To offer competitively-priced products that are technologically-improved, stylish and functional: this is the aim of To offer competitively-priced products that are technologically-improved, stylish and functionalcompetitively-priced products that are technologically-improved, stylish and functionalcompetitively-priced products that are technologically improved, stylish and functional to a Russian market quite intent on modernising its equipment for seems quite intent on modernising its equipment for seems quite intent on modernising its equipment for intensive animal farming, especially poultry. This is the aim of the Italian producers of solutions for livestock farming, as they prepare for the forthcoming Viv Russia, scheduled in Moscow from 26 to 28 May 2009. The Italian Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) has organised a collective participation for the event.

Viv is a young show: it made its début in 2004, with the intention to stage it every two years. In reality, the second edition took place the following year, after which the originally-planned interval was followed. By 2007 the fair had grown to cover a total area of 15,000 m² and welcomed 326 exhibitors, of which over 100 were foreign, coming from 20 different countries. There were around 7,000 visitors, mainly operators from the Russian sector and from former CIS countries. In preparation for the 2009 edition, the organisers have enlarged the exhibition area by 5,000m², due to an estimated increase in attendance of around 20%.

The Italian operators aim to interest new buyers with the variety of the products they offer. The companies present at the show are offering a wide selection of the leading Made in Italy technologies for livestock farming and meat processing. Italy is one of the major world producers of “unified” mixer wagons for feeding cattle, sheep and goats, and Unifast (www.unifast.it) has already become so specialised in unifeed technology, used for blending the various components in animals’ diets, that it is recognised as one of the leading producers in the international market. The Unifast machines are able to guarantee a perfect and soft blend with any product, with reduced working times, less fuel consumption and machine wear, and maximum durability and reliability.

But the Made in Italy specialisation in this sector don’t stop there. Agritech, for example, makes silos suitable for the storage of various products, both powders and grains, including animal fodder and feed meals. The Italian company produces around 5,000 silos each year and exports them to over 50 markets around the world. As well as the variety of their products, tradition is also an element that unites the various producers of Made in Italy livestock solutions. Although Unifast has been present in the market for over 50 years, the "younger" Codaf also boasts a consolidated experience of 40 years in the production of poultry feeding systems. There is just one way, according to Codaf, to survive for so long in the market: to continually invest in research and innovation, in order to offer high-quality and competitively-priced solutions to the global market.

Also with incubators Italians guarantee elevated technology, combined with creativity in technical and stylistic solutions. One of the leading players in this niche is Maino, a company from Lombardy that is one of the top global producers of incubators and machines for hatching all types of eggs. Maino has been at the service of poultry breeding (and more, as they also provide solutions for breeding exotic animals) since 1945 and currently export 80% of their production to around 40 markets in all continents.

The Italian companies do not just cater to poultry farming. Their products also include modular pig houses made up of prefabricated fitted reinforced concrete structures.Th This kind of structure offers two significant advantages: a a reduction in the cost of materials (aluminium, steel, stainless steel and glass fibre) and shorter production times. In this field, Pedercini is able to provide design services that even include key-in-hand delivery of the sheds, thanks to their qualified technical team.

Made in Italy, however, is not just limited to equipment for livestock breeding. Italy is also well established in the meat handling business, thanks to players such as Picchi, who make logistic systems (roll containers with several drawers, pork product boards, roll containers for pork products, incubator trolleys, and trolleys for transporting chickens and rabbits) for the food processing industry and for medium and large-scale retail companies. Finally, in slaughtering technologies, Rovani is considered the leader in Italy and Europe in the design, construction and installation of slaughtering plants for cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry. The capability of offering made-to-measure technical solutions, constant professional assistance during all the stages of setting up the plant (to guarantee attainment of sanitary certification) and permanent after-sales support (24 hours a day, 365 days a year) are some of the features that make Rovani prominent in Italy and in the 30 or so markets in all five continents where the company has a significant presence.