NEWS

Issue one January 2006

DEAR AVIAN PROFESSIONALS,

The department of Marketing Poultry Vaccines, of Lohmann Animal Health is proud to present to you the new LAH vaccine newsletter AviPro News. Here, we would also like to thank everybody who helped to realise this project with their ideas, texts and pictures. As you all know, our company has been deeply immersed into a process of consolidation of lines, besides the recent product launches and the routine constant updating of our technical information. New marketing material is out, as new colleagues are in. With this publication we aim to announce news and spread information about our products, activities, partners and personnel. AviPro News will act as our new channel of information to keep you updated on our achievements, changes and events. Please do not hesitate to contact the editor (anna-christina.riebau@lah.de) in case you have notes, comments, suggestions or even criticism.

Anna-Christina Riebau
Marketing Poultry Vaccines, Lohmann Animal Health GmbH & Co. KG

THE POWER OF A BRAND

Three years before founding Tier-Arznei-Dienst (TAD), Heinz Lohmann founded the Wiesenhof company, with the aim of distributing good-quality chicken meat to an ever-higher demanding German consumer. That was in 1965. In those days, Mr Lohmann could already see the power of a brand, which would shine as the product demonstrates quality, creating its own aura that can make it the reference for high standards. This is the case of Wiesenhof, which stands today unanimously for German consumers as the best supplier of quality poultry products. The Paul Heinz Wesjohann Group, owner of both Wiesenhof and Lohmann Animal Health, well understands, the power of a brand. LAH was founded in 1996, with the amalgamation of TAD Veterinary Section and Lohmann Tierernhrung (LTE), carrying ahead the traditional TAD vaccine names into star products like TAD Salmonella vac E or TAD Thymo vac. The acquisition of two poultry vaccine laboratories in the USA, namely Maine Biological Laboratories (MBL) in 1997 and Vineland Labs in 2000, has added not only to the Lohmann Animal Health

CONTENTS
Events/visits
2 3 3 South America Distributor Meeting UK Dinner Japanese Interest in PHW Activities

Products
4 4 5 Salmonella vac E available to Spanish poultry Mayonnaise a crucial test for salmonella vaccine? Product launch in Poland

Avian Professionals
6 6 7 New R & D structure at LAH Russia is ready for AviNova Growth in the Ukraine

Whats new?
8 8 A happy outcome is worth waiting for . . . LAHI offers new product reference material

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THE POWER OF A BRAND

range of products, but also into our historical load and tradition in poultry vaccine production. Kenneth Eskelund founded Maine Biological Laboratories in 1957 and Arthur Goldhaft, founder of Vineland Labs, started his own poultry vaccine production in 1914. That actually puts Lohmann Animal Health International, and Lohmann Animal Health, as the poultry vaccine company which has been for the longest in this business. Currently, Lohmann has a varied load of products, brands and even different ways of thinking which may refer to different approaches to poultry vaccination (as in Europe vs. North America). Brands need to provide customers with a clear, consistent and compelling appearance in order not to confuse them, as confusion leads to doubts. Therefore, the aim now can only be one: consolidation into one brand. This means not only uniting the knowledge and experience of the three different vaccine companies but also selecting the best products across the three ranges for inclusion in a new core product line. So for the future Lohmann Animal Health and Lohmann Animal Health International will be united under one global product range name and one global company image. The choice for a powerful brand name came with AviPro. The trademark AviPro is registered in all important global markets, and was chosen because Avi, standing for AVIAN, pertains to birds and Pro is an abbreviation of the words PROFESSIONALS and PROTECTION. Hence, the brand name AviPro exactly describes the companys expertise as the avian professionals, providing avian protection for the poultry industry. Re-branding LAH not only has the advantage of creating a new identity as one company and focusing a core product range. It also implicates a corporate design and identity for Lohmann Animal Health and Lohmann Animal Health International concerning, for example product labelling, stationery, layout of brochures and advertising. The new corporate design consists mainly of the well-known LAH logo, the red arc as a graphic element that appears on all LAH promotional material and, for the vaccine part of the company, an artwork lp showing a free interpretation of feathers. These three elements used together in a exible structure give the new brand AviPro its public face. The

One face, for one company

switch from the old names into AviPro will take place simultaneously in Cuxhaven and in the USA during the end of 2005 and the rst few months of 2006. The new names for local registrations may however take longer to be incorporated due to differences in the time-frame that authorities from different countries may require. We are all looking forward to this consolidation, trusting that this new strong brand will have the power to push us even further into the business of avian protection.

Events/visits

MEETING IN IGUAU
Taller than Niagara Falls, twice as wide, with 275 cascades spread in a horseshoe shape over nearly three kilometres, Iguau Falls brings down more than 12 thousand cubic feet of water per second to the Iguau River, 82 metres below, at the border between Argentina and Brazil. Nevertheless, the thunder of this giant was not loud enough to muffle the enthusiastic discussions on poultry health and vaccines that took place in August 2005 at the 2nd South American LAH distributors meeting, which was held in conjunction with the Ave Expo Exhibition in Iguau, Brazil.

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All the LAH distributors from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela were represented, as well as Brazil eld representatives and the new manager of Lohmann Sade Animal (Brazil), Dr Lindolfo Coelho Rocha. Among several internal agenda items, technical topics were presented, like TAD Salmonella vac E and TAD Thymo vac by Dr Beatriz Cardoso and AviPro IBD Xtreme, by Dr Oscar Morales. In addition, discussions were held on issues like poultry production, equipment policy, promotional material, etc. The distributors appreciated the value of the meeting and got a bright outlook for the future.
Ready for adventure through the rapids.

Japanese guests caught up on German poultry industry.

Events/visits

The passionate group was also taken for a ride on a zodiac boat to the heart of the falls, where the colossal river explodes down next to the vessels and a walking visit to the Iguau National Park. Wayne Collins, VP Sales of LAHI and Dr Adriana Baruch, Area Manager for South America, intend to organise the next regional distributors meeting during the next Latin American Poultry Exhibition, which will be held in 2007 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

JAPANESE INTEREST IN GERMAN POULTRY

In May 2005 a delegation of representatives of large Japanese poultry farms visited Germany and Poland to get a general idea of the activities of the PHW group. The visitors were brought in by Ghen Corporation and accompanied by members of LAH Marketing Department. Ghen is a distributor of LAH vaccines in Japan and in the process of registering of an LAH range of vaccines for broiler breeders. Altogether, the group produces around 400,000 tonnes of chicken meat, approximately 1/3 of the total Japanese poultry meat industry. It was the rst visit to Europe for the majority of the guests from the Far East. Therefore, they wanted to obtain as many impressions as possible during their short stay. Due to the strong participation of poultry specialities in the Japanese poultry industry the group had a special interest in freerange operations. The visit included conventional and free-range broiler farms and Lohmann Animal Health in Lower Saxony, the Wiesenhof mushroom plant Pilzland and the PHW headquarters in Visbek as well as the slaughter and meat production plant of Drobimex in Szczecin and Goleniw (Poland).

Events/visits

UK DINNER 2005
Celebrating its 5th year of success since its launch in the United Kingdom, Salmonella Vac E gathered its friends from the British egg industry for the traditional Lohmann dinner, once again at the Hawkstone Park Hotel, Weston-under-Redcastle, Shrewsbury. Professionals from veterinary circles and from poultry production brought along their spouses for an evening of turf and ale, an opportunity to meet fellow egg producers and discuss topics of mutual interest on an informal basis. The event was followed by a clay pigeon shooting competition on the next day. While guests savoured a splendid rack of lamb, Area Manager Matthias Mangels provided information about the AviPro brand and reported on the initial success of vaccination programmes with Gumboro vac in the United Kingdom. He reaffirmed the availability of the two live vaccines from Lohmann against both Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium. These are two types of Salmonella dened by the European Union as of zoonotic concern and demanding control. Egg retailers in the United Kingdom want to be able to claim that the eggs on their shelves are protected against these forms of salmonella associated with food poisoning. After dinner, Product Manager Dr Anne Vits shared with the interested guests some information about furnished cages, already compulsory for new facilities in the European Union. Anne obtained her doctorate thesis on the comparison of different proposals for this system before joining the Lohmann team. The whole purpose of the get-together is an acknowledgement of Lohmann to the British egg industry for choosing our products as the most effective, safe and easy vaccine to protect their ocks against Salmonella.

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Products

SALMONELLA VAC E AVAILABLE TO SPANISH POULTRY

In September 2005, after the approval by Spanish authorities, our TAD Salmonella vac E was launched in Spain, already bearing a reputation for its overwhelming success in other EU markets. The vaccine was presented to the sales force of Laboratorios Calier, distributor of LAH vaccines in Spain in Sidges. The presence of Mr J. L. Daz-Varela (President of Group Indukern) was definitely the conrmation of the commitment of Calier with this new business opportunity. A complete discussion on the unique characteristics and advantages of Salmonella vac E, sales tools and eld experience was presented by Eduardo Bernardi (Director of Marketing LAH Vaccines) and Luis Carlos Costa (LAH Vaccines Sales and Technical Support - Iberian Peninsula). Ready for the launch, Laboratorios Calier took its team to three meetings in the main poultry areas of the country, - Valladolid, Toledo and Cambrils (Barcelona) on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of September. A product that the industry had been waiting for, which can cover the needs for the protection of poultry against Salmonella Enteritidis at the most efficacious, practical, safe and cost-effective level, Salmonella vac E attracted more than 230 guests, the main interested parties in the dynamic Spanish poultry industry: hatching egg, broilers, and commercial egg producers and veterinarians, food safety authorities, representatives of the Egg Board (ASEPRHU) and IMPROVO pullet rearers and breeding companies. The Lohmann/Calier team explored all aspects of salmonella control, from epidemiology to eld experience, from legislation to the ideal vaccine characteristics fairly well fullled by Salmonella vac E! Guests were entertained into this easier and safer universe of salmonella control by

Dr Thijs van Dijk passing the message on.

Joan Marca i Puig (Commercial and Marketing Manager of Calier), by Matthias Mangels and Dr Thijs van Dijk (respectively Sales and Marketing LAH). For successful control of Salmonella Enteritidis and solid establishment of the product in the market, careful and close assistance is necessary. Efforts of Avian professionals like Dan Zekaria (Poultry Technical Services for Calier) are essential to create a strong base for the understanding of the benets of Salmonella vac E in the control of Salmonella Enteritidis in poultry.

Products

MAYONNAISE A CRUCIAL TEST FOR SALMONELLA VACCINE?

periods of time at room temperature. If the eggs are infected with any salmonella bugs this provides them with an ideal environment in which to multiply rapidly. To help protect consumers against salmonella infection, the majority of laying hens in the UK are now vaccinated against Salmonella Enteritidis, one of the most common sources of food poisoning in humans. The most popular vaccine with egg producers, accounting for around 70 per cent of the market, is TAD Salmonella vac E, a welfare friendly, live, oral vaccine developed by Lohmann Animal Health. To put their product to a critical consumer test Lohmann organised an experiment in
Dr Ilka Schrder described the result of the mayonnaise test as remarkable.

One of the most virulent sources of salmonella poisoning can be home-made mayonnaise, which normally contains the yolk of raw, unpasteurised eggs. The finished product can be left for long

which a traditional mayonnaise recipe was made up by an independent UK accredited laboratory and spiked with salmonella. The mayonnaise was divided into eight samples and two of each were inoculated with a culture of the wild (Leipzig) strain of salmonella bacteria, with TAD Salmonella vac E vaccine and another commercially available vaccine, while two were left untreated.

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The samples were then incubated for 24 and 48 hours respectively at 30 C. While Salmonella Enteritidis was isolated from the samples inoculated with the wild strain and the other commercially available vaccine, there was no growth in either the

samples inoculated with TAD Salmonella vac E or the uninoculated samples. This test at the consumer end of the food chain confirms our confidence in this product. We know that our vaccine strain is not transmitted from the hen into the

egg, but the fact that salmonella couldnt be detected in the mayonnaise even when directly inoculated into the sample is remarkable, commented Dr Ilka Schrder of Lohmann Animal Healths research and development department.

Products

PRODUCT LAUNCH IN POLAND

On the 2nd of September 2005 Lohmann Animal Health organised together with its two Polish distributors, Rolvet and Eskulap, a product launch in Poland. Chosen as the location for this event was the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Warsaw. The modern architecture and favourable situation not far from the Gothic and baroque-inuenced Old Town and the airport made it the perfect place for the introduction of the LAH vaccines: TAD SALMONELLA VAC E TAD SALMONELLA VAC T TAD THYMO VAC TAD AE VAC TAD ILT VAC TAD IB/ND AviPro PRECISE The interest in the conference among Polish vets was tremendous. More than 100 veterinarians from all over Poland attend to the launch. Sales Manager Matthias Mangels guided the intrigued audience through the wellorganised afternoon and the technical presentations about Infectious Anaemia in chicken by Dr Anne Vits, Avian Encephalomyelitis (AE) and Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) by Dr Egon Vielitz as well as Gumboro Disease and Salmonella by Dr Michael Iburg which completed the conference to the perfect satisfaction of the attendees. Poultry fair in Polanica Zdrj As a follow-up to the conference Lohmann Animal Health and its Polish distributor Rolvet took part in the poultry fair in the Polish health resort Polanica Zdrj, in Lower Silesia in the southwest of Poland from the 16th to the 18th of September. The Polanica Fair is one of the best-visited and most important fairs for the poultry industry in Poland. The two companies were not only represented by a booth, where all interested participants in the parallel conference could gain more information on products and relevant diseases, but also by an informative and enchaining presentation about Salmonella Enteritidis in poultry prevention and control through a live vaccine in drinking water by Eduardo Bernardi, head of the Marketing Department of Lohmann Animal Health. Agricultural fair Polagra in Poznan To continue promoting the LAH vaccine range in Poland, Rolvet and LAH took part in the biggest national agricultural fair from the 6th to the 11th of October. Polagra 2005 again attracted people from all over Poland to visit the gigantic exhibition grounds in Poznan. At the well-placed booth, Matthias Mangels,

Anna-Christina Riebau (LAH) and Aleksandra Dobrzynska (Rolvet).

LAH Sales Manager, and Aleksandra Dobrzynska, Rolvet, had the chance to speak to future customers and other interested persons. The personal atmosphere at the fair provided an excellent framework to discuss problems and possibilities in more detail. Apart from the representative booth, Lohmann Animal Health and Rolvet also took the opportunity to give the reputation of the vaccine TAD Salmonella vac E an extra boost by a presentation given by Anna-Christina Riebau.

LAH Sales Area Manager Matthias Mangels, with Dobrzynska and Bernardi at the Polanica Veterinary Poultry Conference.

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Avian Professionals

NEW R&D STRUCTURE AT LOHMANN ANIMAL HEALTH

From left to right: Managing Director Andrey Dukar with AviNova Board members Vitaly Nepoklonov, Harm Specht, Eduardo Bernardi and Taras Aliper.

Avian Professionals

RUSSIA IS READY FOR

Offering a complete line of vaccines for layers, breeders and broilers, AviNova is ready to supply Russian egg and poultry producers, hatcheries and integrations with Russian products manufactured under German standards of quality. AviNova was founded in July 2004 as a joint venture between Lohmann Animal Health and the Moscow-based VetInvest Group, coming to serve a growing demand for top-quality products made in Russia. This new company fulfils an existing gap between the current locally made vaccines, negatively perceived by a certain part of the market, and the legal difficulties in obtaining imported products from Western Europe. AviNovas Managing Director Andrey Dukar reassures both partners that the Russian poultry industry has an unchanged scenario when it comes to a growing demand for quality products. Taking a ride on the Russian Poultry Congress in April 2005, the AviNova launch counted with the presence of the cream of Russian poultry industry and authorities, which listened attentively to scientic and product presentations by Dr Michael Iburg and welcome message by PHW Board Member Harm Specht. Visitors were presented to the AviNova range through a laser show and entertained by a dinner and guest artists.

Dr Dierk Rebeski, leader of the R&D Team.

Dr Bruno Ksler, Managing Director for Research and Development at Lohmann Animal Health, has appointed Dr Dr Dierk E. Rebeski from Germany to take the leadership of the R&D team. Dierk Rebeski, who has been a Product Manager with the Marketing Department at LAH since 2002, has a comprehensive background in veterinary research and development activities.

In 1986, he qualied as a Veterinarian at the Hanover Veterinary School, Germany, where he also successfully completed his doctorate (Dr. med. vet.) in collaboration with the Institute of Parasitology and the Immunology Unit. He obtained additional academic distinctions such as a Ph.D. at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Section of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, and the German accreditation as a Certied Specialist in Parasitology and Certied Specialist in Tropical Veterinary Medicine. Before he joined LAH, he had gained thorough working experience as a project leader with the R&D department of the diagnostic company Bommeli Diagnostics, Switzerland, and as a professional officer with international organisations, namely the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Italy, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Austria. His profound scientific expertise, covering research and internationally recognised development aspects and validation procedures of standardised and quality-assured diagnostics for use in national and international animal disease/vaccination control and monitoring programmes including poultry has made him an asset to LAH. He is enthusiastic about the new position, indicating to us that the focus should be on applied research eld-oriented is the key direction that the department should take. This fundamental view may also result from his earlier working experiences as a surgeon when he joined veterinary practices in various areas of Germany. The restructuring of the R&D programme will start with a reassessment of all strategic activities, which may even conduct into a selection of R&D projects. These will be carried out included entirely in Cuxhaven or in collaboration with external institutions. The team, which includes world-renowned scientists like Dr Ilka Schrder and Dr Vladimir Zelnik, and four technical staff members, will be solely dedicated to the development of both live and inactivated vaccines, as well as to the improvement and further standardisation of systems of production. Training fellow scientists and currently three doctoral fellows also contribute to the internal enhancement that is desired by the new leadership. Dierk Rebeski strongly believes in a radical cut for all laboratory activities, which may have diluted the focus when members of the team took over other duties in the past. A number of in-house measures will add to the restructuring of the unit, always aiming to retain the focus. And the best news is that the R&D team is on its entire very enthusiastic about the new structure. We welcome Dierk Rebeski to his new duties and congratulate the whole R&D department on their wise choice.

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Avian Professionals

GROWTH IN THE UKRAINE

Over the last year, the poultry vaccines business of Inter Zaporozhie, Lohmann Animal Healths distributor for biologicals in the Ukraine, has grown by 25%, surpassing the total growth of the Ukrainian poultry business by over a fth. It is calculated that, as far as the total volume of vaccine doses expected to be used in the Ukraine, for broilers, layers, breeders and waterfowl are concerned, Lohmann vaccines account for approximately 35% of the market in volume. According to company Sales Manager, Max Gerashchenko, there are several reasons that could be listed for this success: Quality products of course poultry vaccines from Lohmann Animal Health have a very positive name in the Ukraine, a name that is invariably associated with quality and reliability. A complete range of vaccines, both live and inactivated also allows Inter to explore the full potential of the layers, breeders and broilers markets. In addition, the production of autogenous inactivated vaccines in Cuxhaven, from farm-isolated strains, has also opened up doors to Inter and LAH in some operations. The next aspect is to have a whole different approach, covering strong technical support in association with the products, as opposed to just selling vaccines. Inter has incorporated the motto of Avian Professionals and provides complete veterinarian coverage for this young industry. Animal Health specialist Nadya Gerashchenko assists poultry producers in the design of vaccination programmes, vaccine administration techniques and general troubleshooting. Nadyas presence in the eld is not only welcomed among Inter customers, but also priced for the invaluable contribution to their elevation of animal health standards. Inter thus becomes, not an isolated player in a commercial scenario, but more of an accomplice in a battle against poultry diseases. The third aspect, Max states, is the adaptability of Inters highly motivated team to the changes and fast progress that constantly take place in the Ukranian poultry industry. This is a exible industry, where mergers and consolidations frequently take place, always

An increase in technical visits has been instrumental in the growth of LAH/Inter business in the Ukrainian market.

with an eye on the European Union, contemplating a future horizon where the country will be self-sufficient and an export power. For this, not only the contacts are important, but also to be in the right place at the right time one more reason to keep the company presence continuously in the eld. Inter is part of the Inter Agrosystems Group of Companies, based in Zaparozhie, Eastern Ukraine. Besides the poultry vaccines business, the group is also on the layer, layer breeders, eggs, feeds, disinfectants, poultry equipment, pet foods, pet clinics, laboratorial diagnostics and horse breeding markets.

Our LAH technical support person for the Ukraine, Lszl Bajnok (third from left), and the Inter team (from left to right): Olga, Max, Nadya, Zhanna, Viktoria, Natalia and Vika.

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Whats new?

LAHI: NEW PRODUCT REFERENCE MATERIAL

Lohmann Animal Health International (LAHI) has created a reference CD containing LAHI corporate background, extensive product and support information, press releases and company contact information. The CD also includes all previous editions of the companys technical Avian Insights newsletters. In addition, the CD offers access to material safety data sheets, the LAHI Product Reference Guide, the LAHI Autogenous Reference Guide and the Guide to Poultry Anatomy & Diseases. General disease tech sheets, specic product tech sheets, and vaccine administration and miscellaneous tech sheets are also readily available. Furthermore, it features easy access to contact information for LAHI sales and technical support staff. Currently, the product information on the CD is specically about LAH vaccines made in the United States. In the near future, the company plans to add LAH vaccines made in Germany. A website version is available at www.lahinternational.com. Based in Winslow, ME, LAHI is a member of the PHW Group, which comprises over 30 companies that produce avian vaccines and poultry for the global market. For more information, contact LAHI on (800) 655-1342 or visit the companys website at www.lahinternational.com.

Whats new?

A HAPPY OUTCOME IS WORTH WAITING FOR . . .

The long awaited new AviPro brochures of Lohmann Animal Health are finally ready. For the products: AviPro SALMONELLA VAC E AviPro SALMONELLA VAC T AviPro PRECISE (former TAD Gumboro vac forte) AviPro THYMOVAC AviPro MD RISPENS RL (former TAD Marek vac forte) the new English brochures are already available. They all follow roughly the same structure, starting with the most important keywords about the vaccines followed by general information about the disease and detailed description of the features of the vaccine. In addition to the product brochures Lohmann Animal Health has also created two information sheets on: Differentiating Field Isolates From Vaccine Strain Practical Vaccination Points Both information sheets mainly refer to the use of the two live vaccines AviPro SALMONELLA VAC E and AviPro SALMONELLA VAC T. While the rst one gives an overview of the usage of the AviPro-Plate the second one contains detailed information on the application of live vaccines via the drinking water.

NEWS CREDITS
Publisher: Lohmann Animal Health GmbH & Co. KG Heinz-Lohmann-Strae 4 27472 Cuxhaven Germany www.lah.de Editor: Anna-Christina Riebau anna-christina.riebau@lah.de