Membership

We are delighted to welcome the following new members, who have joined the Branch since our last Newsletter:

Dr Hadden Graham, Danisco Animal Nutrition

Ms Sheelagh Johnson, Safeway Stores plc.

Mrs Caroline Walker, Harper Adams University College

The following members have retired and regrettably therefore now resigned from the Branch:

Mr Martin Angold, Roche Products Ltd.

Dr Jim Payne, Institute for Animal Health

W P S Journals

Once again I have some spare copies of the Journal available to any member who may be interested. These are:

Vol 18 (1962) to Vol 36 (1980) complete except Vol 26, No 4 and Vol 27 No 4.

Vol 49 (1993) to Vol 58 No 2 (2002) complete except Vol 54, No 40.

First come, first served, free for collection or cost of postage only.

I would still like to obtain early copies of the Journal for my own collection. These are required:

All Vols 1-12 (1945? - 1956), also Vol 13, Nos 1-3.

If any member has these, or any others, for disposal, please don’t throw them away, but offer them to me first.

Also I hear that the Harper Adams University College Library, which is the national repository for poultry books, is looking for WPSJs volumes 1-2 and 5-6, dated in the 1940s.

They would also be interested in acquiring collections of other old poultry journals produced by breed, feed or other poultry trade companies. Before you throw them away, please give Harper Adams the first option. Tel: Katherine Greaves 01952 820280

New DEFRA Codes of Practice

Copies of three Codes of Practice, published in July 2002, have been received from DEFRA:

1. Code of recommendations for the welfare of livestock - laying hens, PB7274.
2. Code of recommendations for the welfare of livestock - meat chickens and breeding chickens, PB7275.

These two Codes replace the relevant parts of the previous code on Domestic Fowl issued in 1987. By law all stockmen are required to be familiar with, and have access to, the appropriate welfare codes. They contain detailed advice on important matters such as stockmanship and staffing, housing and environment, provision of feed and water, lighting recommendations and also stocking density and leg health (PB7275).

3. Code of practice for the prevention and control of salmonella in chickens reared for meat on the farm, PB7323.

This voluntary code has been prepared in conjunction with the British Poultry Council, the NFU, the devolved administrations and the FSA. It includes advice on preventing the introduction of infection and on monitoring the salmonella status of flocks, which was recommended by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food in its report on poultry meat (1996). It also gives advice on cleaning and disinfection at depopulation.

Copies of all three codes are available free of charge from DEFRA Publications, Admail 6000, London SW1A 2XX, telephone 0845 955 6000, email: defra@iforcegroup.com.

PB7323 is also available on the DEFRA website and from SERAD, Room 350, 47 Robb’s Loan, Edinburgh, EH14 1TY, telephone 0131 244 6572.

WPSA Scholarship Awards

The Foundation for Promoting Poultry Science of the Netherlands Branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association has announced that its third group of awards will be presented at the XXII World’s Poultry Congress in Istanbul, Turkey in 2004. The awards are normally made in each of three categories - Education, Organisation and Research - which coincide with the wording of the WPSA logo. An internationally representative committee chosen by the Board of the World’s Poultry Science Association will decide the recipients. While it is anticipated that one award will be made in each category, this may vary depending on the number and quality of recipients. Each award is worth €11,000 (currently about £7,300).

Nominations have to be submitted to the WPSA Awards Committee at least six months before the start of the Istanbul World’s Poultry Congress and so the deadline for the receipt of submissions is 1 December 2003.

Possible nominations will be discussed at a future meeting of the WPSA UK Branch Council. Council members now have full details of the awards and the nomination procedure. If any member wishes to suggest a suitable nominee, please ask any Council member for these details or contact the Branch Secretary.

Novel method of Salmonella detection

IGEN Europe have issued details of a novel method for detection of Salmonella, which has been accepted as the first ever novel microbiological method by the National Poultry Improvement Plan in the US, and is claimed to offer substantial time and labour saving. PATHIGEN utilizes IGEN’s proprietary ORIGEN® technology, and is the first rapid commercial method for identification of Salmonella contamination in live poultry to be approved by NPIP. Further details are available from Tony Pasquale, IGEN Europe Inc, tel: 01628 531700, fax: 01628 531777.

14^th European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition

Organised on behalf of Working Group No 2 of the European WPSA Federation, this will be held in Lillehammer, Norway, from 10-14 August 2003. The preliminary programme is now available on the following website: www.wpsa.no or copies of the Second Announcement are also available from the UK Branch Secretary.