EuroTier 2024: Trade fair’s topics attract great visitor interest

Five months before kick-off, interest in the EuroTier / EnergyDecentral 2024 trade fairs is already high among visitors. In a survey of potential professional farming visitors to the world’s leading trade fair for professional animal husbandry and livestock management, 60 percent of respondents stated that they have already made firm plans to visit EuroTier in Hanover, Germany. Some 30 percent responded that they will be making a decision in the coming weeks.  The exhibition areas of housing and feeding technology as well as feed input and operating resources were particularly highly rated. When it comes to current industry topics, visitors from both Germany and abroad ranked as most interesting animal welfare, sustainability, automation, robotics and digitalization. 1,250 respondents from both Germany and abroad took part in the online survey. EuroTier, the world’s leading trade fair for professional animal husbandry and livestock management, will take place alongside EnergyDecentral, the leading international trade fair for decentralised energy supply, from 12 to 15 November 2024 in Hanover, Germany.

“We innovate animal farming – the guiding theme of this year’s EuroTier hits the nerve of the industry. The theme addresses the challenges facing the international livestock sector by placing the current topics of animal welfare, sustainability, automation, robotics and digitalisation at the heart of the exhibition and technical program at the world’s leading trade fair for livestock management. The high level of visitor interest five months before the start of the trade fair shows that the industry is focusing on innovation and development,” says Ines Rathke, EuroTier Project Manager, who is very satisfied with the survey results. “The high level of interest in new trends and innovations also shows the importance of EuroTier as a leading trade fair for investments,” she added.

Visitors intend to spend several days at the trade fair

Asked about the duration of their visit to the trade fair, around 60 percent said they intended to spend at least two or more days at the world’s leading exhibition for livestock management. The survey included livestock farmers with 58 percent engaged in cattle and dairy farming and 25 percent in pig production. Some 21 percent of respondents are poultry producers, 14 percent horse owners and 11 percent manage sheep or goats. Insects are also mentioned as an on-farm production activity, a sector that appears to be increasing among livestock farmers. “The investment intentions over the next two years are encouraging. Currently, 50 percent of those surveyed are already planning to invest in new technology and equipment within the next 24 months,” emphasizes Ines Rathke.

EnergyDecentral: High demand for solar energy, agrivoltaics and biogas

The current debate on sustainable energy concepts are reflected in the results of the online survey: “In addition to the topics of wind energy, biogas and biomethane, there is growing interest in solar energy and, in particular, in agrivoltaics. As many as 32 percent of those surveyed are explicitly interested in the potential of this relatively new and emerging energy alternative,” says Marcus Vagt, project manager of EnergyDecentral, which takes in parallel with EuroTier. The survey also shows that professional visitors continue to need updates on conventional solutions such as biogas, still a growing sector, as well as solutions for energy distribution and storage.

Farmers‘ Voices – Voices of the visitors

• “I farm in North yorkshire, managing 2,000 sows. I have already visited EuroTier twice and plan to come again this autumn. It is a chance to see different technical solutions from mainland Europe that we do not see in the UK.”  
  Matthew Wilkin, North Yorks, UK
• “I have been visiting EuroTier for more than a decade, accompanying livestock producers and technicians. EuroTier stands out for its global reach, comprehensive coverage and focus on innovation.“
  António Ferreira, Zootechnical Engineer and Secretary General, ABLN (Associação Para O Apoio À Bovinicultura Leiteira Norte / Association for the Support of Northern Dairy Farming), Portugal.
• “This year, I am planning to visit EuroTier for the first time. I am looking to have a good time with other dairy farmers just to exchange views. As EuroTier also covers biogas plants I will be looking for mixers, pumps and any upgrades.“
  Mark Kelly, Dungannon Co. Tyrone, Nortern Ireland, UK
• “Each visit to EuroTier has been a source of inspiration, introducing us to new innovations and technologies. This is very valuable in our role as Dutch research and demonstration dairy farm Erve Mentink. EuroTier’s international character provides a valuable perspective on Dutch developments and innovations within a global context, and helps us recognize the strength and potential of our own company on the international stage.“
  Els & Gerard Uijterlinde, Eigentümer in der 4. Generation von Erve Mentink, einem Forschungs- und Demonstrationsmilchviehbetrieb in Deurningen, Region Twente, Niederlande
• “I want to see new technologies for the barn and solutions that can reduce manual labour. Three years ago, we built a barn with new equipment for our pigs. I want to use EuroTier to see what Big Dutchman has to offer in terms of new concepts and updates.”
  Henrik Mortensen, a Danish pig producer with 1,000 sows and on-farm 30,000 slaughter pigs annually
• “As the operator of a biogas plant, I visit EuroTier 2024 primarily because of EnergyDecentral, which takes place at the same time. Otherwise, I like to stroll through the halls with an open mind and stop by small, inconspicuous stands in particular. In my experience, young and innovative companies exhibit there that can give me food for thought on topics that I wasn’t previously aware of.“
  Felix Hollmann, pig farmer and biogas plant operator, Ense-Bittingen, Germany