Atlanta delivered the largest trade show floor in IPPE history. More than 1,385 exhibitors spread across 663,000 square feet. Roughly 33,000 attendees from 130 countries navigating an ice storm to get there.
The numbers matter less than what they revealed: the protein industry's technology adoption curve just inflected.
For years, AI and automation at IPPE meant impressive demonstrations that returned to R&D labs after the show. That era ended. The companies drawing traffic in 2026 were processing billions of birds through deployed systems, not showing concepts.
Our IPPE 2026 recap examines how the themes above played out on the Atlanta show floor, where biosecurity infrastructure, genetic innovation, and supply chain resilience dominated buyer conversations and exhibitor positioning.
What’s Inside:
Aviwell Raises €11M to Scale AI-Driven Microbiome Platform for Poultry and Aquaculture
Barnwell Bio Raises $6M to Apply Wastewater Metagenomics to Livestock Disease Surveillance
JBS and MBRF Escalate Saudi Arabia Investment as Brazilian Processors Shift to Local Production
US Cattle Inventory Falls to 86.2 Million Head, Lowest Level Since 1951
Cobb-Vantress Launches Cobb800 Broiler to Challenge Aviagen in High-Yield Genetics Segment
Canada Approves Genus PLC's PRRS-Resistant Gene-Edited Pigs for Food Use
Aviwell Raises €11M to Scale AI-Driven Microbiome Platform for Poultry and Aquaculture
The French startup's Series A, led by Blue Revolution Fund, advances feed additives designed to replace prophylactic antibiotics in intensive animal production. The EU's 2022 ban on routine antibiotic use and its 50% reduction target by 2030 have converted this product category from supplement to essential input, with the animal microbiome market projected to reach $19.2 billion by 2034. Aviwell's commercial viability now depends on whether its AI-native R&D approach can outpace replication efforts from incumbents Novonesis and DSM-Firmenich.
Barnwell Bio Raises $6M to Apply Wastewater Metagenomics to Livestock Disease Surveillance
The seed round positions a team from COVID-era Biobot Analytics to deploy barn-level pathogen detection for poultry integrators including Vital Farms and West Liberty Foods. With H5N1 having affected 169 million US birds since 2022 and African Swine Fever carrying a $50 billion tail-risk scenario, early-warning surveillance addresses existential exposure that justifies adoption economics even at meaningful per-barn cost. Zoetis, Merck Animal Health, and large integrators represent likely acquirers if pilot metrics validate.
JBS and MBRF Escalate Saudi Arabia Investment as Brazilian Processors Shift to Local Production
JBS has committed $85 million to Saudi processing capacity while MBRF has structured a $2.07 billion transaction with the Public Investment Fund, including a planned 2027 Riyadh IPO for the new Sadia Halal entity. The 2021 Saudi ban on 11 Brazilian slaughterhouses demonstrated the fragility of export-only models and accelerated the shift toward in-kingdom production, where government incentives and 9x EBITDA valuations versus 13-15x for local peers create both operational and financial arbitrage. MBRF's sovereign partnership provides capital cost advantages and geopolitical protection that JBS cannot currently match.
US Cattle Inventory Falls to 86.2 Million Head, Lowest Level Since 1951
The 12th consecutive year of herd contraction has reduced beef cow numbers to 27.6 million, with the 2025 calf crop the smallest since 1941. Despite record cattle prices exceeding $366/cwt for feeders, only 47% of surveyed producers are considering expansion within five years, constrained by bred heifer costs above $4,000/head and average operator age of 58.3 years. Packers face at least two more years of margin compression, with Tyson projecting $400-600 million in beef segment losses for FY2026 and processing capacity now structurally exceeding available cattle supply.
Cobb-Vantress Launches Cobb800 Broiler to Challenge Aviagen in High-Yield Genetics Segment
The Tyson subsidiary's first specialized high-yield product targets breast meat premiums in Asia, the Middle East, and large-bird North American operations, where breast commands approximately 2x whole carcass and 5x dark meat pricing. Cobb's new Proving Grounds facility generates 50x more product data than legacy methods, creating validation advantages through integration with Tyson's 42 million broilers/week processing operation. The launch intensifies competition in a duopoly where Cobb and Aviagen control 90-99% of global broiler breeding stock.
Canada Approves Genus PLC's PRRS-Resistant Gene-Edited Pigs for Food Use
Health Canada's January 2026 approval follows US FDA clearance in April 2025, advancing the first gene-edited food animal toward commercial deployment in major developed markets. PRRS costs the US pork industry $1.2 billion annually and increases nursery pig antibiotic use by 380%, creating clear adoption economics estimated at $4.67/pig improvement. Commercialization timelines depend on export market approvals, with Genus explicitly delaying broad US deployment until Mexico establishes a regulatory framework.