Europe's largest animal science conference is coming to Belfast

The European Federation of Animal Production (EAAP) 2016 conference is to be held in Belfast from the 29th August to the 2nd September 2016

The conference will be held in the Waterfront Conference and Exhibition Centre, Belfast from the 29th August to the 2nd September 2016 and it will bring together world leading experts from over 66 countries to discuss the key role of livestock in providing a sustainable food source for a growing global population.

The event is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Northern Ireland and offers the local agri-food industry a unique opportunity to discuss cutting edge advances in the area of livestock science and production.

The plenary session of the conference will be the highlight of the meeting and it takes place on Tuesday 30th August.

‘Sustainable Food Production to 2050: the Key Role of Livestock’ will feature four presentations from international keynote speakers.

Tim Searchinger, a Research Scholar and Lecturer at Princeton University, USA will present ‘Livestock, Land Use, Global Change and Food Security – The Great Balancing Act’.

This will be followed by a joint paper from Jean Francois Sousanna, from the French National Research Institute, INRA and Patrick Dillon, Head of the Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation programme Teagasc, Ireland on ‘The Role of Grassland As An Essential Resource For Future Food Demand and Environmental impact’.

Philip Thornton of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) will then present a paper on the ‘Role Of Mixed Crop and Livestock Farming Systems In Ensuring Food Security’ and Ian Givens, Professor of Food Chain Nutrition and Head of Food Production & Quality at Reading University will deliver the final presentation entitled ‘Potential Contribution of Livestock to Food and Nutrition Security and the One Health Agenda’.

The conference has a very strong programme of industry relevant sessions such as succession planning for livestock farmers in Europe, exemplars of knowledge transfer in practice and a keynote session on management of the food chain, as well as technical scientific sessions covering topics from genetics, animal nutrition, animal health and welfare across cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, horses and aquaculture, amongst many others.

To register, or to find more information visit the EAAP website at www.eaap2016.org.