The Company is positioned to benefit from the trends in growth of the world’s population, the increasing demand for meat and fish protein in developing countries and the tightening of global regulation which favours more natural feed additive solutions.  Our strong global brands, which include Kiotechagil and Optivite, trade in over 70 countries using a combination of distributors, joint ventures and wholly owned subsidiaries backed up by a centralised manufacturing and research and development centre based in the United Kingdom.

Our aim is to increase shareholder value by being best positioned to capitalize on these important new and profitable opportunities.

Our key trading brands are Kiotechagil and Optivite, which trade across 70 countries worldwide.  We predominantly use local distributors who have expert knowledge and customer relationships in their respective countries. However, in 2009 we set up a wholly owned subsidiary, Kiotechagil (Shanghai), in China to capitalize on the potential opportunity offered in a country where a sixth of the world’s population resides and where growth in GDP is high. 

Our product range is developed and manufactured at our facility in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, and then shipped to our customers both in the United Kingdom and abroad.  This central facility is used by all Group companies, and provides our customers with high quality proven products and innovative research driven solutions.  Anpario also trades under the Vitrition brand in the UK, supplying specialist organic feed to organic livestock farmers, using a dedicated plant in North Yorkshire.

Agriculture:

Our products are used around the world by farmers and integrators producing meat and dairy products for human consumption.  Anpario has developed specific products for the poultry, pig, ruminant and animal feed markets which include: acidifiers, enzymes, pellet binders, antioxidants, mycotoxin binders, mould control products and a range of nutritional premixes and performance enhancers which optimize the performance of the animal.  Some of our leading products are summarized below:

Acidifier Range:

Anpario companies were the first to pioneer blending a mix of acids and placing them on a carrier matrix to ensure the acid blend would reach the intestinal gut of the animal and thereby eliminate the incidence of harmful enteropathogens such as Salmonella and E.coli, as well as offering a probiotic effect to work in synergy with the animal’s natural immune system.

Omega 3 & 6 Supplements:

Anpario offers its customers anumber of omega 3 & 6 supplements for use in feed.  Not only do these products improve bone strength, fertility and overall health of the animal, but also enable an egg, milk or meat producer to incorporate omega oils in the end product for human consumption.  An egg containing omega 3 in the United Kingdom and elsewhere is likely to have used an Anpario produced supplement.

Our other products improve the integrity of animal feed pellets, improve the nutritional value of the feed, remove harmful toxins from grain and feed to prevent damage to vital organs in the animal and also prevent mould in essential raw materials.

Anpario supplies some of the largest farm integrators and feed mills in the world, covering 70 countries.

Aquaculture:

Aquaculture is the fastest growing animal food-producing sector, where world aquaculture production is expected to reach 80 million tonnes by 2050; a 56% increase from the 51.7 million tonnes in 2006 (source: Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations - FAO). Per capita supply of aquaculture produced fish has grown from 0.7kg in 1970 to 7.8kg in 2006, an annual growth rate of 6.9%.

During Anpario’s early years, the company developed a fish attractant formulation which was initially and successfully used in the sports fishing market to improve the catch rate of both professional and amateur anglers. In 2001 Anpario then formed a strategic partnership with Cefas (Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science), an Executive Agency of the UK government, by signing a 20 year licensing agreement to jointly develop and, then for Anpario to commercialise a range of pheromone based products for the sports fishing, aquaculture, commercial fishing and ornamental fish markets on a global basis. In 2009 Anpario sold the rights to the sports fishing market, taking the decision to focus solely on the global aquaculture market where the greatest potential rewards are for the technology. Anpario is marketing its novel and unique pheromone stimulant under its Aquatice® brand.

Anpario, through its trading brands, already supplies products such as pellet binders, growth promoters and immune enhancers for both shrimp and fin fish species.  However, Aquatice® uses unique technology which uses chemical signals to induce a strong feeding response.

The Technology

Anpario’s Aquatice® technology mimics chemical signals secreted or released by fish or crustacean which cause a specific response when detected by the same or related species.  In nature they are released in minute quantities and when detected by other fish, act as chemical signals and a method of communication.

In the case of fish species, research has found that these signals can trigger heightened responses relating to shoaling, feeding, reproduction and migration behavior.  Anpario and Cefas have focused on fish and crustacean behavioural science and the associated effects of these chemical signals on fish feeding patterns.  The aim has been to reduce wastage and improve the food to growth conversion ratio, by producing a nature-identical formulation which induces a more efficient feeding behaviour in both fish and crustacean.

The Opportunity

Despite the continued success of aquaculture to produce low cost protein for human consumption, the industry has its problems; most notably the ecological impact of farmed fish’s dependence on a fish-based food product and the associated over fishing of other wild fish species.  It is estimated that in world salmonid aquaculture production, as much as three tonnes of fish product can yield as little as one tonne of incremental weight on the fish.

The opportunity for Aquatice® is two-fold.  In the short term our development and trials process has focused on increasing the feeding activity and efficiency using conventional fish based diets, thereby reducing waste and environmental damage, whilst at the same time accelerating growth and lowering overall feed requirement.

The longer-term opportunity is to use the technology to enable low fish protein based feeds to be used by improving their palatability, thereby protecting wild fish populations and providing a sustainable base for the expansion of the aquaculture industry.

Development and Commercialisation of Aquatice®

The FAO estimates that in order to maintain the current per capita consumption, global aquaculture production will need to reach 80 million tonnes by 2050.  World aquaculture is heavily dominated by the Asia-Pacific region, which accounts for 89% in volume terms and 77% by value.  This dominance is mainly due to China’s enormous production, which is in excess of 60% of world production.  Anpario has therefore focused its development and trials in the Asia Pacific region by concentrating on the key species farmed in the region namely: Tilapia, Shrimp, Carp and Catfish.

Field trials with Aquatice® have demonstrated significant benefits to farmers in the following parameters:

• Improved feed efficiency (FCR) – up to 18.5%.
• Reduced feed waste – up to 20% - improvement in water quality.
• Improved uptake of sustainable feeds – up to 40%.
• Reduced mortality.
• Reduced cycle time.
• Produces higher proportion of larger fish.
• Improved water quality.

The accumulation of a number of these benefits can significantly enhance the farmers’ overall profitability.  For example, Tilapia trials in Zhuhai, China demonstrated that farmers achieved a 50% higher income from using Aquatice®, as the benefit of larger proportion of bigger fish, improved feed conversion, and getting the harvest to market sooner gave the farmer a higher average price for his fish.

The Aquatice® range of products is marketed through the Kiotechagil trading brand.

www.kiotechagil.com

A demonstration of Aquatice® is shown in this video, where an experiment was conducted by the Chines Pearl River Institute.  The eels in the aquarium are offered standard feed on the left and feed treated with Aquatice® for eels on the right.  The eels are immediately drawn by the attractant on the right.  The pheromone signal alerts the eels to the presence of the feed and they hunt eagerly until the feed is located.

Updated from company website 1/12/11