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The local organizers for the 2018 Congress are the Chinese Association of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine (CAAV) and the China Agricultural University (CAU).
Zhongqiu Zhang, China's Chief Veterinary Officer, addressed a speech at the opening ceremony of the Congress that attracted more than 1500 delegates from all over the world. Mr. Zhang said the pig industry is a pillar in China’s animal agriculture, and an improving veterinary system will guarantee a steady development of the industry. He hopes the 2018 Congress could also contribute to a sustainable development of the global pig sector. Prof. Qixin Sun, President of China Agricultural University, and Prof. Lusheng Huang, President of Chinese Association of Animal science and Veterinary medicine, the academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, to make the welcome remark.
Prof. Hanchun Yang, President of 25th IPVS 2018, introduced the organizing work of the Congress during his presentation. There are total eight topics to be discussed during the separate sessions, namely Virology & Viral Diseases, Bacteriology & Bacterial Diseases, Emerging and Re-emerging Swine Diseases, Swine Production & Welfare, Veterinary Public Health & Food Safety, Nutrition & Herds Health Management, Swine Farm Management & Environmental Control, as well as the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome. The 2018 International Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Symposium (IPRRS 2018), together with four corporate symposiums and a Clinical Veterinarian Saloon, will also be held simultaneously.
According to Prof. Yang, the 2018 Congress records more than 5000 registered delegates, including about 1500 delegates from 42 overseas countries. A total of 956 abstracts have been received, with 165 selected for oral presentation and 738 for poster, in addition to 37 invited speakers. The event is supported by six international strategic partners and seven local ones, as well as 27 sponsors at home and abroad.
Prof. Trevor Drew made the Tom Alexzander memorial lecture as the IPVS Congress tradition. The opening ceremony was chaired by Mr. Chuang Ma, Deputy Secretary General of the CAAV and Secretary General of IPVS 2018.
China is the biggest pork production and consumption country in the world. Its pork output accounted for 44.8% of the global total in 2016, with pork imports and consumption accounting for 30.7% and 46.9% respectively, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. China’s per capita consumption of pork was about 40kg, ranking top 5 in the world. The country has basically achieved the goal of domestic balance between supply and demand.
However, the efficiencies of China’s pig production are still poor, with the crop rate and carcass weight below the world average levels. Improving efficiency is no doubt the core issue in the development of China’s pig industry, and the IPVS Congress 2018 is expected to advance this process.
The 2018 Congress will last till June 14. Besides of the sessions and symposiums, and a welcome cocktail party after the opening ceremony, the IPVS will celebrate its 50th anniversary on June 13 with a gala dinner. There will be also an IPVS General Assembly before the Congress closes in the afternoon of June 14.
June 11, 2018 - Organizing Committee of 25th IPVS
