Animal Health and Nutrition

The upgrade will enable the site to shift from lower-protein sunflower meal to high- and super-high-protein variants, strengthening the regional supply of plant-based protein for feed manufacturers.

The Irish-funded research will examine how such additives perform across different production stages, providing long-term data on effectiveness and potential scalability.

For poultry producers, gut health is closely linked to feed conversion, growth rates and disease resistance.

The State Department is leading the Blue Economy and Fisheries process as part of broader efforts to modernise oversight of the fast-growing sector.

The launch is supported by 9 peer-reviewed publications, 12 mode-of-action studies and 5 years of field data, reflecting a broader industry shift toward scientifically validated feed additives.

In the fisheries sector, the package includes five major projects spanning algae cultivation, abalone farming and shrimp production, alongside a tuna fattening project using floating cages.

The Lithuania project builds on earlier clean energy investments by Mars, including solar developments in Poland and wind energy agreements in Sweden and the United States.

The minister stressed that the impact of FMD extends beyond animal health, affecting livestock productivity, market access and feed demand across the value chain.

The Wellcome Trust-funded TRACE project, led by KEMRI-Wellcome, will study how aflatoxins and climate change affect African child health.

The dual launch reflects a broader shift toward coordinated, innovation-led agricultural development in Africa.