A banner event for poultry nutritionists and other scientists working in the poultry sector is coming to Brisbane, Australia, in June this year. The capital city of the state of Queensland will be the location of the 23rd Congress of the World's Poultry Science Association.
WPSA holds its renowned scientific conference only every four years and the event is always held in a different country. In 2008 it is the turn of Australia when Brisbane's convention centre holds the scientific sessions and the accompanying exhibition.
The programme for WPC2008 includes a strong focus on nutrition as well as on broader topics such as emerging boundaries for poultry production, welfare and the environment, recent advances in poultry product safety, innovative biotechnologies and the growing global influence of the Chinese market.
Nutrition in the spotlight
The programme for WPC2008 includes a strong focus on nutrition as well as on broader topics such as emerging boundaries for poultry production, welfare and the environment, recent advances in poultry product safety, innovative biotechnologies and the growing global influence of the Chinese market.
Dates of the congress run from 30th June until 4th July. Advance information earlier this year showed that more than 1,000 delegates had already registered to attend, attracted by a full scientific programme.
"There are 15 keynote plenary speakers and 110 invited speakers, talking in some 100 sessions across the 10 concurrent streams of the Congress," reports Dr Bob Pym, who chairs the event. "WPC2008 offers something for everyone involved in the poultry industry."
Its trade exhibition promises to be the largest of its type ever staged in Australia. Over 200 exhibitors will present their latest products and services for the poultry industry in an adjacent area of the convention centre. As with the conference, the exhibition will be open daily from 08:30 to 17:30.
Researchers and technicians
Throughout its history the WPSA congress has been a magnet for the top technicians and researchers involved in poultry production worldwide. On this occasion the attraction is magnified by the fact that a number of other international poultry-related events will take place nearby in Australia.
For example, all within the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, the 6th Asian-Pacific Poultry Health Conference together with the 4th International Ratite Science Symposium and the 2008 Australian Poultry Information Exchange will run concurrently with the World's Poultry Congress. In fact, the congress programme reflects these affiliations, by allowing the Asian-Pacific Poultry Health Conference to be the primary place covering bird disease issues.
Before Brisbane and still on the Gold Coast of Queensland, specialists in avian immunology will have their own meeting that starts on 24th June, while Marek's Disease is scheduled for a post-congress international symposium from 6th July.
