AFBI at Europe’s largest Animal Production Conference

As Northern Ireland’s premier provider of agri-food research, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) has played a crucial role in bringing Europe’s largest animal science conference –The European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) annual meeting to Belfast later this month.

This will be the first time the EAAP meeting will be held in Northern Ireland in the sixty seven year history of the organisation, and promises to be one of the largest in recent years.

Over 1300 delegates are due to attend from across the world, boosting the local economy by over £2.3m (estimated by Visit Belfast) based on delegate spend in Belfast during the conference.

The conference is being hosted by the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS), and AFBI has had significant organisational input, through membership of the Local Organising Committee (LOC). The LOC has been working in closely with key academic and industry partners to organise the EAAP 2016 conference.

AFBI, as a main sponsor of the event, recognises the conference’s unique global platform to showcase our agri-food research and its close connection with local industry. AFBI have 29 papers and posters at the conference and will have an exhibition stand at the event which will be staffed by our researchers from PhD students to Senior Researchers working in all aspects of animal production and food research.

AFBI are also sponsoring 2 sessions; a one-day symposium on aquaculture and coastal fisheries (the first time this topic has featured at an EAAP conference) and “livestock research priorities and the global funding challenge”, which is expected to be well attended and inspire a lively discussion.

AFBI’s Dr Sinclair Mayne, who is also Chair of the EAAP Local Organising Committee said, “This conference will bring a welcome boost to the local economy as well as providing a unique opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland’s livestock sector, and the pioneering local research which underpins this important sector of the economy.

This year’s conference has been boosted by the fact that over 1200 papers have been submitted by scientists from around the world - the greatest number of submissions for many years. Given that Belfast was recently named winner in the Guardian and Observer Travel Awards as the readers’ favourite UK city to visit, we are confident that the conference will be a memorable event – in both a scientific and a social context.”

The four day Conference will take place in the new Waterfront Conference and Exhibition Centre and will be complemented by a lively social programme showcasing Northern Ireland Food and Drink, the cream of local livestock and local tourist attractions.

The conference will be rounded off with a series of farm and industry visits which will demonstrate AFBI research in practice and the close connection between AFBI and the local livestock industry.

Share this page