We are delighted to have been selected by the Department of International Trade for an International Export Bursary to help overseas growth of the company.
With offices in Denbighshire, north Wales and Ivybridge in Devon, Ekogea UK has developed a range of marine algae-derived products which are being used by the agricultural and anaerobic digestion industries to improve performance and animal health.
The £1,000 bursary will support Ekogea UK with their expansion abroad, particularly into Australasia, Canada and north America.
Ian Cain, Ekogea UK Director said, “We are pleased to receive the support of the Department of International Trade. They have been a great help in also advising us of best practice in trading with other countries as we have a number of individuals and foreign companies who are currently looking to work with us in order to benefit their farmers.”
Ten million broilers in the UK are estimated to have benefited from Ekogea’s BioComplex (BCxF) since it was introduced to the market last year. BCxF comprises 100% Ascophyllum Nodosum kelp, a fully approved EU feed ingredient.
The 100% natural product, made using organic marine algae from the Island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, is delivered via drinking water lines to the birds. It has been shown to improve birds’ overall health allowing them to grow more efficiently, increase bird weight, reduce levels of ammonia, and reduce disease through the process of competitive exclusion.
Because of the improved bird health, most farmers are also seeing significant financial gains. In a recent vet report, a crop of around 200,000 broilers treated with BCxF was calculated to have added more than £20,000 profit for the farm.
Ekogea UK recently won the global Anaerobic Digestion & Biogas Industry Award for the Best Biogas Plant below 1MWe. The biogas plant at Ekogea’s north Wales base, has been in operation since 2017 and is currently producing over 1.5 times (150%) daily digester biogas production rate compared to a typical farm biogas plant.
The plant is pioneering because the digester has been dosed with Ekogea’s BioComplex additive containing polyuronic acid to create biological stability and oligosaccharides to feed the bacteria within the AD plant providing enhanced biogas output. The gas output is further enhanced with the pre-treatment micronisation of the AD feedstock reducing the particle size for faster, more complete digestion.
Assessments are also taking place on pig and potato farms to measure how growth is improved when BioComplex is introduced, as well as improving slurry management on dairy farms for improved environmental impact.
