The ninth annual Ross customer seminar, jointly organized by Aviagen and its grandparent customer PPR Broiler of OAO Agrocombinat Dzerzhinsky, for parent and broiler stock specialists of the Republic of Belarus, took place in June near Minsk.
Aviagen and PPR Broiler welcomed close to 100 representatives from Belorussian Ross parent farms and broiler integrators at the picturesque Eco Centre Stankovo, situated by the lake famous for its summer fishing.
Attendees choose relevant management and production topics
Aviagen took a unique, interactive approach to choosing seminar topics. Attendees were asked to submit specific flock management, production, feeding and veterinary issues throughout the year. These subjects of interest were then selected and prepared as seminar topics.
During the seminar, Marcel Janssen, Aviagen regional technical manager for Eastern Europe and the CIS, presented a review of the Ross 308 worldwide performance and demonstrated genetic trends of Aviagen breeds. Adam Sacranie, Aviagen nutritionist, presented two topics -- “Phase-by-phase breeder nutrition” and “Cost-effective broiler nutrition” -- both stimulating audience questions and lively discussions. Zoltan Marton, Aviagen veterinarian, discussed “Gut health as a tool for preventing coccidiosis” and gave an overview of the latest research into vertebral osteoarthritis in breeders and broilers.
Other presentations covered chick quality in the hatchery and parent stock production results in Belarus. Goran Slunjski, Aviagen technical manager, spoke on male management in Russian, the language used mostly in Belarus, which was greatly appreciated by the audience.
Tyark Osterndorff, Aviagen business development director for Eastern Europe and the CIS, commented: “Every year we come to share information about Ross management with our partners in Belarus. Spreading the seminar over a two-day period allowed us to have more detailed discussions and cover more topics regarding parent stock and broiler production.”
Aviagen awards outstanding flock achievements in Belarus
This year Aviagen came to Belarus with a considerable collection of awards and certificates for production results from the previous year. The winners of this year’s best Broiler Flock Award were Agrocombinat Dzerzhinsky, with Ptitsefabrika Druzhba and Vitebskaya Ptitsefabrika as runner-ups. The Best Ross Parent Stock Flock Award for Belarus was presented to Ptitsefabrika Rassvet, the second place went to Belarusneft Osobino and the third place was shared by OAO Alexandriyskoe and Vitebskaya Ptitsefabrika.
This year two more poultry operations joined the Ross 140 Club, having achieved more than 140 chicks per hen housed: OAO Alexandriyskoe and Ptitsefabrika Rassvet.
Yuri Fesin, director of PPR Broiler, said: "We are very happy with this year’s seminar results and would like to extend our congratulations to all customers who received Best Flock awards and earned membership into the Ross 140 Club. These accomplishments demonstrate the continuous success of Ross birds in the Republic of Belarus and proves that Belorussian poultry producers can work with the Ross breed as productively as their European counterparts."
Marcel Janssen added: “We would like to congratulate our Ross Parent Stock and Broiler Flock Awards winners on their outstanding performance, and are pleased to welcome the new members of the Ross 140 Club. These successes demonstrate the high potential of Ross birds in Belarus together with the top professional qualities of local poultry producers.”
