. KISTOCK is the largest livestock expo in Korea, and the expo is focused on livestock genetics, feed, housing, machinery, facilities, and the environment. The embassy participated in the expo before, in 2017 and 2019. This time, the embassy established the NL Pavilion to showcase Dutch technology with a strong focus on carbon neutrality and animal welfare.
Participating companies
In the video below, you’ll find testimonials from participating companies. Dutch companies have partnered with Korean companies to establish themselves in the Korean market. The showcased technology included:
- Milking robots and other dairy solutions
- Slaughtering and processing systems for the poultry sector
- Health checks, feeding, and monitoring solutions for pig farming
- Sanitation products for livestock farms
- Feeders for the dairy sector
- Technology to recycle animal manure to “biochar,” which is a soil conditioner
In this video, you’ll find testimonials from participating companies in the Kistock Expo in Korea. Dutch companies have partnered with Korean companies to establish themselves in the Korean market.
Challenges of the livestock sector
These solutions contribute to many of the challenges of the livestock sector. Robots address rural labor shortages and boost efficiency. Sanitation, health services for pigs, and efficient/clean/safe slaughtering and processing systems enhance animal welfare and food safety and also help address health threats such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The companies had the opportunity to present their technologies to Korean farmers on the second day of the expo.
Wageningen Advanced Agriculture Master
The embassy organized two seminars: one for dairy farmers and the other for pig farmers. Both seminars are co-organized by the Embassy and Sunjin. And the pig seminar is combined with a live lecture of the WAAM class. The Wageningen Advanced Agriculture Master e-learning is a class dedicated to educating Korean pig farmers on the latest technologies in the sector. The seminar was a unique experience, as the audience in Daegu could ask questions through a live connection directly to Dutch pig farmers.
Contact
The LAN team of the Dutch embassy in Seoul will continue to support knowledge and technology exchange between the Netherlands and Korea in the livestock sectors. Boosting productivity and sustainability are the need of the hour. Korean consumers and producers increasingly pay attention to animal welfare, leading to changing consumer demands and production systems. If you or your organization wants to know more about the Korean livestock sectors and/or the way the Netherlands can cooperate with Korean stakeholders, don’t hesitate to reach out to seo-lnv@minbuza.nl.