Taiwan and Germany to collaborate on biotechnology

Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture (COA) has teamed with Germany’s Lohmann Animal Health to collaborate on research and development on animal heath.

Lohmann managing director Bruno Kaesler said “With the high level of know-how and the focused result-orientation of the scientists here, we are committed to converting these research products into commercial success.

“The range of new vaccines in development and the innovative technology involved represent a great market potential.”

The German company intends to invest at least US$12.82mn in a factory in Taiwan to produce poultry vaccines initially for the Asian market, Kaesler added.

Work on the factory should begin in the second half of the year and take a year or two to build and another four years will be needed to get approvals to sell products in Europe.

“Taiwan is not a big market, but we are aiming for something higher,” Kaesler said, adding that he chose Taiwan as the company's Asian base because of its excellent science and technology environment and its well-educated and disciplined workers.