Dr Colin Whitehead, ESPN programme chair, welcomed the 560 delegates to the conference and to the city. With the highest attendance recorded for this conference – the 17th in the series – he highlighted how international the meeting has become. In total, 54 countries are represented at the meeting – an indication of how global the industry and the subject of poultry nutrition have become.

Dr Whitehead paid tribute to the hard work that Dr Tom Acamovic of Scottish Agricultural College, ESPN chair, had put into the preparations for the meeting and his boundless enthusiasm. As ThePoultrySite reported last week, Dr Acamovic lost his battle against cancer shortly before the symposium. A minute's silence was observed in memory of Dr Acamovic, the popular president of the UK Branch of the WPSA and highly respected scientist.

Also addressing the opening ceremony were Linda Saunderson (head of Science Policy and Co-Ordination in the Department of Rural Affairs and the Environment at the Scottish Executive) who stressed the importance with which the government holds agricultural research in Scotland, and Professor Achille Franchini of Italy (president of the WPSA European Federation). He explained that all the officers of the World's Poultry Science Association (WPSA) have gathered in Edinburgh for the symposium and other meetings, including its president, Dr Bob Pym from Australia, and past president, Dr Ruveyde Akbay from Turkey.