Spring 2003 Newsletter : NOTICE OF FORTHCOMING MEETING

Measuring and auditing broiler welfare - a practical guide
30 - 31 May 2003, at the Jarvis Ramada Plaza Hotel, Bristol

This meeting will examine practical ways of measuring and auditing broiler welfare on farm, during transit and pre-slaughter. As more food assurance schemes incorporate animal welfare standards, there is an increasing need for practical ways of measuring welfare - and for auditing within the commercial environment. International experts will present the best methods currently available for monitoring broiler welfare. Related marketing issues will also be discussed, along with predictions for future developments including automation. Posters will describe recent and ongoing work. 

The meeting will be of interest to broiler producers, processors and retailers, broiler breeders, veterinarians, legislators, advisors, researchers and those concerned with poultry welfare and marketing standards. 

The programme embraces the main issues of broiler welfare and practical ways of measuring and auditing them. 

Topics include: 

Animal based outcomes such as lameness, broiler-breeder hunger, hockburn and pododermatitis, and diseases particularly metabolic disease. 

Resource based inputs such as air quality, feed quality, bisecurity, light, stocking density, transport and handling and preslaughter handling and stunning. 

Assessment, including comparing betwwen systems, ethics and politics of broiler welfare, global perspectives, incentives for auditing, effectiveness of auditing, automating assessment and future possibilities for automation. 

Note that a book of the same title will be published, which will contain chapters based on the conference programme topics, poster abstracts and additional material. This book will be sent to all registered delegates. 

Call for posters 
Posters are invited and will be judged primarily on their relevance and practical applicability. Please contact claire.weeks@bris.ac.uk for more details. Abstracts of up to 250 words to be received by 3 March 2003. 
Programme and registration details will be available shortly. 

Contact details: 
Langford CE Unit 
School of Veterinary Science 
Langford 
North Somerset BS40 5DU 
tel: 0117 928 9502 
fax: 01934 852 170 
email: Langford-CE@bris.ac.uk