June 03, 2019

the interview | Bernd große Holthaus, CEO of Ge-Pro

Bernd große Holthaus joined Ge-Pro in 1992 and has been dedicated to the animal meal industry for over 27 years. Ge-Pro’s various solutions for poultry meal, protein concentrates and feather meal have faithfully served the agriculture industry for many years, establishing their position as one of the largest producers of poultry meal in Europe.



What drove your own, unique passion, for the animal ingredients industry? How did you come to be involved in this industry?
I am the son of a family that has been active in agriculture and animal production for many generations. I have chosen the profession of the farmer myself because it is my affair to grow up with the diversity of nature and the environment and to develop it further.
So, I have come into this branch of the recovery of high-quality by-products, which are used today with versatility in the chain of sustainable food production.

What do you believe will be a big issue for the industry in the next five years, and what can we do to combat and resolve this issue?
A major problem is and will remain to be to convince the human and the consumer at the same time that the production of meat and other foods is the best and most sustainable way forward in Europe. Only together, in a united Europe, can we face the problems and cope with them.
Another big problem will be the bureaucracy of politics and administration in Europe. Here it has to be successful not to inflate but to dismantle those. The protection of the climate and the environment is also the highest priority for our industry.

Your company has a very rich history in animal ingredients and nutrition, and you clearly also hold a great deal of passion for this sector. How would you recommend young people get involved in this rewarding, and in some ways not very well advertised, industry?
We have been working in this industry since 1965 and have continuously developed ourselves. We have also further developed in the field of qualitative improvement of proteins and fats and further developed in the field of reduction of energy utilisation and better treatment of wastewater and residues.
Transforming the meaningful and sustainable recovery of by-products from food production into high-quality proteins and fats is the best advertisement for our business. We have no problems with junior staff, and we are happy about the lively interest in our company.

How much of your research is aimed at improving the health of livestock? How is this achieved?
Much of our investment goes into the continuous development of our products and production processes. A close and trusting cooperation and our customers and suppliers leads to ever higher quality products. To confirm this, we work very closely with universities and institutes.

What improvements do you think we will see in the upcoming years, that will help improve the feed industry- whether they be an alternative source of feed, or a new scientific breakthrough that could give feed a host of new benefits and refinements?
We already produce safe and sustainable products today. The non-use of these products in the food cycle would mean an irresponsible waste of resources. Ever more gentle manufacturing processes by, for example, air and spray drying, a better and more selective use and use of slaughter by-products result in better conditions of use in food production, but also in humanitarian use.

How important is the agriculture industry, in order for us to meet the protein needs for a growing global population?
Consumers need to be more involved with nature and available resources. There has to be a balance between the use of nature’s products, man and climate and environmental protection. Only when all this is sustainably coordinated, are we able to meet the growing demand.

Are your company working on any big project at the moment, that you think consumers would love to hear about?
Yes, we are constantly working to improve our products. This is the only way we have been able to offer more than 30 products from the original four products on the market today.
Further developments are being made in the direction of alternative proteins and hypoallergenic products, which further contribute to the health of the animals.

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