Wiebe van der Sluis
Wiebe van.. der Sluis was born at a mixed farm in the Netherlands and being the youngest of six children he often had to give a hand in feeding the pigs, poultry and sheep. It is here that his affection for the smaller farm animals is rooted.
After receiving his degree in agronomics he became the full time general secretary of a regional young farmers association, where he further developed his skills in sociology and economics. It was at this time he became interested in journalism and recognised the power of writing. He learnt that through writing he could educate people and stimulate them into developing their skills to realise their own dreams.
Wiebe joined Misset, now Reed Business Information, more than thirty years ago to become the editor of the company’s pig farming magazine, a supplement of the weekly farming magazine “Boerderij”.
During that eight year period he became one of the initiators of a sheep farming magazine, of which he also became editor. Meanwhile he was asked to take-over the management of the company’s poultry weekly “Pluimveehouderij”.
However, once he got a taste for developing new magazines there was not stopping him, he went on to develop some of the company’s international magazines including World Poultry, Pig Progress and Poultry Processing Magazine.
Both World Poultry and Pig Progress excelled taking leading positions in the global market for more than twenty years. And the newly launched Poultry Processing Magazine has been received favourably by the market.
Being editor of World Poultry from its conception, Wiebe has gained worldwide the recognition as a poultry expert.
Latest Blogs (1-10 of 40)
Herbs and spices work
The discussion on how to produce poultry without the use of antibiotics will not stop until proven alternatives have been found. In some parts of the world producers still may wonder why on earth this is an issue, but in the western world where researchers may still fight about whether there is a valid scientific reason for a ban, producers simply have no choice.
Finding staff
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to interview the owner of one of the largest poultry operations in Russia. He mentioned the difficulties he had finding qualified people to manage units within his organisation. Large scale projects require managers who understand the specific aspects of growing chickens. The basics are often looked at as being rather simple do’s and don’ts. The reality is much more complicated.
Fly out
The popularity of poultry meat is growing in almost every country around the world. Various polls tell us that consumers appreciate poultry meat because of its nutritional value, its (relatively) low price, and safety. However, some want the consumer to believe that latter is questionable, and do so by highlighting issues relating to dioxins, salmonella, campylobacter, AI, and antibiotic resistance.
Sweet and sour
Despite the ban on the use of antibiotic growth enhancers the livestock industry is still using large amounts of this product. Many veterinarians prescribe it as a so-called therapeutic drug, whether there is a need or not.
Don’t forget eggs!
Forgotten? Forget it, when eating more eggs the chance of forgetting something diminishes. That can be concluded from a news release issued by DSM.
What is the truth?
I have always been skeptical about research findings when it comes to issues that may scare people or horrifying. We frequently see that governmental and non-governmental organizations successfully make use of fact picking (like chickens that select the best feed particles to favor their nutritional needs) to underline their own political agenda or need money for research or promotion. Leaving out facts that may under mine their issue is quite common.
Top sport performance
It has frequently been expressed that growing chickens is like practicing the art of a top sport. With a little bit of imagination, this comparison is true. Again and again we expect top performance of every single bird. To allow them to do so we provide them with the best available and affordable food. In a top sport, food plays an increasingly important role and fortunately poultry meat is often the first choice of protein.
Antibiotics: Your own health at risk
Many people believe that intensive animal production cannot go without the use of antibiotics. To a certain level they may be right, since various producers consider its use as harmless and profitable. Sometimes the use is part of the standard feed, while there is no immediate bird health issue involved. Preventive antibiotic use is then the excuse.
Be aware of China
Everybody who expected VIV China 2009 to be a local event, which would not favour international exhibitors, was wrong.
70% more food needed
Agriculture must become more productive if it is to feed a much larger world population while responding to the daunting environmental challenges ahead, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said in his openings address at a 2-day 'High-Level Expert Forum - How to Feed the World in 2050' in Rome.
