The World Poultry Science Association (WPSA)

The WPSA is a long established and unique organization that strives to advance knowledge and understanding of all aspects of poultry science and the poultry industry. Its major role is to encourage, and help facilitate, liaison among research scientists and educators, and between those in research and education and those working in the many diverse sectors of the industry.

 

As a non-profit making organization, it relies for its income almost entirely on membership subscriptions, although a number of poultry companies around the world provide generous sponsorship to help meet some of the production costs of the World's Poultry Science Journal.

 

The New Zealand branch of the WPSA is headed by Kent Deitemeyer, an immunologist who is the Company Director of Pacific Vet in Christchurch.  The secretary of the New Zealand Branch is Don Thomas, a Research Manager at Massey University.

 

Other branches around the world are present in Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, DR Congo, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kirgistan, Korea Republic, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam and Zimbabwe!

 

New Zealand is also part of the Asia-Pacific Federation of the WPSA, headed by Alan Gibbins of Inglewood, New Zealand.  A conference is being held for the Asia-Pacific Federation of the WPSA in Thailand, in March 2007.  A link to the conference's website can be found here.

 

The most recent conference of the New Zealand WPSA Branch was held from the 3-4 October 2006 in Palmerston North.  Many interesting topics were discussed, including nutrition, poultry health, feed technology, feed processing, egg quality and composting.  EPF members can shortly find abstracts of the papers presented in the Member's Section.  You can read two papers presented at the conference here:
- Factors Affecting Egg Quality in the Commercial Layer Hen (Natalie Gerber, PIANZ)
- Composting Dead Poultry (Gareth Cartwright, Massey University)

 

If you are interested in becoming a member of the WPSA, please fill out this form and send it to Don Thomas at the Poultry Research Unit, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222.  Feel free to contact Don if you have any questions or queries.  He can be reached at d.v.thomas@massey.ac.nz or on 06 356 9099.