The Barney van Niekerk/AFMA Technical Person of the Year, Dr Peter Plumstead, technical director of Chemuniqué, and the AFMA Person of the Year for 2018/2019, Terry Wiggill, managing director of Chemuniqué, with De Wet Boshoff, executive director of AFMA (left) and Wouter de Wet, chair of the AFMA board of directors (right).
The Animal Feed Manufacturers Association of South Africa (AFMA) is the official industry representative body of the local feed industry. Their annual AGM is a highlight on the industry calendar, and this year it was all about the Chemuniqué directors! Technical director Dr Peter Plumstead received the Barney van Niekerk/AFMA Technical Person of the Year Award and managing director Terry Wiggill was named AFMA Person of the Year for 2018/2019.
The Barney van Niekerk/AFMA Technical Person of the Year Award is presented to a person who has made an outstanding technical contribution to the benefit of the feed industry in South Africa. Since starting his career as a research scientist at the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), Dr Peter Plumstead has been extensively involved in poultry nutrition with a strong focus on research and product development, locally with various research and industry institutions, and internationally with DuPont. As technical director at Chemuniqué, he works closely with integrators and nutrition consultants in the poultry industry with the aim of improving the efficiency and sustainability of meat production in sub-Saharan Africa by identifying opportunities and executing specific research projects locally and abroad. Peter was actively involved in planning and sourcing external funding to upgrade the poultry research facilities at the University of Pretoria (UP), and he continues to lead several research projects and serve as co-adviser to graduate students at UP. His contribution to local research and his exceptional ability to motivate students to get excited about poultry has developed students and given them global exposure with the projects they are involved in. He understands that investing in future talent is a prerequisite for making a positive contribution to the industry and our country. Peter continues to present his research locally and internationally and is well-known for his ability to present the most technical scientific concepts in a practical and commercially relevant manner. His ongoing passion for research, dedication to the poultry industry, and purposeful investment in developing the future poultry nutritionists of our industry made him the ideal candidate to be this year’s AFMA Technical Person of the Year.
The AFMA Person of the Year Award is presented to a person who has made an exceptional contribution towards the feed industry over a two-year period. For the past 30 years, Terry Wiggill has dedicated his resources to making a difference to the cost and sustainability of producing food in Africa by searching for new innovations and being the first to bring these technologies to our country. He has made most of his contribution to the industry while standing at the helm of Chemuniqué – a company dedicated to improving the efficiency of livestock production to facilitate efficient meat, milk, and egg production for the region. The company started over 20 years ago when Terry, together with Ashley Shapiro, bought Hochfeld Fine Chemicals, changing the name to Chemuniqué in 1998. Since then, the company has grown significantly in its customer-service offerings through partnerships with leading, scientifically innovative, international organisations, including Zinpro Corporation, DuPont, CJ Bio, Arm & Hammer, and Impextraco. These partnerships also led to the development of an ISO-accredited enzyme analysis laboratory that enables Chemuniqué to produce customer-specific solutions for the South African market, something Terry is particularly proud of. Terry always has been a visionary leader and an animal scientist who has the ability to recognise the potential of new science, with the tenacity to convince others to evaluate new concepts. He is passionate about developing people, contributing time and leadership into local communities like Hlanganani, and putting that same effort into developing young graduates and interns in the business. In a nationwide feed producers marketing survey conducted in 2013, it was clear that Terry’s impact in the industry was derived from his passion to not only add value and a greater purpose of animal and feed production in Southern Africa, but that through his absolute integrity, he had become a key influencer in the feed additive industry. In addition to his scientific acumen, his personal code of ethics and the integrity with which he conducts himself in all spheres of business and his personal life have been unwavering and have shaped Chemuniqué into the company it is today. There is no doubt that over the course of his career, Terry has contributed significantly to shaping the South African feed industry.
The team at Chemuniqué could not be prouder of these two gentlemen, and we congratulate them on this amazing achievement!
Robyn Joubert is the marketing manager at Chemuniqué, contact Robyn at 074 252 3333 / robyn@chemunique.co.za.