The Welfare of the Laying Hen will be the title of the 27th Poultry Science Symposium, organised by the UK Branch of WPSA and scheduled for 17 - 20 July 2003 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, Bristol.

This Symposium will present the most recent and relevant scientific information and publish the Proceedings before the 2005 review of the EU Council directive 99/74EC (The Laying Hen Directive). Papers will be presented by leading welfare scientists, senior members of the egg industry, representatives of marketing and retailing businesses and consumers. There will also be a poster display describing work in progress.

This symposium could have an influence on commercial egg production throughout Europe.

A comprehensive programme is now being drawn up for this exciting and highly relevant event. A flyer can be downloaded here, which may be used to request further information as soon as it is available and/or to offer posters for display at the Symposium. Further copies of this are available from the address below and members are asked to bring this event to the attention of others to whom they feel it will be useful.

The programme will include:

Stakeholders

covering economics, world trade, producers, consumer relationships, hygiene and safety, quality assurance

Overviews

of bird biology, welfare and production systems

Welfare issues

including fear, feather pecking, selection for liveability

Perception and cognition

including sensory and pain perception

Behaviour

including space and stocking density, nesting, perching and dust-bathing, environmental enrichment, feather pecking

Health and disease

including skeletal disorders, production and metabolic disease, disease control

Breeding for welfare

Stockmanship and quality of the environment

including management, lighting, nutrition, man-animal relationships

Handling, transport and slaughter

including catching, transport of chicks, pullets and spent hens, stunning

Further information is available from:

The WPSA Conference Office,
Langford Continuing Education Unit,
School of Veterinary Science,
Langford House,
Langford,
North Somerset

Tel: 0117 928 9502
Fax: 01934 852170
Email: Langford-CE@bristol.ac.uk

or contact the Symposium Committee Chairman Dr Graham Perry graham.perry@bristol.ac.uk