The Ireland and Ulster rugby captain, who also farms with his father at Poyntzpass, County Down, will be working with Devenish and engaging with farmers, customers, staff and students to explore how innovation at farm level can ultimately lead to health benefits for the consumer. He will also be delivering a number of workshops and events with the Devenish team exploring the theme of leadership.
The Devenish strategy 'One Health, From Soil to Society', focuses on the importance of nutrient use throughout the food chain to optimise soil, plant, animal, environmental and human health.
Innovation by the company in this area includes the ground-breaking naturally enriched Omega 3 chicken, that through the use of a sustainable, algae-based source of omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid, delivers significant health benefits to consumers.
Speaking about the new partnership, Rory Best said:
"Devenish is a company with innovation and integrity at its core, which is breaking new ground in the area of animal nutrition on a global scale. Maintaining optimum animal health is not only vital to the success of a farming business, it has the potential to positively impact upon the health of the human population.
"Good nutrition is the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle and that is also true in animals. Devenish' strategy directly aligns with my beliefs on that and I look forward to learning more about the ways in which farmers can optimise the health of their animals with long term benefits to the animal, the environment and the consumer.
"I'm also keen to share my experiences of leading a team with Devenish and exchanging learnings with a leading global company," said Rory.
Richard Kennedy, Group CEO, Devenish added:
"Rory's knowledge and experience of high performance sport, farming, nutrition and leadership, make him an excellent partner for Devenish.
"The farmer has a key role to play in delivering sustainable and nutritious food that promotes good human health so supporting innovation at farm level is key. Working with Rory will give us the opportunity to learn from his work so we can tailor our feed solutions accordingly and at the same time promote the importance of sustainable farming.
"We look forward to cultivating a very meaningful partnership between Rory and Devenish," said Richard.
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