The impact of an innovation in feed on the rest of the supply chain and in particular at farm level, is a key focus within NIC projects: “We have to be aware that when you invest in one area, say animal welfare, the benefits in that area come at the expense of – for example – the efficiency of your own operations or elsewhere in the chain”, states Ad. “Take for example the ban on beak trimming. On the face of it this seems like a much-needed improvement in terms of animal welfare. However, when not managed correctly, animals get scared of each other and there is more unrest in the house. Feed conversion dropped, resulting in a higher demand for feed, and thus a bigger CO2 footprint per kg of finished product.” For Ad’s team, this means that as a team they are constantly seeking to achieve optimal results in changing conditions. “In this case, now two years later, we see that we are slowly moving back towards the previous feed efficiency again.”