Held on October 22-25 the meeting consisted of a selection of inside and outside speakers and was designed to challenge management thinking and offer in-depth analysis on several industry trends and issues.

The first day opened with an Aviagen global update which covered a report from major market regions, management changes and a brief commentary on the recent Hubbard acquisition. A presentation on breeding for profitability and sustainability appraised the breeding program progress and revealed a number of new initiatives designed to assist performance improvements. An interesting review of “a rapidly changing world” followed, addressing creativity, change and whether we as individuals can see future progress in the poultry industry and beyond.

After the lunch break an analysis of the Thai poultry industry and the lessons learned from an enhanced welfare initiative were laid out in detail as several leading companies try to satisfy the evolving needs of the consumer. The final presenter offered nine uncommon practices for executing strategy and utilised excellent interaction with the audience to drive his messages home.

The next day commenced with an update on Avian Influenza and compartmentalisation addressing variations of the virus, the live bird market impact, trade disruption, regionalisation and compartmentalisation and future key industry issues. A report on the progress with the Ross 400 Club in Asia noted the value of recognising growers for well-managed flocks and the value from collecting the field data. A revealing look at the broiler industry in China was presented by the China Broiler Alliance which reviewed the different market segments, the latest changes, challenges and development trends in the domestic market.

A global update of the broiler industry highlighted the disrupters in the market, changing consumer demographics, differences between the major supply countries, the four giant companies in poultry and the future outlook for the industry. The financial impact of decision-making in poultry production was portrayed and presented a number of scenarios and outcomes to improve company performance. The meeting closed with a short review of the key take-home messages from the presentations in the two day program.

“We adopted an agenda to inform and challenge us all to be better managers of the business and our employees. We also inserted a number of industry-focused topics to update attendees on the R&D breeding program advancements, China, the impact of welfare, avian influenza and compartmentalisation, the global broiler industry and a financial review of decision making. The meeting is a major activity for the Ross team and we welcome the chance to host our customers and hope we have provided a valuable opportunity to share experiences and gain new information during the event,” said Ms. Orapan Chansawat, vice president, Asia, Ross.

About Aviagen

Since 1923, Aviagen® has established itself as the world's leading poultry breeding company, developing pedigree lines for the production of commercial broiler chickens under the Arbor Acres®, Indian River®, and Ross® brand names. The Rowan Range® and Specialty Males® are specialty breeding stock from Aviagen that offer greater flexibility for customers to meet specific or niche market requirements. The company is based in Huntsville, Alabama, USA with a number of wholly-owned operations across the United Kingdom, Europe, Turkey, Latin America, India, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S., and joint ventures in Asia. Aviagen employs more than 3,900 people and has a distribution network serving customers in more than 100 countries.
For further information, please visit www.aviagen.com.