The 25th Utrecht edition, from 2 to 4 June 2026, launches a biennial cycle that reflects the pace of change in the global poultry industry
The announcement came in January and went almost unnoticed in the calendars of many industry professionals: VIV Europe is changing its cycle. From 2026, the world’s most important trade fair in the poultry value chain—from feed to processed food—will no longer be held every four years, but every two. The next event after Utrecht 2026 already has a date: June 2028.
This is no minor scheduling change. It is a statement of intent about the speed at which innovation in animal production is moving today.
Why four years has become too long
When VIV Europe was born in the Netherlands nearly five decades ago, and was renamed VIV EUROPE in 1986, the poultry sector was innovating at a pace that allowed a four-year wait between editions while still yielding enough novelties to fill exhibition halls. That world no longer exists.
In-ovo vaccination, intelligent environmental control systems, the wide variety of aviary configurations, the rapid advances in genetic selection, artificial intelligence applied to flock management, in-ovo sexing systems and real-time chick sexing… none of these technologies existed or were mature ten years ago. And in the next two years there will be others that today are barely prototypes in laboratories in Wageningen, Guelph or Ames.
The organisers—Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs and VNU Europe—acknowledge this explicitly: the new biennial cycle responds to demand from the sector itself, which needs a meeting platform more frequently to keep pace. In the words of Jeroen van Hooff, CEO of Royal Dutch Jaarbeurs and VNU: the industry needs “continuity and momentum” that a quadrennial cycle can no longer provide.
The 25th edition: much more than a round number
VIV Europe 2026 is not only the first biennial edition. It is also the 25th edition of the fair, a milestone the organisers are not overlooking. Born in the Netherlands, the VIV brand has grown to be present on five continents, with events in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Utrecht remains its origin and epicentre.
Registration figures speak for themselves: 100% of exhibition space has been sold months in advance. Around 600 exhibitors from Europe, Asia and the Middle East, with an expected 20,000 international visitors. Poland has been designated Country of Honour 2026, a recognition of its position as one of the leading countries in EU poultry production.
What this means for poultry professionals in Spain or Latin America
Spain is explicitly listed among the priority markets for VIV Europe 2026. Together with Poland, France, Germany and Italy, it forms part of the European production core that the organisers identify as a driver of technological demand in automation, animal welfare, feed efficiency and digital tools.
In other words: VIV Europe 2026 is designed, in part, for you. And with the new biennial cycle, skipping this edition no longer means waiting four years for the next opportunity. It means falling two years behind those who were in Utrecht on 2 June.
The window for planning the trip is closing. Utrecht, 2–4 June 2026.
For more information:
-. VIV EUROPE 2026 fair
-. International events calendar: https://NeXusAvicultura.com/Calendario/
