Review ICPD 2019 - Qualitas AG

About the job

The University of Bern was the host this year for the "International Conference on Production Diseases in Farm Animals (ICPD)". Around 350 people made their way to the VonRoll site from 27th to 29th June.

In a total of 14 sessions, the latest scientific findings were presented and discussed. The topics covered various diseases and animal species, but sessions on "Precision Livestock Farming", animal welfare, and genetics also had their place. In general, early detection and prevention, as well as a fundamental understanding of the diseases, were the focus.

Image source: Uni Bern (https://www.icpd2019.unibe.ch/)

Diverse programme at the ICPD

The scientific programme offered many interesting insights into a wide range of topics. For example, a contribution from New Zealand presented lameness in goats and also discussed ways to avoid excessive hoof growth. The speaker spent a summer in the Swiss Alps with goats to observe where the goats go when given free choice and how this affects their hoof growth. Naturally, lameness in cows was also addressed. Using Mortellaro as an example, it was shown how artificial intelligence could be used to quickly and reliably diagnose such diseases.

As already mentioned, the topic of Precision Livestock Farming was not to be missed, and for once, alongside all the possibilities these technologies offer, data security was addressed in a dedicated lecture. The topic of genome editing was also covered in a very informative talk. It was presented how pigs could be bred resistant to PRRS thanks to this technology. Another contribution explained the perspective of people without a connection to farming on animal husbandry. Here, the separation of cow and calf was identified as a problem and it was discussed whether and how this could be changed.

Networking included

During the coffee breaks, poster presentations could be viewed and we were able to talk to the authors, ask burning questions about lectures from previous sessions, or meet new people and perhaps even initiate new projects. To get to know each other a little better in a relaxed setting, a dinner was held in the canteen on Friday evening. Good food and music created a pleasant atmosphere to chat and forge new contacts.