NEWSLETTER june 2023

Introduction from the President

Dear members of WPSA,

It is my pleasure to inform you that the proposals submitted to the branch development programme can now reach up to 4000 US$, instead of 2000. We are expecting branch proposals, please visit this link. The next deadline is JULY 1st, don’t miss it. This is aimed at helping you.

The communication strategy is one important topic for the board, and we received 348 answers from 59 countries to our survey dedicated to the website and social media. This was discussed at an online board meeting on April 25. The overall content of the website was generally appreciated, which is a good point. We also realized the need to retain our young members with us.

Together with the Secretary General, Peter Van Horne, and a Vice-President, Fallou Gueye, I attended the 2nd Pan African Poultry Conference co-organized on May 16-18 by the branch of Togo and by CERSA, the regional excellence center for avian sciences based in the University of Lomé. The ministry in charge of research and higher education from Togo opened the conference, in the presence of the delegate ministry of Burkina-Faso for animal resources. The programme featured invited talks and short oral communications that triggered a very lively discussion. Simultaneous translation made it possible to gather participants from all over Africa, both French-speaking and English-speaking. I congratulate the organizers for this successful event. In addition, it made it possible to gather, on-site or online, several representatives of WPSA branches from the African WPSA network recently created.

The role of a branch was clarified by sharing experiences, and it was decided to hold the next Pan African Poultry Conference in 2025, May 12-14, in Johannesburg. Save this date!

Working groups of the European Federation are getting ready for their symposiums, please check the calendar on the website. The waterfowl working group will also meet in Indonesia.

After postponement due to COVID, the Asian Poultry Conference will take place in China in November. See this link for more information.

I hope that you will like the new format of this Newsletter. It is aimed at stimulating exchanges between our members. This is a way to develop the sense of belonging within our large WPSA family.

With my best regards,

Dr Michèle Tixier-Boichard, President

• Impact of stocking density on welfare and productivity of broiler chickens reared to 34d of age (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japr.2023.100344) (Canada)
• An evaluation of the thermoregulatory potential of in ovo delivered bioactive substances (probiotic, folic acid, and essential oil)in broiler chickens (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.102602) (Canada)
• Effect of photoperiod during incubation on embryonic temperature, hatch traits, and performance of 2 commercial broiler strains (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.102632) (Canada)
• A deep learning-based automated image analysis for histological evaluation of broiler pectoral muscle (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.102792) (Israel)
• Supply and demand of creatine and glycogen in broiler chicken embryos (https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1079638) (Israel)
• Profiling intestinal stem and proliferative cells in the small intestine of broiler chickens via in situ hybridization during the peri-hatch period (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.102495) (Israel)
• Alterations in gonadotropin, prolactin, androgen and estrogen receptor and steroidogenesis-associated gene expression ingander testes in relation to the annual period (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.04.019) (Israel)
• Parental Preconception and Pre-Hatch Exposure to a Developmental Insult Alters Offspring’s Gene Expression and EpigeneticRegulations: An Avian Model (https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24055047) (Israel)

A new book on ‘Poultry Meat Quality’ edited by Massimiliano Petracci (University of Bologna) and Mario Estévez (Universidadde Extremadura) is now available. (WG5)

Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing are delighted to announce the publication of their new title, Embryo development and hatchery practice in poultry production, edited by Dr Nick French.