The 74th annual meeting of EAAP was held in Lyon, France from August 26th to September 1st 2023 and was attended by approximately 2200 participants. Our project MonoGutHealth had a full day session at the conference, which started with an excellent presentation about host-microbiota interactions in swine and poultry by our invited speaker Dr. J. Francisco Pérez from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. His presentation was followed by the 10 presentations of the ESRs who reported their latest results from the individual projects. We also welcomed presentations from outside our project in the afternoon.
For most of our ESRs it was the first large international conference and this is what they have to say about their experience:
One aspect of the EAAP congress that I really appreciated was its comprehensive approach to diverse topics. I was glad to see that contemporary issues such as animal welfare, environmental implications of livestock productions, climate change and strategies to improve the sustainability of the productions received extensive attention, with contributions from various stakeholders and different perspectives. I also found really interesting and beneficial the opportunity to discuss with the speakers following their presentations, allowing for a better understanding of the different topics.
The EAAP conference provided a remarkable platform for the exchange of knowledge about animal science. With its theme centred around “Climate change, biodiversity, and global sustainability of animal production,” the conference addressed pressing issues in the field. It was a fantastic opportunity for researchers and professionals to connect with like-minded individuals, fostering collaboration and the sharing of innovative ideas.
In my opinion the MonoGutHealth session was well organised and everything went well. We had the opportunity to showcase our latest research results and the audience was very interested. Even after the presentation some audience members searched for the presenters to ask further questions. It was a great chance to enlarge our network and show our presentation skills which has improved since our presentation during the first project meeting.
I was proud to attend to EAAP Lyon 2023 as an EAAP scholarship winner and it was a great experience to network and learn new advancements in animal production. On top of all, I had the absolute pleasure of meeting many of my friends and teachers from my Master’s program and had the incredible feeling that I do belong to the world of animal science 😃🐣👩🔬.
This is the first time I attended such a big conference. Therefore, in the first few hours I was shocked due to the number of people as compared to my previous experience. However, I adapted quickly to the environment. During the EAAP I had the chance to listen to many talks. Some of the sessions I attended included the effects of heat-stress in livestock and strategies to ameliorate the negative effects of heat stressA condition when animals do not have the ability to withstand high ambient temperatures especially w…. I also had the chance to listen to several talks about the use of minerals in livestock feed, talks about improving poultry health, welfare and performance. Furthermore, I also listened to several talks that focused on improving the physiology and gut microbiomeCollective genetic material of the microbes (for example bacteria, fungi and viruses) that live insi… of livestock. Besides that, I had the opportunity to network with experts, gaining valuable insights into the latest advancements in animal science and agriculture. Overall, the diverse range of presentations and discussions expanded my knowledge and inspired me to be more open-minded and possibly explore new research directions in the future.
Presenting at the 74th EAAP Congress in Lyon in a room filled with curious minds and passionate hearts was an electrifying mix of excitement and sentiment, making this experience truly one-of-a-kind.
Presentations: It was valuable to learn about exciting new technologies adopted in Animal Science research from novel methods of in-vitro sampling of guts to organoids research.
Networking: No other conference in Europe gives the chance to both network with new researchers and reconnect with old colleagues from around the world. It was rewarding.
Planning: Involvement of youths in the planning and dedicated young scientists session was commendable.
Getting to see your colleagues again and having the opportunity to network with other professionals in your field can be extremely rewarding. The invited talks were very informative, and I learned a lot about the importance of livestock and animal protein to the future of food systems and people’s livelihoods around the world. The EAAP meeting was an excellent opportunity to hear from experts in the field, present your own research, and network with other researchers. It’s a chance to step back and assess your progress, as well as consider alternative approaches. The session on the trade-offs between health, production, and welfare in pigs and poultry was my favourite, but the sessions on the latest developments on in vitro systems, heat stressA condition when animals do not have the ability to withstand high ambient temperatures especially w…, insect farming, and climate change mitigation were also extremely informative, and they all serve as a guiding light for my own research and future projects.
The EAAP meeting was my first conference ever and the sheer size of it made it quite an overwhelming and for sure unforgettable experience. I was surprised to learn about so many interesting projects similar to mine, so it was a great opportunity to exchange knowledge. As there were so many attendants, I even had the unexpected pleasure to reconnect with some known faces from different points of my career-life. In the end, all the preparation paid off and it was a really enriching experience.
It was great to meet all the ESRs again but also interact with people from other countries with similar research interests. I really enjoyed the interactive session of pigs and poultry (session 77) where different opinions were shared which stimulated interesting discussion. The panel discussion about the future of animal experimentation in Europe was also very thought-provoking. On the whole, it was a fantastic experience!
Presenting at EAAP was an amazing experience that not only shed light on my research but also ignited a multitude of new questions while providing plenty of answers. The highlight of EAAP for me was undoubtedly the opportunity to network with individuals who shared my research interests.
After the MonoGutHealth session, the ESRs and supervisors had dinner together to celebrate the success of the session. This week will definitely be a highlight in the MonoGutHealth journey!