Cobb completes broiler research investment

Genetics company Cobb has officially opened its expanded Herveld pedigree breeding farm in Holland, having spent €12m (£9.7m) renovating the site and doubling capacity.

“Europe remains a key focus for Cobb’s long-term growth, so this investment is part of our overall strategy for the future,” said Cobb president Jerry Moye.

See also: Major investment at Dutch poultry farm

The state-of-the-art pedigree complex has been remodelled along the lines of Cobb’s five other research complexes in the USA.

The investment, which kicked off with the renovation of the on-farm hatchery, brings around 70 new jobs to the site. It has also seen 13 new poultry houses erected, while renovation of the original Herveld accommodation is now well advanced.

To reduce its carbon footprint, lake water is used to cool the chicken houses in summer while ground-source heat is used in winter. And to guard against air-borne pathogens, all air entering each house is filtered and positive pressure is maintained.

The Herveld project runs alongside on-going investment in the UK, where €4.5 million (£3.6m) has been spent in rebuilding and re-equipping great grandparent farms.

Cobb has also opened a number of commercial trial farms in the Netherlands over the past year, offering challenging testing environments to supplement the genomics efforts the company is making to generate an increasingly robust bird