new infpd newsletter vol. 15 no. 2, july – december 2005 · 2013. 8. 1. · obsignata, subulura...

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR FAMILY POULTRY DEVELOPMENT RÉSEAU INTERNATIONAL POUR LE DÉVELOPPEMENT DE L'AVICULTURE FAMILIALE RED INTERNACIONAL PARA EL DESARROLLO DE LA AVICULTURA FAMILIAR

www.fao.org/ag/againfo/subjects/en/infpd/home.html

INFPD Newsletter Vol. 15 No. 2, July – December 2005

INFPD Newsletter Editor-in-Chief:

Dr. E. Fallou Guèye, Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research (ISRA), B.P. 2057, Dakar RP, Senegal, E-mail: <[email protected]>

INFPD Coordinator: Prof. E. Babafunso Sonaiya, Department of Animal Science, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria,

E-mail: <[email protected]> or <[email protected]>

CONTENTS Guest Editorial............................................................................................................................................................... 1

Count your chickens before they are snatched - R.A.E.Pym ......................................................................................... 1 Research Reports .......................................................................................................................................................... 3

Sanitary and zootechnical impact of gastro-intestinal helminths of scavenging chickens of Gharb region, Morocco -

T.Hassouni & D.Belghyti .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Method for checking label accuracy in barn and free-range eggs - N.G.Gregory, M.J.Gepp & P.J.Babidge ................ 7

Genetic structure of the indigenous chickens of Bhutan - K.Nidup, Penjor, P. Dorji, R.B.Gurung, P.Arasta &

C.Moran.......................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Development Report..................................................................................................................................................... 9

The role of the World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA) in support of family poultry farming in developing

countries - R.A.E.Pym, M.Evans, Q.M.E.Huque & A.M.Gibbins ................................................................................ 9 Publication .................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Poultry Health and Production – Principles and Practices - D.F.Adene ...................................................................... 13 News ................................................................................................................................................................................ 14

International Foundation for Science [Stockholm, Sweden] ......................................................................................... 14 Houghton Trust travel grant [Cambs, United Kingdom] .............................................................................................. 15 New FAO portal on Technology for Agriculture (TECA) [Rome, Italy] ..................................................................... 16 International Conference on “Opportunities for village chickens to assist with poverty alleviation with special

emphasis on the sustainable control of Newcastle disease” in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania [5-7 October 2005] ............ 17 Regional Workshop on “The Role of Village Poultry and Small Livestock in Reducing Poverty and Creating Food

Security” in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso [7-8 November 2005] ................................................................................. 18 Stop Press: Avian Influenza ..................................................................................................................................... 20

Potential risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) spreading through wild water bird migration and human

activity .......................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Call for contributions on “Avian Influenza and Family Poultry” ................................................................................. 23

International Diary ..................................................................................................................................................... 24 International Conference on Livestock Services Enhancing Rural Development in Beijing, P.R. China [16-22 April

2006]............................................................................................................................................................................. 24 XV Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Association in Beijing, R.P. China [12-16 September 2007] ............. 25 XXIII World’s Poultry Congress in Brisbane, Australia [10-15 August 2008] ............................................................ 25

INFPD Newsletter Vol. 15, No. 2 ii

Guest Editorial

Count your chickens before they are snatched

R.A.E. Pym

School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Q. 4072, Australia, E-mail: <[email protected]> or

<[email protected]>

[Dr Bob Pym has been involved with poultry courses and family poultry development projects in Indonesia, South Africa,

The Philippines and Myanmar since 1978. His other main research interest since the mid 1960s has been in meat

chicken genetics. He is the President of the Australian Branch of the World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA) and

was active in the creation of the “Small-scale Family Poultry Farming Working Group” within the Asian Pacific Federation

of WPSA. He was (July-December 2005) located with FAO in Rome as a Visiting Scientist supporting the organisation’s

family poultry farming programme.]

Since reading Dr E. Fallou Guèye’s thought-provoking

editorial Family poultry must no longer be the ‘hidden

harvest’ in the last edition of the Newsletter, in my role at

the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations

(FAO, www.fao.org) I have been engaged in a “poultry

gene-flow” study which forms part of the organisation’s

large project on the “State of the World’s Animal Genetic

Resources”. Essentially the study is aimed at defining the

present and projected contribution of hybrid broiler and

layer genotypes to the production and consumption of

poultry meat and eggs throughout the world, with a focus

on developing countries. The points raised by Fallou were

brought home to me very clearly in my frustration at

attempting to obtain accurate and meaningful data. The

study was necessarily restricted to chickens in the absence

of any worthwhile data on indigenous and exotic geno-

types in the other poultry species.

There are almost no reliable statistics on the relative pro-

duction and consumption of chicken meat and eggs from

indigenous and hybrid broiler and layer genotypes in any

of the developing countries. FAO statistics combine meat

and eggs from the genotype groups (including the meat

from spent layers), and the basis for calculating produc-

tion and consumption in the rural regions, if it is at-

tempted, is poorly defined. The one figure, which is

quoted authoritatively from studies in a significant num-

ber of countries, is the proportion of the total chicken

population made up by indigenous chickens. For many of

the developing countries in Africa and Asia, the estimate

varies between about 70 and 90 per cent. The difficulties

in assessing the contribution to production from this no-

tionally large number of birds are: does this include only

chickens or other poultry species?; what is the age and sex

composition of the indigenous birds?; are young chicks

included?; and does it relate to the standing population or

to annualised numbers? Once the population structure is

known, further information is required on productivity,

egg management practices, hatchability, mortality etc. In

the statistics providing the numbers of broilers in each

country, the issue of whether these are based on the stand-

ing versus annualised population is very important, since

there may be as many as five batches per year.

Presently, the above information is for the most part either

unavailable or unclear. There are good reasons for this,

since it is very difficult to obtain accurate data on produc-

tion and consumption of indigenous birds in rural areas

where chicken meat and eggs are produced by most fami-

lies, making bird numbers and flock structure difficult to

assess. There is no regulated marketing, and home con-

sumption, barter and gifts account for a very significant

component of the production.

INFPD Newsletter Vol. 15, No. 2 1

All this begs the question as to why this information is

important? There are elements within governments and

within funding bodies who believe that, as part of the

“Green Revolution”, rural indigenous poultry are a pass-

ing phase and that they will be largely replaced by the

eggs and meat from hybrid broilers and layers, either

produced in-country by large commercial enterprises or

locally by small-scale intensive units. These beliefs re-

main largely unchallenged principally because there are

insufficient good data to demonstrate the significant con-

tribution (both past and present) that poultry meat and

eggs from indigenous birds have made to the wellbeing of

the rural poor in so many developing countries. It should

be noted that, in most regions, indigenous poultry can

make a much greater contribution to poverty alleviation,

food security and the empowerment of women, through

the adoption of better husbandry and disease control prac-

tices, as most of us who read this Newsletter are well

aware of.

What is frequently ignored by the Green Revolution pro-

ponents is that meat and eggs from indigenous chickens

are preferred in most countries and regions to those from

hybrid broilers and layers. In addition, the 70% of produc-

tion costs of intensively reared poultry in the form of

feeds is almost completely negated under the scavenging

system of production. Furthermore, the large majority of

the rural poor in most developing countries simply can

not afford to buy chicken meat or eggs of either genotype.

What this comes down to is that in most developing coun-

tries, there is a co-existence between a commercial

chicken industry based on hybrid genotypes which essen-

tially supplies the majority of the needs of the urban hu-

man population, and a rural poultry, mostly scavenging-

based industry with genetically diverse indigenous birds,

that meets the chicken meat and egg needs of the rural

community, as well as a small to moderate proportion of

the needs of the urban human population. This situation is

under threat firstly from the ascendancy of the Green

Revolution proponents in government and in funding

agencies, which would see a reduction in development

projects focussed on indigenous poultry in rural regions of

developing countries, and secondly from governments

that may be disposed to curtail or eliminate scavenging

flocks in response to biosecurity concerns. The counter to

these forces is the development of reliable data on the

present and potential contribution of indigenous poultry

production systems to productivity and to poverty allevia-

tion and food security in the rural regions of developing

countries. This would allow a proper understanding of the

contribution made, which should lead to considered and

appropriate responses from both governments and funding

agencies. Whilst much of the preceding discussion has

focussed on chickens, it is important that the present and

potential contribution of the other relevant poultry species

be also properly assessed.

It is not unlikely that there is a significant body of rele-

vant data from past surveys and monitoring studies con-

ducted by government authorities and within NGO and

bilateral aid development projects. The initial challenge is

in accessing the data and collating them. Once this has

been done, it should be possible to identify where the

deficiencies lie and to propose appropriate means of col-

lecting and collating the required data. Given the impor-

tance and global nature of the activity, it is proposed that

it should be instigated and coordinated by FAO, but con-

tributed to by governments, funding bodies, those of us in

INFPD and the World’s Poultry Science Association

(WPSA, www.wpsa.com) as well as the other vil-

lage/family poultry support networks that have an interest

in improving the wellbeing of the rural poor in developing

countries through village poultry production.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Research Reports

RESEARCH REPORT No 1 (ORIGINAL SUBMISSION):

Sanitary and zootechnical impact of gastro-intestinal helminths of scavenging chickens of Gharb region, Mo-

rocco

T. Hassouni et D. Belghyti

Université Ibn Tofail, Faculté de Sciences Kenitra, Laboratoire de Parasitologie et d’Hydrobiologie, B.P. 133, CP

14000, Kenitra, Maroc, Tel: (+212) 66563359/72561677, Fax: (+212) 37372770, E-mail: <[email protected]> et

<[email protected]>

ABSTRACT

In the Gharb region of Morocco, the epidemiology of

gastro-intestinal helminth infestation was studied using

post-mortem examination, for a year (October 2004 -

September 2005). Specific diversity, prevalence and sea-

sonal changes were determined in 150 chickens raised

under traditional management system. The most prevalent

parasites were identified to be: Heterakis gallinarum,

Ascaridia galli, Capillaria annulata, Capillaria

obsignata, Subulura brumpti, Cheilospirura hamulosa,

Dispharynx nasuta, Tetrameres americana for nematodes.

Five species of cestodes were identified, namely

Raillietina cesticillus, Raillietina tretragona,

Hymenolepis contaniana, Hymenolepis carioca,

Raillietina echinobothrida. Only one species of trema-

todes was identified, i.e. Notocotylus gallinarum. The

overall infestation rate was 81.3%. The season had a sig-

nificant impact on the parasitism prevalence (P < 0.05).

The Spearman test indicates a positive correlation be-

tween the host weight and the total number of parasites (r

= +0.98; P < 0.01). The study shows, for the first time, the

distribution of parasitic diseases in chickens in Morocco.

This information needs to be used to launch appropriate

control strategies against these parasites.

Key words: Cestodes, epidemiology, local chickens, Morocco, nematodes, tract digestive

INTRODUCTION

Traditional free-range poultry is of great importance in

rural production systems, especially for the women living

in rural areas. Chickens and eggs provide an important

source of protein for poor families and give small cash

income when sold at markets. Important factors in the

continuing growth of the poultry industry in Morocco

include: the rapid demographic expansion, the ease and

efficiency of poultry to convert vegetable protein into

animal protein. But in spite of this situation, poultry pro-

duction is facing a certain number of constraints which

handicap the optimal profitability of the farms. These are,

in particular, pathologies such as bacterial, viral and para-

sitic diseases (Kichou et al., 1999; Hassouni et al., 2004).

Knowing the epidemiology of poultry diseases is a pre-

condition to the setting-up of adequate control strategies.

In Africa, traditional backyard poultry husbandry exposes

chickens to many types of gastrointestinal parasites. It is

essential to acquire a good knowledge of potential pathol-

ogy by the identification of the principal parasite species

in domestic chickens in relation to their seasonal dynam-

ics.


The present article highlights results of a parasitological

survey conducted in chickens raised under extensive con-

ditions. The aim of the survey is to study gastrointestinal

helminths encountered in the Gharb region, to assess their

prevalence, and to evaluate the influence of season and

chicken weight in relation to the rate of infestation in

birds.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was carried out in the Gharb region. The area

of Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen was divided into two prov-

inces, Kenitra and Sidi Kacem that extend over an area of

8805 km2, accounting for 1.2% of the total area of the

country. Its rural population makes up around 60% of the

total population of the region. The choice of this part of

the country was related to the importance of poultry farm-

ing and its contribution to the production of animal pro-

tein. From October 2004 to September 2005, 150 chick-

ens were necropsied. Each part of the digestive tract was

isolated by ligatures and examined separately for

helminth parasites.

Harvest and enumeration of the metazoan parasite were

made under a binocular magnifying glass. These

endoparasites were then put into preservation liquid.

Nematodes were preserved in 70% ethanol; trematodes

and cestodes were preserved in A.F.A solution; stained in

a carmine solution and mounted in Canada balsam.

Nematodes were lightened in berlese solution and ob-

served under microscope at 40 × magnification (Belghyti

et al., 1997). The helminth species were identified

through diagnosed morphological characteristics accord-

ing to Soulsby (1982) and Khalil et al. (1994).

Statistical analysis was run using the SPS software. Varia-

tion in the percentages of gastrointestinal helminth in

relation to the season was analysed using the bilateral test

at the 5% level. Spearman test was applied for the analy-

sis of associations between parasite numbers and the

weight of the host.

RESULTS

Out of 150 studied chickens, 122 were found to be in-

fested with gastrointestinal helminths. The following

endoparasites (prevalence in percent) were identified:

Heterakis gallinarum (90%), Subulura brumpti (88%),

Ascaridia galli (49%), Capillaria annulata (37%),

Capillaria obsignata (31%), Cheilospirura hamulosa

(10%), Dispharynx nasuta (5%), Tetrameres americana

(17%), Raillietina cesticillus (55%), Raillietina

tretragona (51%), Hymenolepis contaniana (21%),

Hymenolepis carioca (19%), Raillietina echinobothrida

(16%), Notocotylus gallinarum (3%).

The distribution of chicken infestations according to the

season appears in Table 1. The prevalence of infestations

in poultry was significantly higher during the rainy season

(P < 0.05). Figure 1 shows the effect of weight of the host

on parasitism. It was observed that the weight of the host

has an influence on the rate of parasitic infestation (r =

+0.97; P < 0.01).


Tableau 1: Distribution of the parasitic infestations in chickens (Gallus domesticus) raised under traditional conditions

according to the season.

Rainy season Dry season

Number of studied animals 75 75

Percentage of infestation

(Mean ± standard deviation)

96± 0.19 67± 0.47

Level of significance P < 0.05

Number of parasites

Weight of host (g)

Figure 1: Association between the total number of parasites and weight of the host.

DISCUSSION

In the present study, fourteen helminth species were iden-

tified as major parasites found in scavenging chickens in

Gharb area of Morocco. Overall prevalence rate in birds

seemed to be rather high (81.3%). This rate is comparable

to that recorded in Sudan by Saad et al. (1989) and lower

to the figure reported by Fatihu et al. (1991).

But the number of parasitic species identified in the pre-

sent study is higher than that reported in Bangladesh and

Ethiopia (Akhtar, 1987; Eshetu et al., 2001; Ashenafi and

Eshetu, 2004). In Tanzania, Permin et al. (1997) reported

in humid area, 19 species of nematodes with higher pre-


dominance of Heterakis gallinarum and 10 species of

cestodes. On the other hand these authors had not identi-

fied the digenea Notocotylus gallinarum. These results

suggest that the geographical variations influence the

diversity of the parasitic distribution (Poulsin et al.,

2000).

In the present study, the most frequently identified para-

site species were Subulura brumpti, Heterakis gallinarum

et Ascaridia galli. They are followed by two cestodes

Raillietina cesticillus et Raillietina tretragona, with

prevalence rates varying from 49 to 90%. The high preva-

lence of these species was most likely caused by good

appetite of chickens for earthworms, insects and acarids

as well as the presence intermediate hosts (Anderson,

1992).

It was found that the parasitic prevalence of helminth

species was influenced by the season. This result is in

agreement with findings previously reported by other

authors. Indeed, Pandey et al. (1992) reported very high

percentages of infestation during the rainy season while

Permin et al. (1997) showed that the season did not have

any effect on the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths

in the Tanzanian study area.

The analysis showed that the total number of helminths

increases according to the weight of the host. Numerous

mechanisms can be mentioned to explain this. In small-

sized chickens, small intestinal surfaces would make it

difficult to harbour many parasitic helminths. In contrast,

large-sized birds offer larger intestinal surfaces. More-

over, husbandry practices in visited households were

similar, and the absence of change in diets in relation to

the increased age of the host raises the likelihood that

larvae are harboured in the oldest chickens. This observa-

tion is similar to the one made by Zeller (1988).

CONCLUSION

Family poultry raised under traditional extensive

system in Morocco was exposed to a wide variety of

gastrointestinal helminths. These infestations, which

are associated with their indiscriminate scavenging

behaviour, might have hygienic and economic con-

sequences. Survival strategies of gastrointestinal

parasites must be investigated so as to design and

implement efficient control measures against these

infestations and improve the productivity of this

activity.

REFERENCES

Akhtar, H. (1987): Gastrointestinal nematodes from domestic fowl. Bangladesh J. of Zoology 15: 155-159.

Anderson, R.C. (1992): Nematodes parasites of vertebrates. Their development and transmission. CAB International.

University Press, Cambridge, UK, 578 pp.

Ashenafi, H., Eshetu, Y. (2004): Study on gastrointestinal helminths of local chickens in Central Ethiopia. Rev. Méd

Vet. 10: 504-507.

Belghyti, D., Berrada-Rkhami, O., Boy, V., Aguesse, P., Gabrion, C. (1997): Population biology of two helminth

parasites of flatfishes from the Atlantic coast of Morocco. J. Fish Biology 44: 1005-1021.

Eshetu, Y., Mulualem, E., Ibrahim, H., Berhanu., Aberra, K. (2001): Study of gastro-intestinal helminths of

scavenging chickens in four rural districts of Amhara region, Ethiopia. Rev. sc. tech. off. int. epiz. 3: 791-796.

Fatihu, M.Y., Ogbogu, V.C., Njoku, C.O., Saror, D.I. (1991): Comparative studies of gastrointestinal helminths of

poultry in Zaria, Nigeria. Rev. Elev. Méd. Vet. Pays. trop. 44: 175-177.

Hassouni, T., Belghyti, D., El Madhi, Y. (2004): Etude de parasitisme chez le poulet d’élevage intensif dans la ville de


Kénitra. Cahier de Biologie, Santé et Environnement N° 1: 99-101.

Khalil, L.F., Jones, A., Bray, R.A. (1994): Keys to the cestodes parasites of vertebrates, International Institute of

Parasitology, CAB International, UK.

Kichou, F., EL Youssoufi, G., Bikour, H., Jaouzi, T., Benaazzou, H. (1999): Isolation, identification and

pathogenicity of Moroccan field isolates of infectious bursal disease virus. Proc. 48th Western Poultry Disease

Conference, Vancouver, Canada.

Pandey, V.S., Demy, F., Verhulst, A. (1992): Parasitic diseases: a neglected problem in village poultry in Sub-Saharan

Africa. Proceedings of an International Workshop on Village Poultry Production in Africa (Pandey, V.S. and Demey,

F., Eds), Rabat, Morocco, pp. 136-141.

Permin, A., Magwischa, H., Kassuku, A.A., Nansen, P., Bisgaard, M., Frandsen, F., Gibbons, L. (1997): A cross-

sectional study of helminths in rural scavenging poultry in Tanzania in relation to season and climate. J. Helminthology

71: 233-240.

Poulsin, J., Permin, A., Hindsbo, O., Yelifari, L., Nansen, P., Bloch, P. (2000): Prevalence and distribution of

gastrointestinal helminths and haemoparasites in young scavenging chickens in upper eastern region of Ghana, West

Africa. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 45: 237-245.

Saad, M.B., El Sadig, A.A., Shammat, A.M. (1989): Helminth parasites of the local breed of poultry in Kordofan

region. Sudan Journal of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry 28: 54-55.

Soulsby, E.J.L. (1982): Helminths, Arthropods and Protozoa of Domesticated Animals. Bailliere Tindall, 7th ed.,

London, UK.

Zeller, B. (1987): Comparative studies on the endoparasites of domestic fowls (Gallus gallus domesticus) in

commercial and fancy breed flocks. Ph.D. Thesis, Ludwig Maximalian Universität, Münich, Germany.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RESEARCH REPORT No 2:

Method for checking label accuracy in barn and free-range eggs

Neville G. Gregory1*, Mark J. Gepp2 and Peter J. Babidge2

1BBSRC and Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK 2SARDI, Flaxley Agricultural Centre, P.O. Box 1571, Flaxley SA 5153, Australia

* Corresponding author: Neville G. Gregory, BBSRC and Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms,

Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK, E-mail: <[email protected]>

[Full article published in the Volume 85 (Issue 9, July 2005) of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, web-

site: www.wiley.com/cda/product/0,,JSFA,00.html]

ABSTRACT

The aim was to develop a method for testing whether eggs

sold as either ‘barn’ or ‘free-range’ were laid under cage

conditions. The surface patterns on 11520 eggs from cage,

barn and free-range production systems were examined

under ultraviolet light for distinctive fluorescent marks

associated with each production system. In addition, the

effects of egg washing, egg size, condensation and cage

dusting on the prevalence of the fluorescent patterns

associated with the cage production system were

examined. The prevalence of fluorescent white double

parallel lines with 2.2-2.5 cm spacing was a

distinguishing feature for eggs laid on wire floors in


cages. If five or more eggs in a sample of 90 eggs have

double fluorescent lines it can be concluded with greater

than 999 in 1000 probability that the batch contains some

cage-laid eggs. Dust from the egg collection area below

the feed trough was the main source of the fluorescent

material. Washing the eggs removed or obscured the

double lines. Egg size and condensation had limited

effects on the prevalence of double lines. Infrequent

dusting of the wire floor did not reduce the value of the

test.

Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry

Key words: eggs, barn, free-range, shell, ultraviolet, washing, dust, fraud, method

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RESEARCH REPORT No 3:

Genetic structure of the indigenous chickens of Bhutan

K. Nidup1*, Penjor1, P. Dorji1, R.B. Gurung2, P. Arasta3 and C. Moran3

1Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Natural Resources Training Institute, Royal University of Bhutan, Lobesa, Bhutan. 2Regional Veterinary Laboratory, Department of Livestock, Ministry of Agriculture, Bumthang, Bhutan. 3Faculty of Veterinary Science, Centre for Advanced Technologies in Animal Genetics and Reproduction

(REPROGEN), Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Australia.

* Corresponding author: Karma Nidup, Lecturer, NRTI, Bhutan, E-mail: <[email protected]> or <[email protected]>,

Fax: 00 975 2 480509 (Work) 480550 (Home), Fax: 00 975 2 480505

[The full document is published in the December 2005 Issue of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional

Cooperation) Journal of Agriculture, website: saic-dhaka.org/sjamain.htm]

ABSTRACT

The indigenous chickens of Bhutan today make up ap-

proximately 95% of the total rural chicken population.

They have nutritional, cultural and traditional roles, and

have been invaluable resource for the livelihood of the

Bhutanese farmers. This study aims to trace origin and

assess the genetic diversity of indigenous chickens of

Bhutan. To achieve this, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)

was used because of its maternal inheritance, haploidy,

and rapid rate of evolution. The entire mtDNA displace-

ment loop (D-loop) region of eight different Bhutanese

indigenous chicken lines was amplified with polymerase

chain reaction. The amplified DNAs were purified, cloned

and sequenced. The partial D-loop sequences (500 bp) of

four jungle fowls reported in the GenBank were retrieved

together with entire D-loop sequences of five other do-

mestic chickens. Both partial (≈500 bp) and entire (1232

bp) D-loop sequences were analysed using various phy-

logenetic methods. A dendrogram constructed from par-

tial D-loop sequences using Neighbour-Joining (NJ)

method suggest that indigenous chickens of Bhutan have

originated from Red Jungle Fowl in spite of their close

geographical location with Indian Grey Jungle Fowl. The

analysis of entire D-loop sequences using NJ, Fitch, and

Maximum Likelihood methods suggest matrilineal

mtDNA sequence variation and genetic diversity among

Bhutanese chickens. These findings are useful as a pre-

requisite database for conservation and promotion of

indigenous chicken resources in Bhutan.

Key words: Mitochondrial DNA, D-loop, DNA sequences, Bhutan, indigenous chickens, phylogenetic, genetic diver-

sity


Development Report

DEVELPMENT REPORT No 1:

The role of the World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA) in support of family poultry farming in developing

countries

R.A.E. Pym1*, M. Evans2, Q.M.E. Huque3 and A.M. Gibbins4

1 School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Q. 4072, Australia 2 Applied Nutrition Pty Ltd, 1 Seven Oaks Street, Alexandra Hills Q. 4161, Australia 3 Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Savar, Dhaka 1341, Bangladesh 4 386 Tarata Road, RD 7 Inglewood, 4651, New Zealand

* Corresponding author: Tel: +61 7 3365 2604, Fax: +61 7 3365 1255, E-mail: <[email protected]> or

<[email protected]>

[This paper was presented first at the International Conference on “Opportunities for village chickens to assist with

poverty alleviation with special emphasis on the sustainable control of Newcastle disease” held in Dar-es-Salaam, Tan-

zania, from 5 to 7 October 2005]

ABSTRACT

The World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA), with

more than 7000 members across 74 countries, has played

an increasingly important role in the promotion and sup-

port for family poultry farming in the developing coun-

tries of the world. Through the organisation of workshops,

symposia, regional conferences and World’s Poultry

Congresses, WPSA has facilitated information exchange

in all aspects of poultry science, technology and produc-

tion for many years. At these forums over the past 15

years, an increasingly greater emphasis has been given to

family poultry farming issues. The International Network

on Family Poultry Development (INFPD) is now a global

working group of WPSA and a Working Group on Small-

Scale Family Poultry Farming has recently been estab-

lished within the Asian Pacific Federation of WPSA.

There is a need at this time for a greater degree of col-

laboration and coordination of the activities of the bodies

and agencies supporting family poultry farming in devel-

oping countries, in order to maximise the benefits glob-

ally to smallholder poultry farming families. It is sug-

gested that a working group be set up with representation

from the various bodies and agencies, to establish and

maintain communications, and coordinate their respective

activities in support of family poultry farming.

INTRODUCTION

The World’s Poultry Science Association (WPSA,

www.wpsa.com) has over 7000 members in 74 countries

around the world. The objectives of the association are to

promote the advancement of knowledge of all aspects of

poultry science and the poultry industry world wide, prin-

cipally by facilitating exchange of information through

the organisation of group meetings, regional conferences

and World’s Poultry Congresses. To promote membership

of the organisation in developing countries, the cost of

belonging to the world association in those branches is

only half that of the membership of branches in the devel-

oped countries. All members receive copies of the

World’s Poultry Science Journal, published quarterly and

now in its sixty-first year of publication.


There are currently two Federations within WPSA viz

The Federation of European Branches and the Federation

of Asian Pacific Branches. Thirteen working groups have

been established over the years within the European Fed-

eration, covering such areas as genetics and breeding,

nutrition, meat and egg quality, poultry welfare, physiol-

ogy, education and information, turkeys and ratites, to

name some. These working groups have been involved in

the organisation of focussed workshops, symposia and

conferences. Recently, the Asian Pacific Federation estab-

lished their first working group on Small-Scale Family

Poultry Farming.

In 1992 the Netherlands branch of WPSA organised the

19th World’s Poultry Congress in Amsterdam, and it was

here for the first time that a World’s Congress program

had included a significant number of papers focussed on

village/ family poultry farming in plenary, symposia and

poster sessions. The increasing awareness of the impor-

tance of chickens and other poultry to rural and peri-urban

communities in developing countries in their impact on

poverty alleviation, income generation and food security,

was beginning to be recognised by the mainstream poultry

scientific community, if not by certain livestock develop-

ment agencies. Since then, all World’s Poultry Con-

gresses have devoted a significant proportion of the pro-

gram to discussion of aspects of family poultry farming in

developing countries. At the 22nd World’s Poultry Con-

gress held in Istanbul, Turkey, in June 2004, the opening

session was entitled “Global Challenges and Benefits

Related to Poultry R&D in the Third World” signifying

the recognised high importance of this area of study.

THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR FAMILY POULTRY DEVELOPMENT (INFPD)

The International Network for Family Poultry Develop-

ment (INFPD), as a global working group of WPSA, is an

independent association supported by the Animal Produc-

tion and Health (AGA) Division of the Food and Agricul-

tural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and ad-

ministered by a seven member executive committee.

INFPD is mainly an Information Exchange Network,

whose objective is to encourage sustainable high levels of

productivity within the family poultry farming sub-sector

and in so doing, facilitate income generation, alleviate

poverty, improve family nutritional standards and con-

tribute meaningfully to food security. The focus of action

of the network has so far been to collect data and detailed

information about family poultry production systems in

the different regions, with the aim of providing sound

information and advice for application by small-scale

poultry farmers. Information is disseminated through a

trilingual (English, French and Spanish) newsletter which

is produced twice a year. The INFPD Newsletter is edited

by Dr E. Fallou Guèye and is distributed electronically

with a printed version for members without e-mail facili-

ties.

The network, which started as the African Network for

Rural Poultry Development (ANRPD), was set up during

the International Workshop on Rural Poultry Develop-

ment in Africa held in November 1989 in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

The name was changed to INFPD at the ANRPD General

Meeting which took place in M’Bour, Senegal, in De-

cember 1997. Support for the network continues to be

provided by a number of international organisations in-

cluding FAO, IFAD (International Fund for Agriculture

Development of the United Nations), DANIDA (Danish

International Development Assistance), the Danish Inter-

national Development Agency, CTA (Technical Centre

for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation, Wageningen, The

Netherlands) and IDRC (International Development Re-

search Centre, Ottawa, Canada). At the 11th European

Poultry Conference in Bremen in September 2002, the

WPSA Executive Council approved the establishment of

INFPD as a global working group within WPSA. The

coordinator of INFPD, Professor Babafunso Sonaiya from

Nigeria, is the chairperson of the global working group.

Members of the Network include researchers, policy


makers, educators, staff of development agencies

(NGO’s), aid donors and smallholder farmers. To date,

however, only a small number of INFPD members have

joined WPSA.

WPSA ASIAN PACIFIC FEDERATION WORKING GROUP ON FAMILY POULTRY FARMING

The inaugural meeting of the Asian Pacific Federation of

WPSA’s Working Group on Family Poultry farming was

held at the 4th International Poultry Show and Seminar in

Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 11 March 2005. The working

group was mooted at the 21st World’s Poultry Congress

in Montreal in 2000 and was championed by Dr Bruce

Sheldon, the Senior Vice-president of WPSA, until his

sad passing in April 2003. Dr Quazi Huque from Bangla-

desh was elected Chair of the Working group at the 7th

WPSA Asian Pacific Federation Conference at the Gold

Coast, Australia in October 2002, but it was not until

shortly before the Inaugural meeting in Dhaka that Dr

Michael Evans from Australia was elected to the position

of Secretary of the working group. The purpose behind

the establishment of the Working Group under the Asian

Pacific Federation at that time was to give WPSA a direct

involvement in this increasingly important area and to

provide some degree of global balance to the support

given to family poultry farming through the INFPD,

whose focus up until then, had been primarily on the

African continent.

Each member country of the Asian Pacific Federation is

represented on the working group by two members, either

elected or nominated by the WPSA branch in the country.

Goals for the working group, and the actions required to

achieve those goals were developed during the inaugural

meeting. To achieve its prime aim of supporting small-

scale family poultry farming in the Asian Pacific region,

the working group will facilitate the transfer and sharing

of information, knowledge and practical experience by

organising and securing funding for workshops and meet-

ings as well as providing suitable literature either directly

or through the branches of the Asian Pacific Federation.

One of the aims of the Working group is to establish firm

linkages with INFPD, FAO, The Danish Network on

Smallholder Poultry Development, The International

Rural Poultry Centre of the Kyeema Foundation, The

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and

other development organisations and agencies.

The next meeting of the Working group will likely be

held in conjunction with the 8th WPSA Asian Pacific

Federation Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, in March

2007. For that meeting, the country representatives have

been asked to develop a plan which identifies their coun-

try’s particular needs with respect to family poultry farm-

ing. Tentative plans are underway to hold a workshop on

family poultry farming immediately prior to this in Bhu-

tan. It is hoped that the workshop, which will also serve

as the launch of a WPSA branch in Bhutan, will be spon-

sored by WPSA, FAO and the Kyeema Foundation.

ACTIVITIES TO ASSIST TSUNAMI VICTIMS

WPSA sponsored the attendance at the Dhaka symposium

and working group meeting of two people each from the

WPSA Sri Lankan and Indonesian branches, with the

purpose of discussing with them ways in which WPSA

might assist in tsunami relief in the two countries through

support for some aspect of poultry production. Reports

were presented to the meeting by the representatives from

each country as to the dramatic impact of the tsunami on

the people in general and on those engaged in poultry

farming in particular. Subsequent to the meeting, the

Working Group received a focussed application from the

Sri Lankan branch to assist with reconstruction in three

provinces across small-scale broiler, layer and backyard

units. The application has been distributed to various

WPSA branches and, in Australia, as an example, it has

been sent along with the branch’s endorsement and sup-

port, to more than 20 NGOs who have received funding

for tsunami relief work.

A meeting to discuss tsunami relief requirements has


recently been held in Bogor, Indonesia, to which the

President of the WPSA Asian Pacific Federation was

invited. It is likely that proposals similar to that from Sri

Lanka will be developed, for which WPSA will again

play a role as funding facilitators and also as a possible

source of technical expertise in the required reconstruc-

tion.

THE NEED FOR COLLABORATION AND COOPERATION BETWEEN AGENCIES SUPPORTING FAMILY

POULTRY FARMING

There is a significant number of bodies and agencies

involved in the support of family poultry development

globally, however, the degree of communication between

them has been, for the most part, less than optimal. Finite,

and in many cases shrinking funding, argues a strong case

for greater cooperation and collaboration between the

bodies to maximise the benefits to smallholder poultry

families. Through the staging of workshops, symposia,

conferences, World’s Poultry Congresses and Federation

meetings, FAO, INFPD, WPSA, DANIDA, AusAID

(Australian Agency for International Development) and

ACIAR (Australian Centre for International Agricultural

Research) have brought many of the players from the

various bodies and agencies together in forums for discus-

sion, but there needs to be a greater degree of communi-

cation and follow-up to these meetings in order to achieve

a united approach to a global programme of work. There

would seem to be a need for a greater level of involve-

ment and technical input from poultry scientists into the

poultry support programs pursued by the myriad of

NGOs, many of them with limited technical backing.

Further, a not insignificant number of aid projects have

been too narrowly focussed with inadequate recognition

of the complex production systems that are inherent in

smallholder poultry operations, and of the need for par-

ticipatory involvement.

It is proposed that the above outcomes might be best

achieved through the development, albeit informally at

this stage, of a working group across the major bodies and

agencies at least, whose aim is to develop and maintain

communications and to coordinate the activities of the

bodies in question in support of family poultry farming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Publication

Poultry Health and Production – Principles and Practices

This 299-page book, with its 24 chapters, consists of eight

sections covering the following aspects: (1) Elements of

economics in poultry health, (2) Hygiene, (3) Manage-

ment in breeders and hatchery, (4) Disease problems and

control, (5) Local regional and global perspectives on

poultry health, (6) Nutrition and poultry health, (7) Qual-

ity assurance, and (8) Rural poultry development. It there-

fore presents a unique coverage of these inter-dependent

aspects of integrated poultry production, by drawing from

published and field experience on Nigeria’s developing

poultry industry. This, together with the inclusion of two

chapters on “Integrated Rural Poultry Development

Scheme” and “Sustainable Indigenous Poultry Manage-

ment & Development Programme” respectively, captures

some spheres of interest to international bodies like the

INFPD, CTA and FAO while highlighting the epizo-

otiologic linkages between the industrial and rural/family

poultry sub-sectors. It is the book for teachers, students,

policy operatives and poultry practitioners on a fuller

insight into the challenges, operating dynamics and objec-

tive realities of development in localities and regions

where industrial and family poultry must of necessity

evolve in parallel, for the inevitable actualization of their

roles in food production generally but also for commerce

on the one hand and poverty alleviation on the other.

The first edition of this publication, which is available only in English, can be obtained from the author (Prof. Daniel

Foluso Adene, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, E-mail: <[email protected]>) and

interested distributors (hereby solicited) at USD 15.0 wholesale or USD18.5 retail.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


News

International Foundation for Science [Stockholm, Sweden]

THE ORGANISATION

The International Foundation for Science (IFS) is a NGO

(non-governmental organisation) founded in 1972. Fund-

ing comes from governmental and non-governmental

sources, as well as national and international

organisations. The annual budget is approximately USD 5

million. IFS has 135 Affiliated Organisations in 86

countries, of which three-quarters are in developing

countries and one-quarter in industrial countries. IFS has

an international Board of Trustees. The IFS Secretariat is

located in Stockholm, Sweden.

THE MISSION

IFS shall contribute towards strengthening the capacity of

developing countries to conduct relevant and high quality

research on the sustainable management of biological

resources. This will involve the study of physical, chemi-

cal, and biological processes, as well as relevant social

and economic aspects, important in the conservation,

production, and renewable utilisation of the natural re-

sources base. To further this goal, IFS supports young

developing country scientists who have the potential for

becoming the future research leaders and lead scientists in

their nations.

THE GRANTING PROGRAMME

The support provided by IFS is primarily in the form of

an IFS Research Grant, which amounts to USD 12,000

and may be renewed twice. It is intended for the purchase

of the basic tools needed to conduct a research project:

equipment, expendable supplies, and literature. Since

1974 there have been 3,500 IFS Grantees in Africa, Asia

and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Of

these 22% are women.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The eligible candidate for an IFS Research grant is

● a citizen of a developing country;

● a scientist with at least a Master’s or equivalent de-

gree/research experience;

● under 40 years of age and at the beginning of re-

search career;

● attached to a university, national research institution

or a research-oriented NGO in a developing country.

Exceptions:

● China: Chinese applicants must be under 30

years of age.

Researchers from Hong Kong SAR are not eligi-

ble for support from IFS.

● Researchers from Sub-Saharan Africa are eligi-

ble for IFS support up to the age of 45, provided

they have completed their highest academic de-

gree (MSc, MA, PhD, Post-Doc or equivalent) in

the previous 5 years.


KIND OF PROJECTS QUALIFY

To qualify for IFS funding, research projects (including

projects dealing with family poultry) must be

● related to the sustainable utilisation, conservation or

management of the biological or water resource

base;

● conducted in a developing country;

● of a high scientific standard;

● feasible;

● relevant for the country/region.

APPLYING FOR AN IFS GRANT

Applications for IFS Grants must be made on the IFS

Application Form, in English or French. Application form

is available on the IFS website (www.ifs.se). A paper

Application Form may be obtained by contacting the IFS

Secretariat.

Project proposals are welcome at the IFS Secretariat

throughout the year. However, for administrative pur-

poses, there are two application deadlines, 30 June and 31

December. Applicants are urged not to wait until the

deadline. They are invited to submit their applications at

least one month before. Applying earlier in the six-month

cycle allows IFS staff to contact you for more information

if needed.

Detailed information relating to IFS, granting programme and application procedure can be obtained from the Se-

cretariat, at the following address:

International Foundation for Science (IFS), Karlavägen 108, 5th floor, SE-115 26 Stockholm, Sweden,

Tel: +46 8 545 818 00; Fax: +46 8 545 818 01, E-mail: <[email protected]>, Website: www.ifs.se

For research projects that deal with family poultry, you can contact:

Dr Ingrid Leemans, IFS Scientific Programme Coordinator (responsible for Animal Production, Animal Health,

Aquaculture), Tel: + 46 8 545 818 28 , E-mail: <[email protected]>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Houghton Trust travel grant [Cambs, United Kingdom]

The objective of the Houghton Trust is the advancement

of education in the pathology of avian species. The prin-

cipal way in which the Trust achieves this is the publica-

tion of Avian Pathology. Royalties from the sale of Avian

Pathology are used by the Trust to further the education

process, principally by making grants to young scientists

to enable them to participate in scientific meetings, visit

laboratories or attend training courses in countries other

than their own.

Applicants are invited to read carefully the following

points before completing the application form:

(1) Travel and subsistence grants are awarded to at-

tend scientific meetings, to visit appropriate labo-

ratories for discussions and learning specific tech-

niques and to attend training courses.

(2) Grants are awarded only for the furtherance of

study or research in the area of avian disease.

(3) Awards are normally for periods not exceeding 14

days.

(4) Applicants should not normally be more than 35

years of age at the time of travelling.

(5) The application must be supported by a Supervi-

sor/Head of Department/Director or equivalent.

(6) Any published details of Conferences or Training

courses or agreement of the host to receive the ap-

plicant should be attached to the application form.

(7) The Houghton Trust reserves the right to make


awards in full or in part.

(8) Applications will be considered either in late Feb-

ruary, June and November. The closing dates for

the receipt of applications for consideration at

these meetings are 15th February, 15th June and 15th

November, respectively.

(9) Successful applicants will be required to submit a

short report (maximum 300 words) on the comple-

tion of their visit, describing how the meeting was

useful to them. All or part of the report might be

published in Aerosols, Newsletter of the World

Veterinary Poultry Association (www.wvpa.net)

and in the Newsletter of the British Veterinary

Poultry Association (www.bvpa.org.uk), unless the

applicant specifically specifies otherwise.

(10) Successful applicants will be required to obtain a

Letter of Attendance from the organisers of the

conference, course etc. and to submit this when

seeking payment of the award.

(11) When seeking payment of the award, successful

applicants must include all relevant receipts or

other proofs of payment PLUS the short report re-

ferred to in item (9) above.

(12) Successful applicants should not claim the whole

of the award from the Houghton Trust if their ac-

tual expenses are lower than the initial estimate on

the Application Form or if they have been able to

obtain money from additional sources such that

they do not need to claim the whole of the Grant

from the Houghton Trust.

(13) Grants will not normally be allocated to employees

of commercial enterprises.

Please note that your application must be sent well in

advance of the closing date for registration at the meeting

etc. which you wish to attend. Application form can be

requested from Dr Jane K A Cook, whose address is

given below. Any application received after the registra-

tion closing date will not be considered by the Trust.

Seven (7) copies of the completed application form must be returned to:

Dr Jane K.A. Cook, Secretary, The Houghton Trust Ltd, 138 Hartford Road, Huntingdon, Cambs PE29 1XQ, United

Kingdom, Tel: (+44) 1480 453230, E-mail: <[email protected]>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New FAO portal on Technology for Agriculture (TECA) [Rome, Italy]

FAO’s Research and Technology Development Service

has just launched a new “Technology for Agriculture”

(TECA) portal. It aims to improve “access to information

and knowledge about available proven technologies in

order to enhance their adoption in agriculture, livestock,

fisheries and forestry” as, very often, established

technologies are not well documented and experiences of

their application are rarely adequately described.

The portal offers an array of tools including the TECA

database currently containing over 500 entries organised

in eight different categories (i.e. 1) production technology

- animal production; 2) production technology - crop and

horticultural production, grassland; 3) production

technology - forest and NTFP (non timber forest

products); 4) food and agricultural industries and post

harvest - animal products; 5) food and agricultural

industries and post harvest - crop and horticultural

products; 6) food and agricultural industries and post

harvest - forest and NTFP; 7) natural resources

management; 8) fishery and fish culture.


The sections offered through the new specialised portal

has been improved with sections containing news, events

and articles, a virtual technolibrary, decision support tools

for technology intervention, definitions related to

technology, detailed information on partners, FAQs.

For further details, visit the website www.fao.org/sd/teca/index_en.asp or contact <[email protected]>

Contact person:

Francisco Lopez, Research and Technology Officer, FAO Research and Technology Service (SDRR), Viale delle Terme

di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy, Tel: (+39) (06) 570 56343, E-mail: <[email protected]>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

International Conference on “Opportunities for village chickens to assist with poverty alleviation with special

emphasis on the sustainable control of Newcastle disease” in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania [5-7 October 2005]

The Conference was held at the Dar-es-Salaam Interna-

tional Conference Centre, Tanzania, from 5 to 7 October

2005. This scientific event, which marked the completion

of the Southern Africa Newcastle Disease Control Project

(SANDCP) financed by the Australian Agency for Inter-

national Development (AusAID, www.ausaid.gov.au) and

led by Dr Robyn Alders, included 48 presentations on

various aspects of village poultry production, from speak-

ers from many parts of the world. The focus of the

SANDCP project has been on poverty alleviation and

improving food security by mitigating the impact of New-

castle disease (ND) on village poultry production in Mo-

zambique, Tanzania and Malawi.

Many of the papers gave emphasis on the importance of

controlling ND in small family flocks as a first step to-

wards poverty alleviation, food security and the empow-

erment of women. A number of the papers focussed on

the importance and efficacy of heat-tolerant ND vaccines

for use in village flocks, due to the lack of a continuous

cold-chain in most rural regions of developing countries.

Dr Alders reported on the successes and challenges of ND

control with four-monthly vaccination using I-2 heat-

tolerant ND vaccine in the three target countries of the

project, and preliminary results out of South Africa

showed similar promise with another partially heat-

tolerant vaccine. There were a number of reports from

various countries of ND control programmes using a

variety of vaccines, with special emphasis on the per-

formance of another heat-tolerant injectable vaccine

which has been used in West Africa for fifteen years.

Technical issues relating to standards of ND vaccine

manufacture and to subsequent handling requirements

were addressed in a number of papers.

As management of the small family poultry flock is tradi-

tionally in the hands of women in most developing coun-

tries of the world, a number of papers highlighted the

impact of improved productivity in flocks on the empow-

erment of women, and the resulting improvement in fam-

ily nutrition and food security. Related to this was the

issue of the importance of gender during the selection of

trainers and ND vaccinators. Other issues covered in

papers included: the importance of appropriate and sus-

tainable management strategies to minimise attrition rates

in young chicks and maximise production; the importance

of and techniques for facilitating community participation

in rural development programmes; the role of village

poultry in mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS in rural

households (many of them child-headed as a result of loss

of or severe sickness in one or both parents); the respec-

tive role of government and private veterinary services in

combating ND; and ILRI’s (International Livestock Re-

search Institute, www.ilri.org) role in defining poultry

genetic resources in developing countries.


Dr Tata from the Animal Health Department of Indonesia

and Dr Guerne Bleich from FAO provided overviews

respectively on current control measures to deal with the

outbreaks of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

(HPAI) in Indonesia and of the impact of HPAI outbreaks

on four poultry sectors in five countries of South East

Asia. Persuasive evidence for a link between wild duck

populations and HPAI outbreaks in chicken flocks was

presented. The profound impact of HPAI on the poultry

industry in the affected countries and the potentially pro-

found impact on the village poultry sector in particular

were generally acknowledged. Participants from veteri-

nary services in the various countries represented were

very keen to obtain as much information as possible from

the SE Asian experience to mitigate the impact of HPAI

in their respective countries. There was considerable

discussion as to the desirability for a proactive role of

government veterinary services in this regard.

Dr Emmanuelle Guerne-Bleich

Dr R.A.E. Pym

AGAP, FAO, Rome, Italy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Regional Workshop on “The Role of Village Poultry and Small Livestock in Reducing Poverty and Creating

Food Security” in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso [7-8 November 2005]

The Network for Smallholder Poultry Development or-

ganized an interdisciplinary workshop in Ouagadougou,

Burkina Faso, from 7 to 8 November 2005. The theme of

the workshop was “The Role of Village Poultry and Small

Livestock in Reducing Poverty and Creating Food Secu-

rity”.

BACKGROUND

Danida-supported rural development programmes in

Burkina Faso, Benin and Senegal, have shown remarkable

results in terms of helping poor farmers stepping out of

poverty by giving assistance to income-generating activi-

ties, empowerment of women groups and farmers’ organi-

sations and development of smallholder credit and sav-

ings systems.

Since 2000, the Network for Smallholder Poultry Devel-

opment has been involved in project formulation and

implementation, training of smallholders and higher edu-

cation, applied research, and monitoring and evaluation.

During the past 5 years, the Network and its partners have

learned many important lessons with regard to the use of

poultry as a tool for poverty reduction, food security and

women’s empowerment. Successes as well as failures of

different programmes and approaches have been docu-

mented, both in West Africa and abroad, e.g. in countries

such as Bangladesh.

The experiences from West Africa play a vital role in the

Network’s understanding of the complexity of the sys-

tems involved in the implementation of smallholder poul-

try development projects and the potentials of different

smallholder management strategies. Research on social

and economic structures and processes have supported

new and existing information relating to production and

animal health.

Altogether, these experiences form a valuable base for

giving research-based advice and for formulating new

interdisciplinary approaches for programme development.

However, a number of areas remain where research and

development still need to become better at going hand in

hand to solve pertinent problems relating to livestock

development in the West African region.


THE WORKSHOP

The French title of the two-day workshop is

“Mouvements”. It refers to the situation where livestock,

livestock products, foods and people are all involved in

continuous movements between rural and urban areas,

across national borders, as well as from the farms to the

markets and onto the consumers at the tables. The theme

“mouvements” thus signifies that livestock development

is NOT only about livestock, but rather a complex mix-

ture of issues relating to markets, humans, food security,

food safety, national policies and strategies.

The workshop composed of 4 sessions:

1. Creating opportunities for the poor – the role of vil-

lage poultry in generating income and assuring food

security;

2. Extension services – from supply to demand driven;

3. Marketing of poultry products in West Africa;

4. Interdisciplinary research for development.

The main working language of the workshop was French.

However, translations into and from English were pro-

vided.

Papers presented as well as other details relating to the workshop are posted on the website of the Network for

Smallholder Poultry Development:

www.poultry.kvl.dk/Information_resources/References/Workshops/Mouvements_2005.aspx

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Stop Press: Avian Influenza

Potential risk of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) spreading through wild water bird migration and

human activity

INTRODUCTION

The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), subtype

H5N1, has been occurring in poultry in Southeast Asia

since 2003. Until recently, the outbreaks were restricted to

Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand, Lao PDR, Cambodia and

China. But since late July 2005, the HPAI H5N1 virus has

expanded in a north-westerly direction and Russia, Ka-

zakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Romania, Croatia. Subse-

quently, Ukraine in December 2005 and Cyprus in Febru-

ary 2006 have reported outbreaks in poultry as well as in

wild birds. The very recent outbreaks of HPAI reported

for the first time in Nigeria, on the 6th of February 2006,

open the floor for new risks/treats in other African coun-

tries. The first occurrence of the H5N1 virus into the

African continent is of major concern, putting at

immediate risk the livelihood of millions of people

relying on poultry production for income generation and

source of protein. If this situation gets out of control, it

will have a devastating impact on the poultry population

in the region and will increase the exposure of humans to

the virus.

ROLE OF WILD BIRDS

Avian influenza in wild birds

It has long been known that wild birds represent a reser-

voir for avian influenza (AI) viruses worldwide. Influenza

A virus subtype H5 was isolated from samples taken from

dead wild water birds. From April to June, 2005 more

than 6000 migratory birds have been reported to have

died due to H5N1 infection at the Qinghai Lake Nature

Reserve in Qinghai Province, China. This included bar-

headed geese Anser indicus, great black-headed gulls

Larus ichthyaetus, brown-headed gulls Larus

brunnicephalus, ruddy shelducks Tadorna ferruginea and

great cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo. In China (Tibet),

the death of 133 breeding hens was reported, and H5N1

was isolated from samples from these birds.

This situation is a concern because many of these birds

are migratory and travel over long distances across inter-

national borders. Wild birds have been shown to intro-

duce novel influenza gene segments into a population,

that when re-assorted with existing viruses can generate a

dissimilar virus with different antigenic and other biologi-

cal characteristics. The influenza viruses are easily spread

by fomites and survive and spread well in water. Further-

more, certain species of ducks are able to carry influenza

viruses without exhibiting any clinical symptoms of dis-

ease. Juvenile ducks have the highest rates of infection

and shedding. High titres of virus occur in late-summer,

when birds leave their northern breeding areas, although

these titres decrease as birds continue southwards.

Migratory routes

New outbreaks suggest that this highly pathogenic H5N1

virus is spreading progressively south-westwards and not

restricted to the Southeast Asian focus, where the out-

breaks of AI started in mid-2003. In Russia and Kazakh-

stan, contact between domestic poultry and wild water-

fowl at open water reservoirs is considered the primary

source of infection for poultry. Epidemiology investiga-

tions are still on-going, but there is a potential risk that


HPAI subtype H5N1 might be carried along migration

routes of wild water birds to densely populated areas in

the south Asian subcontinent and along migratory flyways

to Africa and Europe. Recent outbreaks of HPAI in Au-

gust 2005 (Russia and Kazakhstan), in October 2005

(Turkey, Romania and Croatia), in December 2005

(Ukraine) and in February 2006 (Cyprus and Nigeria)

may be suggestive of the role of wild birds in the epide-

miology of HPAI. The complex overlapping of major

flyways (Figure 1) and the lack of information on migra-

tory bird species potentially involved in AI disease spread

make simple association of wild bird flyways with out-

breaks of AI difficult.

Figure 1: HPAI outbreaks in 2005 and the major flyways of migratory birds.

Source: Wetlands International – EMPRES (Emergency Prevention System)

The exact risk will likely depend on the identification of

specific migratory species that carry H5 viruses without

suffering the disease, and knowledge of their resting areas

and wintering grounds combined with the existing pro-

duction poultry systems and husbandry. Bird migration

routes run across southwest Asia and some Mediterranean

countries, where bird flu outbreaks could possibly occur.

India and Bangladesh, which currently have no indication

of disease, are at risk. Bangladesh in particular, and to a

lesser extent India, harbour large numbers of domestic

ducks and the countries are situated along one of the ma-

jor migratory routes. The countries have the potential to

become new large endemic foci of H5N1 infection. Addi-

tionally, the spring migration of 2006 may result in the

spread of HPAI H5N1 virus further across Europe and

North Africa since birds migrating from southern zones

will have intermingled with European Russia and Siberia-

origin birds at the 2005/2006 winter nesting areas.


POULTRY PRODUCTION AND TRADE

The description of the poultry production sector is also an

essential tool to fully understand the risks of occurrence

and dissemination relating to AI disease. This description

must be taken into account during the design and imple-

mentation of appropriate measures to prevent and control

the AI pathology. This is particularly relevant in areas

where poultry are kept under high stocking density and/or

poor hygienic conditions. Moreover, most of the poultry

enterprises whether of small, medium or large scale pro-

ducers, service providers, middlemen, market retailers are

at risk because of HPAI presence in wild migratory birds

(as most likely infection sources). The virus can also be

introduced through day-old chicks imported from infected

farms or countries. Contaminations can occur through

direct or indirect contacts. Direct contacts happen from

infected wild birds to domestic ducks and poultry and

then further from birds to birds. Indirect contacts are, for

instance, through people’s cloths, shoes or motorbikes,

bicycles and manure, and water ponds.

Live birds markets represent areas of strong risks for AI

disease transmission as all poultry of various species are

mixed. Infected birds, when brought to markets for sale,

can represent other sources of infection for other healthy

birds found in the same places. Unsold and newly infected

birds can, in turn, disseminate the virus in flocks under

rearing.

FAO CONTINGENCY PLAN

FAO has been active in providing support to disease con-

trol efforts in infected countries and in assisting non-

infected countries to prepare for a rapid and effective

response, should the HPAI virus become introduced.

Together with the World Organization for Animal Health

(formerly Office International des Epizooties, OIE,

www.oie.org), FAO has responsibility for coordinating

the international effort from the livestock perspective. The

United Nations System Coordinator for Avian Influenza

has taken responsibility for ensuring a harmonised ap-

proach to address the concerns for human health and

those relating to poultry production and the livelihoods of

producers, especially those in developing countries.

In addition, FAO has been involved in public information

and awareness campaigns trough messages targeting

poultry farmers and their families, marketers and traders

as well as veterinarians and persons involved in culling

and vaccination operations, specifically at risk of expo-

sure to the H5N1 virus through contact and handling of

infected birds and their products. Through FAO’s Techni-

cal Cooperation Programmes in an early stage countries

with H5N1 cases and countries at risk have been benefit-

ing from FAO’s technical and financial support through

strengthening the capacities within countries and regions

to detect, prevent and control avian influenza in their

poultry populations and thus reducing the risk of human

exposure. At present, other resources have been mobilised

that will enable FAO to continue and expand operations at

country, regional and international level.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND FURTHER DETAILS

FAO Avian Influenza websites:

■ EMPRES group (www.fao.org/ag/aga/agah/empres)

■ FAO/AGAH service (www.fao.org/ag/againfo/subjects/en/health/default.html)

■ FAO technical guide for para-professionals (www.fao.org/ag/againfo/subjects/documents/ai/AIManual_VN2005(en).pdf)


Call for contributions on “Avian Influenza and Family Poultry”

Family poultry (FP) are a valuable asset to local popula-

tions, especially in underprivileged groups and less fa-

voured areas of Africa, Asia, the Near East, Latin Amer-

ica, Europe and the South Pacific. However, a major new

concern for this poultry sector is represented by the occur-

rence of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)

in Southeast Asia since mid-2003 and its rapid expansion

into Europe and Africa. This devastating viral avian pa-

thology puts at immediate risk the livelihoods of millions

of people who rely on this smallholder poultry sector. In

spite of its significant contribution to poverty alleviation,

food security, women’s empowerment and the well-being

of the human population, the FP sector is generally over-

looked when measures are put in place to prevent and

control poultry diseases. In order to contribute to take up

the challenge, the next issue of our Newsletter (Vol. 16

No. 1) will be devoted specifically to avian influenza

(AI). Your contribution(s) might help to answer questions

such as: What is the situation of AI in FP flocks in your

country/region? Are FP flocks given due attention during

the prevention and control of AI? What types of preven-

tive and control measures are designed and implemented

to cope with AI in FP in your country/region? What are

the difficulties associated with the prevention and control

of AI in FP in your country/region? How are solve possi-

ble problems relating to the prevention and control of AI

in PF in your country/region? What are the economic,

nutritional, socio-cultural and/or environmental impacts

of AI on the FP flocks and the livelihoods of producers in

your country/region? How to institute appropriate

biosecurity measures as well as timely diagnosis and

reporting? How to design and implement an adequate AI

surveillance programme in FP? Given the FP husbandry

practices, how to secure separate geographic areas or AI-

free zones and/or FP flocks?

You are invited to contribute to this issue and suggest possible contributing authors. Are particularly welcome contribu-

tions from Asia, Africa and Europe on the situation and effects of AI on FP.

■ The length of each article/report must be less than 2000 words, including tables, figures and references.

■ Suggested sections for each article/paper: title; name(s) and postal address(es) of author(s); e-mail

address of the cooresponding author; summary of between 100 and 250 words; keywords (up to 7); text of

article/paper (where applicable, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusions and

references).

■ Deadline for contributions is 30 April 2006.

■ Manuscripts (original articles, review papers, short communications, development reports, etc.) should be

sent to Dr E. Fallou Guèye, E-mail: <[email protected]> or Fax: (+221) 832 2118.


International Diary

International Conference on Livestock Services Enhancing Rural Development in Beijing, P.R. China [16-22

April 2006]

An International Conference on Livestock Services En-

hancing Rural Development will be held in Beijing, Peo-

ple’s Republic of China, from 16 to 22 April 2006. Or-

ganizers of the conference are the Chinese Academy of

Engineering (www.cae.cn), the Chinese Ministry of Agri-

culture (www.lib.noaa.gov/china/archi/moa.htm) and the

Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

(www.caas.net.cn), with the support and participation of

the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA,

www.acdi-cida.gc.ca), the International Livestock Re-

search Institute (ILRI, www.ilri.org), the Food and Agri-

culture Organization of United Nations (FAO,

www.fao.org), European Union (EU, europa.eu.int) and

the World Bank (WB, www.worldbank.org).

The objectives of this conference are:

to share the lessons learnt from the research and

development programs conducted on livestock

(including family poultry) service delivery over the

past decade,

to discuss new ideas and innovative approaches

relevant to the delivery of livestock (including

family poultry) services to smallholders under

different environments, and

to discuss livestock (including family poultry)

service delivery research and development strategies

that meet the changing needs of smallholder/poor

livestock farmers under a range of livestock sector

development scenarios.

Expected participants in this important event are national

policy makers, staff of international development

agencies, staff of project implementation units,

practitioners, trainers, researchers, development agents,

management staff and representatives of companies active

in the delivery of livestock services (including family

poultry).

The conference sessions are listed below:

1. One plenary session: “Livestock Services in a

Changing World”

2. Seven parallel sessions:

“Changing Agri-food Markets”

“Methodologies of Livestock Service Delivery”

“Farmer Associations”

“Rural Credit and Insurance”

“Food Quality and Safety”

“Smallholder-targeted Research and

Development”

“Competitiveness and Sustainability of

Smallholder Production”

Further detailled information about the conference can be obtained from: ■ Dr. Gong Xifeng or Dr. Liu Yukun

Department of International Cooperation, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)

Tel: 86+10+62185242, Fax: 86+10+62174060, E-mail: <[email protected]> or

<[email protected]> or <[email protected]>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


XV Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Association in Beijing, R.P. China [12-16 September 2007]

The 15th Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Asso-

ciation (WVPC2007) will take place at the China Interna-

tional Conference Center for Science and Technology

(CICCST, www.ciccst.org.cn) in Beijing, R.P. China,

from 12 to 16 September 2007. This important scientific

event will be organized by the Chinese Association of

Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine (CAAV,

www.caav.org.cn). China, which is the most populous

country in the world, has one of the largest poultry indus-

tries. There are many poultry professionals to serve the

whole poultry sector (industrial and family poultry). The

Poultry Health Branch of CAAV has about 1,200 mem-

bers of avian pathologists among whom there are 110

members of the World Veterinary Poultry Association

(WVPA, www.wvpa.net). Participants will be sharing

their knowledge, experiences and information in avian

diseases control.

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME

The scientific programme of the congress will consist of

keynote lectures delivered by distinguished experts from

different countries and short presentations in selected

topics:

● Viral respiratory diseases;

● Enteric diseases;

● Mycoplasmal and bacterial diseases;

● Immunity and immunosuppressive diseases;

● Nutrition, metabolic and toxin-related diseases;

● Food safety;

● Management and disease control;

● Emerging diseases.

Further detailled information relating to different matters of the conference can be obtained:

■ For scientific matters

P.O. Box 2449-21, Banjingcun, Haidian District, Beijing 100089, P.R. China, Fax: +86 10 51503455

Contact persons: Dr. Chen Xiaoling and Dr. Zhang Peijun

E-mail: <[email protected]> or <[email protected]> ■ Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine (CAAV)

1-106, Boya Garden, No. 9 Nongzhanguan South Road, Beijing 100026, P.R. China, Fax: +86 10 85959010

Contact Person: Miss Shi Juan

E-mail: <[email protected]> or <[email protected]> ■ For registration, accommodation, cultural programme, exhibitions, etc.

China International Conference Center for Science and Technology (CICCST)

No. 86 Xueyuan Nanlu, Beijing 100081, P.R. China, Fax: +86 10 62174126

Contact Person: Ms. Lily Wang

E-mail: <[email protected]>

■ Information can also be obtained by visiting the website at: www.wvpc2007.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XXIII World’s Poultry Congress in Brisbane, Australia [10-15 August 2008]

The 23rd World’s Poultry Congress (WPC2008) will be

held in Queensland, Australia, from 10 to 15 August

2008. Located in the heart of Brisbane, the venue for this

major international event is the modern and beautifully


appointed Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Preparations for the WPC2008 are progressing according

to schedule. The scientific and technical program will be

topical and relevant to the needs of the poultry industries

in 2008. Speakers with expertise in identified areas of

interest and importance to industry, science and technol-

ogy will be invited to share their knowledge with dele-

gates in both plenary and symposia sessions. Contributed

papers will be critical to the success of the meeting and

the organising committee, which is chaired by Dr Bob

Pym (President of the WPSA Australian Branch,

www.wpsa.info), is keen to receive submissions across a

wide spectrum of activity relevant to the future develop-

ment of poultry science and the poultry industries.

KEY DATES

− Call for abstracts: September 2006

− Abstract submission deadline: April 2007

− Registration brochure available: September 2007

− Congress: 10 – 15 August 2008

Further information on the Congress can be obtained from:

XXIII World’s Poultry Congress, c/- Event Planners, Australia, P.O. Box 1280, Milton QLD 4064, Australia

Tel: +61 (0) 7 3858 5594; Fax: +61 (0) 7 3858 5510; E-mail: <[email protected]>

Details relating to the congress programmes as well as other useful information (climate, currency exchange, credit and

charge cards, electricity, insurance, language, mobile phones, restaurants, shopping, smoking, sun protection, taxes,

telephones, working hours, water quality, transportation, visa applications, etc.) are also made available on the website

at: www.wpc2008.com. This website is regularly updated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


new infpd newsletter vol. 15 no. 2, july – december 2005 · 2013. 8. 1. · obsignata, subulura...

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