News and events
Our newsletter, Poultry@Sydney, showcases what is currently happening at the University of Sydney – Poultry Research Foundation. The highlights will include recent research outcomes, staff and student profiles, views of industry leaders and much more… So, please subscribe and connect with us.
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Welcome to Poultry@Sydney!
This newsletter will highlight the happenings at the Poultry Research Foundation (PRF) within The University of Sydney on a regular basis. We encourage you to share our articles with relevant friends and colleagues who can subscribe here to join the PRF mailing list.
Poultry research at The University of Sydney has a long and distinguished history. The PRF was established in 1958 and has made significant contributions to the advancement and practice of poultry science globally. For instance, the characterisation of the role of biotin in the aetiology of the Fatty Liver and Kidney Syndrome in the late 1960s to early 1970s by Dr Charles Payne; the identification of the low metabolisable energy wheat phenomenon by Dr Anne Rogel during her PhD program in the early 1980s and its subsequent elucidation in the late 1980s to early 1990s (Annison et al.), which contributed significantly to the widespread use of xylanases in the later years. The impact of environmental temperature on amino acid requirements of broilers as well as the importance of dietary electrolyte balance gained world-wise acceptance thanks to the research led by Dr Derrick Balnave between the 1980-1990s. During this period, our flagship conference, the Australian Poultry Science Symposium (APSS) was launched.
How low can it get? A million-dollar project to investigate reduced protein diets
Australia has set a net zero target for 2050 and agriculture has a significant role to play in helping the nation achieve this it. Poultry production has a very low carbon footprint to start with but there is more the industry can do to reduce emissions even further.
Associate Professor Sonia Liu has been awarded a project worth more than a million dollars by Australian Research Council to examine innovative ways to use reduced protein diets for broiler chickens. The focus is to enhance the affordable and environmentally-viable production of chicken-meat with improved bird welfare and flock health.
Italy to Sydney – visiting PhD student Claudia Ciarelli
Hello, I’m Claudia Ciarelli and I am a visiting PhD Student at the Poultry Research Foundation and School of Life and Environmental Sciences within The University of Sydney.
After completing my masters at the University of Perugia, Italy in 2020 (Msc Animal Science), I started my PhD at the University of Padova, Italy (DAFNAE) under the supervision of Prof. Gerolamo Xiccato and co-supervisor Prof. Angela Trocino.
My research is focused on determining the welfare, behaviour, and production of laying hens reared in cage-free systems. Here in Sydney, through the Erasmus program, I am collaborating with lead researcher Dr Wendy Muir on an exciting project funded by Australian Eggs. Our project aims to identify the determinants associated with floor egg production on Australian farms, with a view to identifying management strategies empowering farmers to reduce the number of floor eggs.
A chat with the new CEO of the Australian Chicken Meat Federation
The Australian Chicken Meat Federation (ACMF) was established in 1964 by the Australian chicken meat industry as an advocate body by the industry.
The foresight of the chicken meat industry for setting up the ACMF in the first place is commendable. The ACMF’s contribution in guiding what was regarded as a “niche” industry in the early days of the chicken meat production, to its current status, ie., the most important animal protein supplier with the lowest carbon footprint, is highly significant.
Indeed, at a national level the ACMF is the envy of all animal industries for its ability to coordinate all matters related to broiler production, developing policies, setting standards, and providing strategic direction to R&D programs.
Food security remains on the top of the national agenda, but the public is becoming more discerning about the food they consume, thus, the challenges for chicken meat production will only become more complex. We recently sent our postgraduate student, Carria Xie, to interview the new CEO of ACMF, Dr Mary Wu for her thoughts.
