This article appears in the June issue of Poultry International. View all of the articles in the digital edition of this magazine.
The XXV World’s Poultry Congress (WPC 2016) will take place in Beijing, China, for the first time on September 5-9, 2016.
As one of the largest chicken producers and the No. 1 food market in the world, China aims to promote the sustainability of the poultry industry. The theme of this year’s Congress is “the quality and safety of the poultry products: meeting humans’ needs,” and the WPC 2016 will address a wide spectrum of subjects including nutrition and feed, genetics and breeding, diseases control and prevention, poultry welfare and behavior, environmental control of poultry houses, and poultry production systems.
Highlights of WPC 2016
Approximately 3,000 participants are expected to attend the event, and 800 abstracts have been submitted.
The 25th World’s Poultry Congress is co-hosted by the China Branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA-CN) and the Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine (CAAV). The event in 2016 will be the first time the WPC and VNU partner to jointly present VIV China. And, thanks to the collaboration of the strategic partners Wen’s Group – the largest broiler supplier in China – and Yukou Poultry – China’s largest layer breeding company – this year’s exhibition will be the largest ever.
Regional balance
According to Ning Yang, president of China branch of WPSA, WPC 2016 also features its combination of global perspective and regional balance.
“In plenary session, a keynote speech on conservation and utilization of indigenous poultry breeds will be presented by Professor Changxin Wu, an animal breeding and genetics scientist and academician from Chinese Academy of Science.”
A symposium is scheduled on yellow-feathered quality meat-type chicken in collaboration with Wen’s Food Group to share some strategies and experience in the development and utilization of China’s local chicken resources, Yang says. In addition, there is also a waterfowl session in which latest research in China’s waterfowl industry is to be presented.
Frontiers
The World’s Poultry Congress focuses on the frontiers of the poultry industry. During the period of the congress, there is a section called “Frontiers on Poultry Research and Technology” in which guest speakers will explore fields such as metagenomics, genome editing, and poultry gut health. Professor Liping Zhao from Shanghai Jiaotong University is expected to present research and outlook in metagenomics with the audience. Other overseas speakers in genome editing and gut health whose research goes beyond poultry industry are also invited to further advance the research in biotechnology, nutrition and gut health of animals.
Animal diseases and welfare issues
Of all the abstracts submitted for the WPC, the most had themes ranging from nutrition and feeds to health and disease, which reflects the significant attention such topics receive all over the world. In collaboration with the CAAV, WPC 2016 will address respiratory diseases, intestinal diseases and diseases of digestive tract, all of which threaten poultry health.
“In recent years, poultry diseases have been highlighted,” Yang says. “China has extensive experience in this regard and that’s why we have invited Professor Xiufan Liu, who is an expert of international renown in epizootiology from Yangzhou University.” Liu will deliver a speech of “The Current Situations and Control Strategies of Major Poultry Diseases in China.”
Animal welfare has also been a global topic and a group of researchers and experts will cover the topic. Among these speakers, Dr. Werner Bessei, senior vice president of World’s Poultry Science Association will deliver a speech on “The Influence of Animal Welfare on Global Poultry Production.”
When and where
September 5-6, 2016
China National Convention Center
Beijing, China
