Started construction in mid-2022, the International Training Center Cage-Free Innovation and Welfare Hub has been completed and inaugurated on June 16, 2023. The International Training Center (ITC) Cage-Free Innovation and Welfare Hub is a training center for the management of cage-free laying hens established by the Faculty of Animal Science UGM in collaboration with Global Food Partners and AERES University of Applied Sciences Netherlands. Besides being a training facility, the ITC Cage-Free Innovation and Welfare Hub also features a model farm for egg production with a cage-free system, capable of housing 3000 hens. Located in Kalijeruk Village, Ngemplak District, Sleman Regency, DIY, the ITC Cage-Free Innovation and Welfare Hub is the first cage-free system model in ASEAN.
The ITC Cage-Free Innovation and Welfare Hub is built to facilitate poultry farmers, academics, and animal science students in practicing cage-free farming. This facility is open to anyone, including government agencies and other stakeholders, both domestically and internationally. Moreover, it serves as an ideal venue for training in cage-free system management.
“In the future, with increasing public awareness of healthy food, especially poultry products like eggs, the appropriate poultry farming model is the cage-free system, which focuses not only on economic value but also on animal welfare,” said Prof. Ir. Budi Guntoro, S.Pt., M.Sc., Ph.D., IPU., ASEAN Eng., Dean of the Faculty of Animal Science UGM, in his address.
As a partner of the Faculty of Animal Science UGM in establishing the ITC Cage-Free Innovation and Welfare Hub, CEO of Global Food Partners, Elisa Lane, also attended and delivered a speech. “We are proud to collaborate with UGM and participate in this program because our mission is to equip farmers with profitable and sustainable livestock production and contribute to creating a better future for all,” said Elisa.
Also present at the inauguration ceremony was Vice Rector for Research, Business Development, and Cooperation of UGM, Ignatius Susatyo Wijoyo, M.M. “The ITC Cage-Free Innovation and Welfare Hub is evidence that academic-industry collaboration in the field of animal science is highly feasible. Moreover, the commitment to improving animal welfare is clearly demonstrated through this cage-free poultry farming system,” said Ignatius Susatyo Wijoyo.
The increasing demand for livestock products has raised awareness about the welfare of farm animals, especially laying poultry. Animals that are well-cared for will produce better products. It is hoped that the concept of poultry welfare with the cage-free system and its applications can be disseminated to all sectors of society.
In addition to collaborating with Global Food Partners and AERES University of Applied Sciences Netherlands, the Faculty of Animal Science UGM also collaborates with several multinational companies in the field of livestock, namely Vencomatic Group, Hendrix Genetics, Hotraco Agri, and Hato Lighting. (Secretariat/Prisil)