Trouw Nutrition Ireland has developed a new quality suite, including a state of the art quality control laboratory, in Belfast as part of a “strategic investment programme”.

Geke Naaktgeboren-Stoffels, global quality director at Trouw Nutrition, said the latest investment in Northern Ireland is part of the company’s commitment to “adapt our business, invest and advance in our facilities and our people”.

“We believe that every part of the food and farming supply chain has a role to play in feeding the future sustainably and we are committed to playing our part to be more environmentally and socially responsible,” she said.

Trouw Nutrition’s global quality director said the latest investment in Belfast would also “ensure customers receive the highest quality product in the most sustainable way”.

The company is part of the Dutch global group, Nutreco, which specialises in animal nutrition and aquafeed.

It began life as a family business in Stavanger, Norway, selling feed and equipment to the agriculture industry and is owned today by the Dutch investment firm SHV.

It has two key business lines – Skretting and Trouw Nutrition.

Skretting specialises in the manufacture and supply of aquaculture feeds while Trouw Nutrition focuses on “innovative feed specialties, premixes and nutritional services for the animal nutrition industry”.

According to Nutreco the Trouw division “provides species-specific nutritional solutions consisting of feed concepts, products and nutritional know-how”.

Earlier this year Nutreco announced a new  long-term strategic research and commercial partnership with the United States based BiomEdit.

The aim of the partnership according to Nutreco is “to bring livestock producers innovative and truly novel feed additives developed through microbiome technology.”

It will develop and commercialise “biome-actives” developed using BiomEdit’s advanced microbiome science and bioinformatics platform.

“These novel feed additives address the health and sustainability challenges of today’s animal producers, for aquaculture, poultry, swine and cattle,” Nutreco outlined.

Nutreco’s chief executive officer, Fulco van Lede, added:

“To help transform our industry and feed the growing global population, we are moving beyond just nutrition, supporting farmers in operating in a more sustainable way while also working across the supply chain to drive positive change in the way we source, produce and utilise feed ingredients.”