| Volume 38, January 2017 | Newsletter Editor: Dr G.B. Havenstein, |
Executive Committee
Secretary's Report
Board meeting 2017: The next board meeting will be held 8 May 2017 in Salou, Spain, in connection with the European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition.
New Branch: Recently a new Branch was formed in South Sudan. The branch started with 36 members.
The Branch secretary is Dr S.K. Jubarah from the University of Juba ().
Promotion of WPSA: In January 2017, WPSA will have a stand at the International Production and Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. In March 2017, WPSA will be present at VIV Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, in April at AGRA Middle East in Dubai, UAE. Members are welcome to visit the WPSA booth at these exhibitions.
The programme of the Poultry Outlook Forum in Dubai, 10-12 April, will soon be available at www.wpsa.com and www.agramiddleeast.com.
WPSA materials have been and will be distributed during several (branch) meetings. Materials to be distributed and requests for materials can be send to .
Branch and future meetings: 2-4 March, the International Poultry Show and Seminar in Dhaka, Bangladesh organized by the Bangladesh WPSA branch will be attended.
There are plans for the organization of a Poultry Conference Africa to be held in Kigali, Rwanda, 3-5 October 2017. More info can be requested from the secretary.
Poultry day: In 2012, the Hungarian WPSA branch initiated the International Poultry Meat Day. On this day in May, the Branch organized one of their meetings. Following this initiative, as for the International Egg Day, organizations, associations and their branches are asked to organize meetings or activities during this period under this common theme.
Cooperation with the organization on World Veterinary Education in Production Animal Health (WVEPAH): The WVEPAH, a non-profit organization organizes training courses on poultry (for 3 à 4 weeks) in several countries (www.wvepah.org). Activities will be announced on our website and in the WPS Journal.
Dr Roel Mulder
Treasurer's Report
As 2017 begins, I can report good news to you, the members of WPSA. Our investment portfolio had a 7.46% return in 2016. You may have read of some portfolios performing much better than this. However, we must always remember that the WPSA portfolio is designed in a very conservative way and also includes international investment. The post-United States election stock rally was strong, but bonds were down 20%. To have balance in changing markets, WPSA's portfolio contains bond components. Our 7.46% return is NET return. So do take care if you look at comparing our return to published returns of other portfolios. They may be reporting ‘un-costed’ performance on purely American investments and are not a fair comparison.
After a couple of weeks of strong performance this January, the stock market has pulled back. Our portfolio's performance year-to-date is 1.95%.
I have been very busy working with our Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to have all our financial records prepared for the May WPSA Board Meeting. Please look for your Board members at ESPN in Salou, Spain.
If you will be attending the IPPE in Atlanta, please stop by the WPSA booth. Plans are for all the Executive Committee members to be in Atlanta.
In the spirit of our most recent Congress in Beijing, I wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year. We should all celebrate, as this will be the Year of the Chicken, specifically the Fire or Red Chicken Year!
Dr Francine Bradley
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Dubrovnik, Croatia, 17-21 September 2018 |
The Croatian local organizing committee of XV EPC 2018 is fully engaged in the organisation and have held numerous meetings during the year. Contacts have been made with potential sponsors and participants. The sponsors of EPC 2018 will have the opportunity to promote their company’s products and solutions to a wide range of decision makers and stakeholders within the poultry industry, as well as to leading poultry scientists. If you are interested to participate or to sponsor EPC 2018, please visit www.epc2018.com or contact the Croatian branch at .
European Federation
The European Federation has numerous conferences planned between now and the end of 2017.
News from a number of European Federation's working groups is provided below.
WPSA European Working Group News
WG3
Breeding & Genetics
10th European Symposium on Poultry Genetics, 26-28 June 2017 in St Malo, France
We are pleased to announce the 10th European Symposium on Poultry Genetics. The Symposium will be held from 26-28 June 2017 in St Malo, France. The symposium is open for registration and abstracts are welcome. Deadline for submission is March 1st, 2017. Accepted abstracts will be presented as posters. Young scientists as PhD students and postdocs may be selected to benefit from free registration by the scientific committee based on their abstracts. Up to 4 fellowships will be distributed and the winners will present their work orally. The scientific programme will contain sessions on genetics of welfare traits, health and immune system, genomics and diversity, and new breeding technologies in poultry. The scientific contributions from invited speakers and poster presentations will be significant and impactful.
For more details, please look at: http://www.wpsa.fr/congres/EuropeanPoutryGenetics/Authors.html
We are looking forward to welcoming you at the next Poultry Genetics Symposium in 2017.
On behalf of the organizing committee
Michele Tixier-Boichard
Steffen Weigend
WG4 and WG5
Quality of Poultry Meat and Quality of Eggs and Egg Products
EGGMEAT 2017: Registration and abstract submission is now open!
The organising committee of EGGMEAT2017 is looking forward to welcoming all those interested in the science and application of science to the egg and poultry meat industry, to join them in Edinburgh on 3-5th September 2017. Edinburgh has a rich history and is a modern vibrant city so our delegates and accompanying persons will be able to enjoy some of its attractions as well as the surrounding coasts, hills and the not so distant highlands.
The poultry industry relies on science and its application and these meetings are important in making sure we keep advancing to meet the biggest challenges the world faces in terms of sustainable food supply. EGGMEAT2017 provides an ideal forum for young and established researchers to communicate their science and to meet and interact with stakeholders from both the egg and meat sectors of the poultry industry.
Our scientific programme promises to be both inspiring and thought provoking and we are delighted to announce that both registration and abstract submission for EGGMEAT2017 is now open.
Prominent invited speakers from American and European Institutions have already confirmed their participation. They will address emerging issues on poultry meat and egg products.
Important Dates:
Friday, 31 March 2017 Abstract submission
Sunday, 30 April 2017 Abstract acceptance
Thursday, 01 June 2017 End of early bird registration
Visit http://eggmeat2017.efconference.co.uk/ to keep you updated. Submission deadline is31 March, 2017. Special reduced registration fees are available for WPSA members and students.
Maureen Bain, Chairperson WG4
Massimiliano Petracci, Chairperson WG5
WG6
Reproduction
Incubation Fertility Research Group (IFRG-WPSA Working Group 6), Report meeting 2016, Brugge, Belgium, 4-6 December 2016
The 2016 meeting of the IFRG-WPSA Working Group 6 was organized in Brugge, a historical city located in the north-east of Belgium. Despite the timing close to the December festivities, 44 participants joined the conference in Hotel de’Medici located at the Potterei central Brugge. The slow registration response was notable, probably because of the World Poultry Congress Beijing in September. At the end of October only 16 delegates had registered. Nevertheless, with a little bit of patience and an interesting programme, not the least because we received many presentations and posters from PhD students and researchers from INRA France, acceptable delegate numbers were achieved.
The programme concentrated on three major topics/themes relevant for fundamental and applied fertility and incubation research: (1) nutrition of embryo and hatchling, (2) conservation of endangered species and (3) fertilisation physiology. The first session focused on nutrition of the embryo and hatchling during the first days after hatch. Prof. Zehava Uni from Hebrew University opened this session presenting an overview of changing metabolic needs of the developing embryo and orchestrated transport of nutrients from albumen and yolk and extra-embryonic membranes. Limitations of minerals during critical hatching period might induce a mineral deficiency during the last days of incubation. Prof Uni was sponsored by incubator manufacturers HatchTech, Petersime and Pas Reform.
The second speaker, Dr. Henri Woelders from Wageningen University, focused on the relation between early microbial colonisation of the intestine and gut immunological functions. Later in this session, Mylène Da Silva, Department Reproduction Physiology, INRA Nouzilly, discussed the development and biological functions of amniotic protein profiles as shown by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis. For example, in the second week of incubation amniotic fluid develops proteolytic and antibacterial activities.
The more applied topics related to ‘early feeding’ were discussed by three speakers. Okan Elibol from Ankara University, sponsored by Aviagen, showed the results of a very detailed study on early feeding of hatched chicks. In this study, a clear definition of the moment of access to feed after hatching was used. It was concluded that post hatch holding for up to 40 hours after hatching had no major detrimental effects on final live performance.
Dr. Hilke Willemsen, Aviagen UK, and Dr. Inge Reijrink, HatchTech, both compared the vitality (quality) of chicks hatched in an environment where feed and water are available immediately after hatching. Dr. Inge Reijrink clearly showed that chicks from the traditional hatcher showed more signs of dehydration compared to those from the HatchCare system. Dr. Hilke Willemsen focused on the behaviour of chicks hatched in the broiler house. A higher percentage of chicks hatched in the broiler house were resting compared to chicks hatched in a traditional hatcher. The behaviour differences disappeared after six days post-hatch. The last speaker of this session Seline Schallier, University of Leuven, discussed transgenerational effects of protein undernutrition of breeders on egg weights. Low protein feed in parent generations reduced egg weights in the F2 generation, even if F2 hens were fed a standard control diet.
For the second session entitled ‘Preservation of endangered species’ two speakers were invited. Dr. Elisabeth Blesbois, Reproductive Physiology and Behaviours, INRA Tours, showed promising progresses in cryopreservation techniques of primordial germ cells and semen. For the latter, new methods of semen phenotyping have been developed such that the resistance to cryopreservation of semen can be predicted. Dr. Patricia Brekke, Institute of Zoology, London presented data on hatching failure in the endangered New Zealand bird called the hihi (Notiomystis cincta). Hatching failure is higher in threatened birds compared to other bird populations. The hihi is shown to be a good example where low levels of fertility and higher embryonic mortality were highlighted in the threatened small hihi population.
The third session ‘Sperm, fertilization and embryo physiology’, was reserved for oral and poster presentations by researchers and PhD students from INRA Tours, Nouzilly. The results of research presented in this session showed the power of large groups of scientists collaborating in multi-disciplinary research projects. Sarah-Anne David showed how cyclic increases of incubation temperature and relative humidity from E7 to E16 increased the thermotolerance of chickens. The cyclic changes in the incubation environment were associated with altered metabolic activity and expression of genes up to slaughter age. In the context of this presentation, a poster was presented showing adaptive capacities of broiler chickens after incubation climate changes.
Dr. Nadine Gérard, INRA Tours, Nouzilly presented a detailed overview of the relationship between fertility and uterine fluid composition in sperm storage tubuli. Related to this theme a total of five posters by PhD students were presented. Electron microscopical techniques, immune-cytochemical methods, biostatistics and molecular functional analysis were used to reveal uterine proteins involved in sperm survival in the hen oviduct.
The final two oral presentations sponsored by Aviagen. Firstly Tolga Erkus showed the positive effects of egg storage at 15°C and one SPIDES treatment at five days after storage. Dr. Dinah Nicholson closed the session by reviewing the history of poultry breeding and artificial incubation. For the future, Dr. Nicholson envisions a formaline-free hatchery with hatching practiced on the farm.
Two more interesting posters were presented. These being: (1) a detailed description of embryonic development of domestic guinea fowl presented (M. Marzoni, University of Pisa) and Marine Dewez (Hybrid Turkeys) presented that that the CT scan is a good tool to predict body composition in reproductive hens.
Dr. Marleen Boerjan, President IFRG
Incubation and Fertility Research Group on Reproduction
Asia Pacific Federation
Coming Up
Bangladesh - The 10th International Poultry Show and Seminar, 2-4 March 2017, International Convention City Bashundhara, Dhaka. For details www.wpsa-bb.com
Taiwan - The 6th World Waterfowl Conference, 22-25 October 2017, Howard International Service House, Taipei. For details www.wwc2017.tw
Thailand - The 11th Asia Pacific Poultry Conference, March 2018, Bangkok
Indonesia branch membership
Congratulations to the Indonesia branch on their membership drive which has recently netted new members. All our branches should always be on the lookout for new members.
Alan Gibbins, President Asian/Pacific Federation
WPSA Asian-Pacific Working Group News
A/P WG2
Waterfowl
The 6th World Waterfowl Conference will be held in Taipei, Taiwan on 22-25 October, 2017.
The followings are some important dates:
| Online Abstract Submission System Open | 00:00 (GMT+8), February 15, 2017 |
| Online Abstract Submission Deadline | 23:59 (GMT+8), May 31, 2017 |
| Notification of Acceptance | 23:59 (GMT+8), June 30, 2017 |
| Early Bird Registration Deadline | 23:59 (GMT+8), August 31, 2017 |
For more details, please refer to the WWC 2017 website: http://www.wwc2017.tw/ScientificProgram.html
Dr Jeng-Fang Huang, Chairperson
Branch News
Egypt
The 9th International Poultry Conference of the Egyptian Poultry Science Association, 7–10 November 2016, Hurghada, Red Sea, Egypt
The Egyptian Poultry Science Association has provided a scientific platform, in collaboration with the World Poultry Science Association - Egypt branch, to present more than 90 papers regarding all aspects of the poultry industry. More than 150 scientists and researchers from Egyptian universities, research centres and other parts of the world confirmed the need to rely on local poultry breeds and highlighted the need for improvements in these breeds and the development of welfare and feeding systems. Prof. Dr. Mohamed Abdel Moneim Kosba, Chairman of the IPC conference, concluded that the most important recommendation was the need to increase the budget for scientific research in the field of poultry production to improve meat and egg production. This conference is held every two years and it is expected to next take place next in November, 2018 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. This conference is organised by the Egyptian Poultry Science Association, based in the Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, which is the oldest specialised scientific association for poultry science in the Middle East and North Africa.
