Ocean Harvest Technology Ltd. of Ireland, the technology and manufacturing company responsible for the OceanFeed brand of proprietary blended seaweed products, and Barentz International, a leading provider in the animal nutrition industry, announced that they have reached agreement for Barentz Animal Nutrition to formally act as a distributor for OceanFeed in much of Europe.

The proprietary formulas of the OceanFeed products combine multiple species of brown, green and red macro-algae (seaweed) specially selected for their bioactive benefits, including intestinal health balance, nutrient uptake and partial replacement of other feed ingredients.

The products have been shown to improve feed intake, therefore increasing performance, weight gain and fertility in livestock while allowing producers to reduce or remove antibiotic growth promoters, the companies said. Also, adding OceanFeed products to pet food has been shown to increase energy levels and stamina as well as make the pets' fur shinier and softer, mainly as a result of the natural minerals in the seaweed, according to the announcement.

Barentz Animal Nutrition has been serving customers in the feed industry for more than 60 years, delivering blended macro-algal products for the swine, bovine, pet food and other segments. The two companies will work together in various geographies, including Germany, Italy, U.K., Ireland and Spain to improve animal health and nutrition to help serve customer needs.

Ocean Harvest Technology chief executive officer Graham Ellis said, “Ocean Harvest Technology’s products have been gaining traction in the U.S. and Europe, particularly in the swine and bovine segments. The addition of Barentz to represent us as a partner in certain critical European markets will allow even more producers to benefit from these innovative feed ingredients.”

Tim Lemeer, managing director of Barentz Animal Nutrition, added, “We are very excited to be able to offer our clients the natural seaweed blends from the Oceanfeed product range, with all the positive effects it brings to animal health. We strongly believe in these sustainable and innovative solutions and are convinced that our cooperation with Ocean Harvest Technology will be a great contributor to the continued growth of our business.”

Ocean Harvest Technology is a leader in the provision of macro-algae blends for the animal nutrition industry. The feed ingredients are formulated by Ocean Harvest Technology in Vietnam and Ireland and offer many benefits to help production and companion animals perform better in a natural way while greatly reducing the need for antibiotics and other synthetic feed ingredients, according to the company.

Barentz is an international leader in sales, marketing and distribution of high-quality ingredients, operating through its sales divisions and specialized companies in the fields of food and nutrition, animal nutrition, pharmaceuticals and personal care. Barentz also runs seven concept and application centers and six production plants. The company is privately owned, and its head office is close to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. While its heritage and focus is on the European market, Barentz is also rapidly growing in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas.