FERMA - the largest trade fair for animal production specialists in Poland

From 23 to 25 February, the BCTW hall in Bydgoszcz hosted FERMA, a trade fair for professionals from the cattle, pig and poultry breeding sectors

At this year's edition of FERMA, 140 exhibitors presented a wide range of genetics, feed and feeding systems, breeding management applications, veterinary medicines and preparations, milking robots, equipment, housing, harvesting machines and feed preservation, as well as projects and solutions for agricultural biogas plants. The event was attended by 12,056 animal production professionals from all over Poland, consolidating its position as a specialised event for professionals in the breeding industry.

Companies from 10 countries were represented, including South Korea, China, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Denmark and Pakistan.

The event was officially opened by, among others, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Stefan Krajewski, and the Deputy Voivode of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship, Piotr Hemmerling as well the Managing Director of DLG International, Jens Kremer.

However, the trade fair is not just about presenting companies. In the history of the event, the scientific and technical conference has been an extremely important element every year. On the first day of the Pig Breeders' Forum, the debate of topagrar Polska began. "How to break the spell of the negative image of pig farmers? What do we need to talk about out loud?", which was attended by well-known YouTubers, among others.

The next part of this panel was led by Dr Tomasz Schwarz from the University of Life Sciences in Krakow, and the participants tried to answer the question "Quantity or quality - which is more important in pork production? The Poultry Forum was also held on the same day, where the National Chamber of Poultry and Feed Producers discussed the latest issues facing the industry. Also on Friday, the KPODR in Minikowo, together with the Institute of Veterinary Medicine of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, held lectures on the health and welfare of cattle, pigs and poultry.

On the second day of the fair, the Polish Association of Cattle Breeders and Milk Producers, together with invited guests, organised a discussion for milk producers as part of the conference entitled: Dairy farming for people and the environment. The discussion focussed on environmental protection issues in the dairy industry and the changing needs of consumers, such as the production of A2A2 milk.

A very important element of this year's FERMA was the 2nd Biogas and Biomethane Summit, where the Association of Producers and Employers of the Biogas and Biomethane Industry presented farmers with the opportunities, solutions, benefits and problems associated with operating a biogas plant on their own farm. Legal and financial issues as well as substrate utilisation and digestate management were discussed. Owners of plants already in operation reported on their experiences.

A real attraction, especially for younger farming connoisseurs - but, as it turned out, not only - was the presence of a special Farming Simulator stand, where an interactive adventure with the latest version of this legendary simulation game awaited every visitor. The prepared game stations were occupied practically all the time, and every guest could discover the secrets of modern agriculture, manage various crops, breed animals and develop their farm thanks to advanced technologies. The Polish game distributor that organised this zone has already announced its participation in the next edition of FERMA.

Traditionally, the competition committee, consisting of members of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Chamber of Agriculture and KPODR Minikowo, awarded prizes to the exhibitors' products, with 11 gold medals and two new trademarks being awarded.

The next edition of FERMA will take place from 21 to 23 February 2025 in the BCTW hall in Bydgoszcz.