In Vietnam, Virbac inaugurated its first R&D centre dedicated to warm water aquaculture, located in Dong Nai province, on 23 February 2021. Aquaculture is a rapidly growing sector, particularly in Asia, and provides an answer to the problems of feeding a world population that could reach 9 billion people in 2030. True to its mission to work for animal health, Virbac continues to invest in order to offer new solutions for more sustainable aquaculture.
Cold water aquaculture has been well established since the 1970s and has undergone many changes in terms of rearing techniques, feed, care and medicine requirements, to which the industry has already provided many answers. However, it represents only <10% world aquaculture production and it will not be sufficient on its own to meet future food challenges. Warm water aquaculture, which represents the vast majority of aquaculture production in tonnage with carp, tilapia and shrimp for example, is therefore tending to develop strongly and is generating new needs in R&D. 
With the opening of this new R&D centre in Vietnam, Virbac intends to offer innovative solutions to support the advancement of warm water aquaculture and anticipate the rise of this sector by working hand in hand with local players who are experts in this field. Vietnam is indeed an important aquaculture country, rich in warm water species, and concerned by aquaculture diseases also present in other countries. This location allows Virbac to carry out, from Vietnam, studies on locally identified pathogenic microorganisms that can be used to develop vaccine and therapeutic solutions that can be exported to support the development of aquaculture on the world market.
The Virbac aquaculture technology centre: Innovating for a more sustainable aquaculture.
The Virbac aquaculture technology centre in Vietnam aims to support the global warm water aquaculture market by becoming our reference centre for studies in Asia. It will also be a diagnostic centre for customers to help them identify the cause of diseases that may occur in their farms. It will also support Africa and the various global markets where the diagnostic offer is currently limited.
“The opening of the Virbac Aquaculture Technology Centre is proof for our company of its strategic commitment to aquaculture, as close as possible to the markets of tomorrow. It will enable us to strengthen our know-how and accelerate our development in this field to offer new vaccine and therapeutic solutions to better meet the challenge of feeding the world’s population of tomorrow,†says Sébastien Huron, CEO, Virbac Group.
The Virbac aquaculture technology centre will enable the development of vaccines, probiotics and products to fight infections and ensure a more harmonious and sustainable growth of species.
