Argentina

13^th International Seminar on Poultry Science – 11^th Poultry & Swine Exposition (Argentina)

The Argentinean Branch of WPSA was one of the sponsors of the 13^th International Seminar on Poultry Science, so member of our Association had a 10% discount in the registration fees. This scientific meeting took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during the 11^th Poultry & Swine Exposition, from March 9^th - 11^th, 2022 (https://www.avicola.com.ar/seminario). The Argentina Chamber of Poultry Producers (CAPIA, and MBG & Event) organized the seminar. This seminar was attended by nearly 600 participants (producers, students and professionals), thereby being one of the most important events for the Argentinean poultry community. The entire seminar was presented in Spanish, with four presentations being made in English with simultaneous translation into Spanish.

WPSA provided one of the expert speakers, Prof. Peter Van Horne, who was supported by the WPSA Speakers Bureau programme. He provided one of the 12 conference presentations that covered the topic ‘World trade in poultry products: opportunities, challenges and consumer evaluation’.

Webinar ‘Ninth Poultry Conference’The Argentinean Branch of the World´s Poultry Science Association (WPSA) is one of the sponsors of the webinar ‘Ninth Poultry Conference’, with the slogan ‘review from farm to fork’. This meeting took place online in the YouTube channel of ‘Red Alimentaria’. It was organized by Red Alimentaria and Isidro Molfese in April 29^th, 2022. The thirteen lectures were given in Spanish (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IARXqJVEdc&t=30461s). The topics included different aspects from poultry production. This event was free of charge and attended by different producers, students, technicians, and professionals from different parts of the world.

13^th Series of Technical Conferences in Poultry Science

The Argentinean Branch of the World´s Poultry Science Association (WPSA) is one of the sponsors of the seven modules of conferences of 13^th Series of Technical Conferences in Poultry Science. These scientific meetings take place in Concepcion del Uruguay, Entre Rios, Argentina, between May and November, 2022. The Poultry Department (INTA-EEA Concepción del Uruguay) organizes these conferences. Each conference module has two lectures and is given in Spanish. The topics for this year include different aspects from poultry production. These events are free of charge and attended by producers, students, technicians, and professionals from different parts of Argentina.  Update, May 22^nd, 2022

Bernardo Iglesias, Secretary, Argentinean Branch

Austria

Webinar hosted by the WPSA-Austria Branch

On May 19^th the WPSA-Austria Branch organized a webinar to cover different aspects of the ‘Ukraine war – Consequences for Poultry Production in Austria’. In this regard, 5 speakers were invited to provide a 10-min statement each of their point of view on this situation to initiate a discussion by the audience.

The subjects covered by Siegfried Pöchtrager and Friedrich Leutzendorff had a view on the markets and the consequences of export stops for grains and oil seeds from Ukraine and Russia. Stored grains and oilseeds cannot be transported outside the Ukraine and the sowing of new crops in 2022 is partially interrupted. The consequences are an increase in the market price of commodities in the short but also in the long term. In addition, increased energy costs, lack of fertilizers, general mobilisation for the war, and destroyed infrastructure will further contribute to higher prices for consumers. Production conditions like the avoidance of import of genetic modified organisms (GMO), palm oil, and the regulation of using 50% corn in poultry diets as the cereal source may contribute for further discussion as the long-term shortage in supply chains becomes clearer. In Austria, which may look for alternatives for the feed industry, and which may pay the higher prices for those commodities, consumers will face higher food prices at food retailers. Worldwide however, the higher prices may be a trigger for a new severe hunger crisis.

Besides the grain sources, other component needs for poultry diets like mono-calcium-phosphate (MCP) are also currently in short supply. The prices of this component increased almost 5-times in a few days. Current MCP storage will cover the need for 2022, but beyond this the supply is uncertain. In this regard, the statement of Jochen Krieg about the use of phytase in poultry diets provided a good overview about the limits of using phytase in current diets for poultry when there is a shortage of MCP. The increase in phytase addition to substitute for MCP does not provide a linear response in P-digestibility. The maximum release occurs at about 2,000 FTU/ kg DM of feed. For laying hens, the addition of phytase in the diet from 18 week to 72 week of age may reduce the need for MCP by up to 2.5 g MCP/bird/laying period. However, the P/Ca ratio needs to be observed.

 Another aspect of the Ukraine war is the supply of grains and oil seed for the organic farm sector. Doris Hofer presented a statement about the consequences for the organic market in Austria. She mentioned that the import of organic products, grains and oil seeds from outside the European Union is not common for the organic farm sector. The main issue, however, is the shortage of protein-rich dietary components for the livestock sector in general and for essential amino acids especially Methionine. However, like for the supply of specific ingredients like phosphor, for organic farming the long-term shortage of phosphor sources is an increasing concern. Although imports for limiting ingredients like protein sources are regulated within the organic farm sector, with an expected increase of the proportion of organic farming in Europe, the demand for feed components produced under organic farm regulations will increase too, thereby increasing consumer prices. All speakers, as well as the attendees agreed that currently all consequences of such supply shortages are not yet foreseeable. Therefore, the WPSA-Austria branch plans to follow up on this discussion with a comparable event in autumn 2022.

Dr Christine Potthast, Secretary, Austria Branch

Bangladesh

Mr. Md Mahabub Hassen from WPSA Bangladesh branch has invited the Bangladesh WPSA branch members, and other poultry industry personnel to attend an ‘International Seminar & Policy Discussion on Safe and Sustainable Poultry Production in Bangladesh,’ that will be held on 10-11 June, 2022 at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in Dhaka. Environmental concerns related to poultry production in Bangladesh have become an important issue. The Poultry industry needs to follow and adjust its management practices in order to live better with the surrounding society. Interesting discussion can happen at this seminar.

Brazil

Benefits of autogenous vaccines will be theme of a FACTA symposium in September

Aiming at spreading technical and scientific knowledge to professionals and students in the poultry sector, FACTA WPSA-Brazil will organize the Symposium ‘Autogenous Vaccines’ ion September 13th and 14th.
The event will elaborate on the benefits of autogenous vaccines, personalized products produced from isolated microorganisms identified in the animals of a specific establishment affected by diseases.
Since some pathogens are capable of transforming into new strains, autogenous vaccines can offer more efficient protection against such variants. In these cases, autogenous vaccines offer producers an efficient mechanism to rapidly respond to such changes by using the most recent isolates, taken from sick birds from their own poultry houses. 

FACTA refreshes the sector with the FACTA Symposium on Salmonella in October

In order to foster debate and refreshment in the sector on the theme, a ‘FACTA Symposium on Salmonella’ will be organized in October 4th and 5th.
Salmonella will always be a trending theme, given its high occurrence in bird flocks and the zoonotic potential of some serological variants. Factors relating to the poultry chain, markets, and the pathogen maintain the relevance of continued debate on the subject. For example, there are new professionals entering the market, different demands from importing countries, emergence of new products to control bacteria, as well as a change to the resistance profile on the environment and the prevalence of serological variants in specific regions.

FACTA Symposium will debate trends in layer poultry farming

Between November 8th and 10th, FACTA organizes a space for debate in the layer poultry sector with a Symposium that will cover market trends, production, demand, management and sanitation aspects, and prospects for 2023.

Carla Palermo - FACTA WPSA Brazil (), Event & Communications

Colombia

The XXXV International Poultry Seminar is an academic event organized by the Colombian Association of Veterinary Doctors and Specialist Poultry Technicians (AMEVEA) that allows technicians and professionals to be updated on the latest research and trends that have been developed around the Poultry sector. From 15-16 June 2022, the first face-to-face seminar after two years of inactivity due to the pandemic will be held in Bogotá - Colombia.

You can find more information on the website.

France

The French Branch of WPSA will hold its general assembly 9 June 2022 online, with the presentation of its annual reports and the election of 4 new administrators.
On this occasion, the branch will welcome a keynote lecture in French on ‘Cellular meat: state of the art and perspectives’, by Marie-Pierre Elies-Oury, Sghaier Chriki, and Jean-François Hocquette .

The French Branch of WPSA is busy completing the preparations for the face to face 26^th WPC in Paris, 7-11 August 2022. The Paris Congress Centre is fully equipped to warrant the safety of all participants so that the organising committee looks forward to receiving a large number of participants on site.

Dr Michel DUCLOS, Secretary of WPSA French Branch and Dr Christophe BOSTVIRONNOIS, President of WPSA French Branch

Germany

This year's spring meeting for the German Association included both a Board Meeting and the General Meeting which took place on March 15 and 16, 2022, in Hannover in hybrid farm. The board members met in person at the Bayer Lecture Hall at the TiHo Hannover, but due to Covid concerns, the participants for the general meeting and the lecture session only met via zoom. For the general meeting 90 persons and for the conference 160 persons had registered.

Those participating in the general meeting elected new board members for the branch board, except for president Michael Grashorn who will continue to be in charge. Six members retired from the board after many years of membership, and their commitment was duly honoured at a joint dinner: they included: Dr Ingrid Halle, Dr Klaus Damme, Prof. Dr Hafez M. Hafez, Klaus Mechow, Dr Thomas Redmann, and Prof. Dr Hanz-Wilhelm Windhorst. Four new board members were elected, thus contributing to the desired rejuvenation of the board, including: Dr Franca Müller from the University of Giessen; Dr Petra Thobe, Thünen Institute; Prof. Dr Rudi Preisinger, Lohmann Breeders; and Prof. Dr Jens Tetens, University of Göttingen.

Current topics from all areas of poultry science were again addressed at the lecture conference. The genetic background of feather pecking in laying hens was covered by Prof. Dr Jens Tetens, University of Göttingen. Pollution of the area close to the house in the free-range management of laying hens was covered by Prof. Dr Jürgen from the eß, University of Kassel. Dr Léni Corrand, Selari from de Veterinaires Abiopole addressed the impact of avian influenza in duck farming in France; and Dr Juli Marggraff, Thüringer Tierseuchenkasse covered The occurrence of sternal lesions in laying hen flocks. In addition, an insight into the current research projects at the Experimental and Educational Center for Poultry Husbandry in Kitzingen was provided by Dr Philipp Hofmann. The conference event was rounded off by two short presentations by this year's dissertation sponsorship award winners; including the dissertation by Dr Carolin Adler (University of Bonn) that compared two different floor systems for broiler fattening; and by the work by Dr Ruben Schreiter (HTW Dresden) which dealt with the influence of environmental enrichment on young and laying hens.

Even if the personal contact between the participants was missing, it was still a very informative and successful event. Special thanks go to Dr Silke Rautenschlein and her team for the on-site organization. The next spring meeting is scheduled for March 14 and 15, 2023 in Berlin. Hopefully, that meeting will again have 100% in person attendance!

The Presidium and the Board wish all members all the best until the next reunion.

Inga Tiemann, Secretary, German Branch

Israel

The 55th annual Poultry Scientific Conference of the Israeli Branch was held on March 7-8, 2022, at the Pastoral Hotel in Kibbutz Kfar Blum located in the Upper Galilee. The conference was attended by 462 participants: scientists and students from the academia and research institutes, poultry producers, veterinarians, extension specialists and professionals from commercial companies serving the poultry industry in Israel.

During the 2-day conference, 51 lectures were presented in 10 sessions covering the leading poultry science disciplines: Nutrition; Management; Welfare; Environment protection; Health; Immunology; Genetics, Reproduction, Incubation and Fertility; Layers production; Broilers production­­­­­­­­­. We had a diverse group of lecturers which included well known professors and young researchers from academia, including veterinarians, nutritionists, experts from the industry sector, producer representatives, and graduate students. Three students were awarded prizes for their research presentations.

The opening ceremony was dedicated to the memory of Mr. Yoram Brown who served for many years as one of the central figures and Treasurer of the WPSA-Israel Branch.

The future of the broiler industry was in a round table discussion involving some of the leading representatives from the different sectors of the industry. The conference was honoured to host an overseas guest speaker, Mr. Tim Lambert from Canada, who shared a video lecture he had developed showing his extensive experience with the Canadian quota system of the Canadian egg industry, when he served as the CEO of Egg Farmers of Canada. His lecture was followed at the closing session by a lively round table discussion, focusing on the future reform for the Israeli egg quota system.

An award of appreciation was given to Bnayahu Mandel for his great contributions as the treasurer of the WPSA-Israel branch for the last 25 years, and for his activities in the Poultry Producers Organization as secretary. Twenty Israeli companies exhibited unique products for the poultry industry: including pharmaceuticals, feed additives, housing equipment, climate control, etc. The evening social activities included a lecture by a popular TV journalist on his experiences reporting on agriculture and other current issues in the Galilee region of Israel.

Yitzhak Malka, Secretary, WPSA Israel Branch

Italy

The 56th Annual Meeting of the Italian branch of WPSA took place on April 22th, 2022 at the Palacongressi of Rimini (Italy). It delt with ‘Are we pushing broilers to their biological limits?’.

This emerging topic was explored thanks to the contributions of a number of prestigious international speakers, moderated by Prof Martino Cassandro, President of the Italian Branch of WPSA.

• Ilkka Leinonen (Natural Resources Institute Finland), Applying energy balance modelling to assess the limits
• Birger Svihus (Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway), Is gut functionality a limitation for maximizing growth?
• Filip Van Immerseel (Ghent University, Belgium), Why classical broiler production yields animals with high sensitivity to intestinal inflammation and infection?
• Massimiliano Petracci (University of Bologna, Italy), Fast muscle growth and meat quality issues,
• Avigdor Cahaner (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel), Consequences of the breeding of broilers for rapid growth and high breast meat yield, and their genetic mitigation

Presentations of the lectures are available on the following webpage: http://www.wpsa.it/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=51&Itemid=183.

On the day before the annual meeting, WG2 members visited the ‘Rimini Conference Center’ where the 23rd edition of the European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition (ESPN) will be hosted from June 21st to 24^th, 2023. The city of Rimini is an ideal place for the European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition and the modern as well as eco-friendly Venue is the perfect stage for the event. The many attendees will include both poultry research scientists and practitioners, with leading speakers from across the world joining together to explore the past, share the present and helping to forge the future of poultry meat science. More details are already available on the Symposia website: https://www.espn2023.eu/.

Our Branch also participated to the First edition of the Fieravicola Poultry Forum & B2B which was took place on 4-6 May 2022 at the Rimini Expo Centre. This event was promoted by Fieravicola in collaboration with Assoavi (the Association of Italian egg producers) and Unaitalia (National Union of Meat and Egg Food Chains). The conference organized by the Italian Branch of WPSA was dedicated to the hot topic especially for EU egg producers dealing with “New technologies and perspectives of in-ovo sexing”. The meeting was moderated by Prof. Martino Cassandro (President of Italian Branch of WPSA) and it was opened by a lecture by Joel Gautron (INRAE, France) followed by the presentations of Gianluca Bagnara (Assoavi) and Yael Alter, CEO & Co-founder of Soos Technology. Slides of presentation (in Italian) are available on the following website. 

Massimiliano Petracci, Secretary, Italian Branch of WPSA

Japan

The 2022 Spring Meeting of Japan Poultry Science Association (JPSA) was held with online style during 28–29 March. More than 100 people were connected to the meeting. The meeting contained the presentations of original research findings, a symposium, a seminar, and a general meeting. The symposium was held on March 28 during 13:00 to 17:30 as per Japan standard time. The presentations of research findings and the general meeting were organized from 9:00 to 17:00 on March 29. Besides, the seminar was held during lunch hour (12:00 – 13:00) on March 29. JPSA would like to appreciate all attendees for joining the meetings.

The presentation of original research findings contained 40 titles including 20 titles of the candidates for the Excellent Presentation Award of young researchers. The Excellent Presentation Awards were given for the following presentations: 1) ‘Multi-Omics analysis of the effect of different housing systems on laying hens’ by Nonoko Nozaki (Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology); 2) ‘Development of a cryomedium containing dimethyl sulfoxide for cryopreservation of chicken primordial germ cells’ by Natsuko Hamai (Hiroshima University); 3) ‘Effects of ad libitum feeding of a bran-based diet on rest reaction and reproductive organs in Japanese quails’ by Saori Tamada (Aichi Agriculture Research Center); 4) ‘Effects of brown rice and sake lees on growth performance and meat quality in broiler chickens’ by Koki Nishikawa (Kobe University); and 5) ‘Anti-inflammatory response of olive-derived polyphenol in LPS-activated chicken splenocytes’ by Kanade Otani (Tohoku University). JPSA congratulates the presenters who achieved the Excellent Presentation Awards in the Spring Meeting 2022.

Two symposia were organized during JPSA 2022 Spring Meeting. The first one was entitled ‘The insect feeds, as nobel ingredients for aquaculture and livestock diet’. The organizers were Dr Yoshiki Matumoto, Kagawa University, and Dr Noboru Manabe, Osaka International University, and the speakers were Dr Yoshiki Matumoto, Kagawa University; Dr Yasuhiro Fujitani, Research Institute of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries, Osaka Prefecture; Dr Takeshi Miura, Ehime University; and Dr Kiyonori Kawasaki, Kagawa University. The second one was entitled ‘Metabolomics in chicken eggs’. It was organized by Dr Tatsuhiko Goto, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine; and Dr Shozo Tomonaga, Kyoto University. The speakers were Dr Mami Fukuoka, Kewpie Corporation; Dr Masataka Wakayama, Keio University; Dr Tsuyoshi Shimmura, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology; and Dr Tasuhiko Goto. The topics of these symposia were very timely, and many of young scientists joined the meeting and participated with vibrant discussions.

The Young Members' Executive Committee of JPSA held the seminar entitled ‘Using of guanidinoacetic acid in animal feed’ during 12:00 – 13:00, on March 29. Two speakers made the presentations. Dr Hitroshi Kojo, Sumitomo Chemical Corporation, talked about ‘Introduction of the new feed additive - guanidinoacetic acid’. Then, Dr Yoshiyuki Ohta, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, presented about ‘Broiler nutrition and guanidinoacetic acid’. The seminar also had many attendees.

The ‘Excellent Paper Award’ on the published papers in the Journal of Poultry Science (JPS) in 2021 was presented in this meeting. Ryosuke Makino, Maaya Uda, Syoko Shuto, Kazumi Kita, and Tetsuya Tachibana, entitled ‘Influence of dietary metformin on the growth performance and plasma concentrations of amino acids and advanced glycation end products in two types of chickens’, 58 (2): 110–118, and Tomohito Iwasaki, Takafumi Watanabe, Yasuhiro Hasegawa, Marina Hosotani, and Takeshi Kawasaki, entitled ‘Nutrition during the early rearing period affects the incidence of wooden breasts in broilers’, 58 (3): 177–185 were given the awards.

In the spring meeting, the new board members of JPSA have been elected for serving in the next two years. Dr Takashi Bungo (Okayama University of Science) has been elected as the new President of the JPSA. Dr Kan Sato (Tohoku University) has been elected as the new Vice-President of the JPSA, and Dr Naoki Goto (Hendrix Genetics Layers) has been re-elected as the Vice-President of the JPSA. The secretaries of the JPSA are Dr Atsushi Murai (Nagoya University), Hiroki Furuta (Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University). The treasure of the JPSA is Dr Makoto Yamazaki (Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, NARO). In addition, the Editorial Board Members for the JPSA journals (‘The JPS’ and ‘Japanese Journal of Poultry Science’) are: Dr Kazuhisa Honda (Kobe University) took the charge as the Editor-in-Chief, and Dr Tomohiro Sasanami (Shizuoka University) became the co-Editor-in-Chief. The Editorial Managers are Dr Takeshi Ohkubo (Ibaraki University) and Dr Fuminori Kawabata (Hirosaki University). Moreover, Dr Naoki Goto continues to be the secretary of WPSA Japan branch.

JPS, the official scientific journal of JPSA, obtained the Impact Factor of 1.425 (2021 Journal Citation Reports, Clarivate Analytics). The JPS is also a member of PubMed Central (PMC), and the articles of the journal can be accessed through PubMed search engine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/3725/). Moreover, JPS is available on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) database (https://doaj.org/toc/1349-0486).

JPSA welcomes the submission of original research articles and review papers to the JPS using the following website: https://jpn-psa.jp/en/jps-en/. Free access to download the full-published articles in JPS is available on J-Stage (https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jpsa), which provides an excellent opportunity for all to access the full published articles.

JPSA would like to contribute to the Poultry Science in Japan and over the globe by enhancing the international activities with the members from different countries. Thus, JPSA has a membership category for foreign citizens residing abroad as ‘Special International Member’. The page charges to publish their papers in the JPS will be set at a membership price. JPSA invariably welcomes new members from all over the world. Please visit JPSA website (http://jpn-psa.jp/?lang=en) for further information.

The COVID pandemic has still made a tough situation in many areas of the world; however, it seems to be getting better. Please take good care of yourself until it’s over!

Naoki Goto, Secretary of WPSA Japan Branch

Pakistan

Dr Nasir Mukhtar from the Pakistan branch reported activity which was arranged in Pakistan for WPSA members, academics and industry. The 4th National Poultry Training Workshop on Advanced Artificial Insemination Techniques for Broiler Breeders was successfully held on 10-12 May, 2022, at PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi – Pakistan.

Poland

The XXXII International Poultry Symposium of PB WPSA 'Science for poultry practice - poultry practice for science', will be held from 5-7 September 2022 at the Krasicki Hotel in Lidzbark Warmiński (Centrum Konferencyjno-Wypoczynkowe "ZAMEK" Sp. z o.o., Pl. Zamkowy 1/7, 11-100 Lidzbark Warmiński, Poland).

PRELIMINARY SYMPOSIUM PROGRAMME
• Opening ceremony - September 5, 2022 (Monday)
• Deliberations in sessions - 5-7 September 2022 (Monday-Wednesday)
• The General Meeting of WPSA Members - September 6, 2022 (Tuesday)
• Summing up and closing the meeting - September 7, 2022 (Wednesday)

More information on the website www.wpsa.pl.
Or you can contact the organizers at 

Thailand

The Thailand Branch, led by the APF President, Dr Sakchai Sriboonsue, arranged our annual WPSA Thailand branch meeting on-line during November 2021. The topics covered were related to poultry products, such as chicken meat and eggs, and immunity. Speakers were invited from the Food Science Technology area in order to broaden our knowledge and the audience. We also had a panel discussion on ‘Poultry product safety’ with a government official, a feed producer and a university professor on the panel to provide their views on how we should handle and control safety in the poultry meat we produce during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lastly, we provided an opportunity for four university students to present their research work.

Dr Charoen Parcharianon, Secretary, Thailand Branch

Turkey

During its last board meeting, the WPSA Turkish Branch decided to put forward our candidacy for hosting one of the European Federation’s working group summits and to start with the necessary deliberations.
We also decided to organise some scientific panels/conferences etc. in order to revive our branch activities, which have been quite static since the start of the Covid pandemic.
Upon the request of some African countries, we have also agreed to form a scientific committee specialised in poultry production techniques to be sent to those countries to improve their production capacities

Prof. Dr Kâzım Şahin, Secretary, WPSA Turkish Branch

United Kingdom

Over April 13th and 14^th, 2022, the U.K. Branch was very happy to hold its first in person meeting in over two years. Everything went smoothly, and it was great to meet up with old friends, colleagues and contacts again. The meeting was a great success — with all 63 of the participants enjoying the opportunity to network again after the restrictions imposed by COVID-19. As in previous years, the meeting was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the British Society for Animal Science, which allowed those in attendance the option to attend that organisation’s sessions on other species.

Delegates attending in person made up about one-quarter of the Branch’s total membership. For those unable to be there in person, remote access to the presentations was offered for a reduced registration fee. Over the course of the meeting, 21 presentations were given in six sessions, including four invited speakers. Topics ranged from poultry nutrition and welfare to the potential in feeding processed animal proteins. Commemorating Robert Gordon — one of the country’s most eminent poultry scientists — the annual Gordon Memorial Lecture was given by Professor Christine Nichol of the Royal Veterinary College, University of London. Her chosen topic was ‘Whither hen welfare?’

The Annual General Meeting of the branch members saw the terms end for Branch President, Professor Emily Burton, and for Vice-President, Dr Helen (Nell) Masey-O’Neill. Despite a number of huge challenges over their four-year terms of office, both provided tremendous leadership for the Branch while they were serving. As a token of the members’ appreciation and thanks, both were presented with flower bouquets before the annual meeting closed.

Taking on the position of President for the U.K. Branch is a renowned poultry veterinarian, Dr Stephen Lister. Dr Jessica Martin will serve as the new Vice President for the Branch.

With great anticipation, the Branch is now looking forward to our next Poultry Science Symposium, which will be held at the University of Cambridge. The theme for the Symposium is: ‘Pre and Probiotics: Nutritional, Veterinary and Production Perspectives’. Originally scheduled for the year 2020, this 33^rd Poultry Science Symposium will now be held on 22^nd - 24^th August 2022. Registration will open soon. Further details are available on the following website: https://www.wpsa2022.org/. The U.K. Branch looks forward to welcoming you to this fascinating conference at one of the U.K.’s oldest and most prestigious universities!

Jackie Linden, WPSA UK Branch Secretary

USA

The USA and Canadian Branches of the WPSA will again jointly sponsor the WPSA lecture, that will serve as the keynote lecture for the Poultry Science Association annual meeting this summer on July 11-14 in San Antonio, Texas. The lecture will be held on Monday, July 11. The speaker will be Professor Ian Dunn from the Roslin Institute and the topic of his lecture will be ‘Practical Genetic Inspired Tools to Improve the Skeletal Quality of Laying hens; Nutrition, Management and Selection’. For information on this year’s annual Poultry Science Meeting, Registration, and Programmes, see: www.annualmeetingeventspoultryscience.org.

Dr Bob Buresh, USA Branch Secretary