ROCHE Award 1998
David Filmer was presented with the Roche National Livestock Nutrition Award by Alan Taylor of Roche, at the Nottingham UK Feed Manufacturer’s Conference early this year.
This annual award, which comprises an inscribed silver salver and a cheque for £ 1,600, is presented to the person or team, who in the view of an independent Selection Committee has made an outstanding contribution to the knowledge or practice of livestock nutrition during the preceding five years.
The citation reads "To David Filmer in recognition of his significant contribution to practical poultry feeding through the development of the computer control system FLOCKMAN and for his continued enthusiasm and innovation during a distinguished career in applied livestock nutrition."
Alan Taylor said, "Past winners have all been academics or research workers from universities and institutes. For the first time, the winner is from the commercial world."
David was previously Company Nutritionist to Silcocks and later BOCM-Silcock as well as Technical Director to Crosfields and Dalgety Agriculture. FLOCKMAN now feeds 15% of UK Broilers. It is now making inroads into the international Turkey and Broiler markets.
FOOTNOTE
In the Animal Food Industry, David’s knowledge of how birds respond to daily intakes of important nutrients and how to formulate profitable feeds was built up. Since then he has investigated new methods of controlling the daily feed intake of broilers. Much was already known about the effects of temperature and of energy density of the feed on the appetite of birds fed ad-libitum. But little work had been done on appetite control of non-ad-lib fed birds.
He is grateful for the close co-operation he has received from third party growers as well as some Integrators in allowing work on appetite control to proceed over many years on a low budget using the old FLOCKMAN as well as the new FLOCKMAN products.
The new system owes much to their patience and good will, and these pioneers are now gaining rewards from the interchange of ideas and experience from our various backgrounds, which has been essential to the success of the FLOCKMAN product and its new software.
David Filmer MA (Cantab), MD FLOCKMAN Company
