I have just learned that yesterday, Thursday 24 April, poultry veterinarian Miguel Valls Durich passed away. There is never a good time to die, but Miguel Valls has left us at the age of 63 — far too soon.
I had the honour of working with him, inviting him as a speaker at several Professional Poultry Conferences, as well as collaborating on articles and books. Exceptionally personable, he always had time to answer a question on genetics, on breeders, or on any topic no matter how complex. In 2022 he made an outstanding contribution to the work “Historia de la avicultura española” (History of Spanish Poultry Farming), by José A. Castelló and others, in which he masterfully developed the chapter dedicated to genetic selection in the broiler sector, providing detailed information on its development from the 1950s to the present day.
A graduate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Zaragoza in 1984, Miguel, or Miquel, began his professional career in heavy breeders (with the Guissona Cooperative), then continued working with heavy breeders and grandparent stock at Euribrid. From 1998 he worked for Hubbard on parent stock, breeders and broilers in various countries: Spain, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, Hungary and Serbia. From 2010 he also collaborated in the technical service of Novogen (parent stock and layers) for Spain and Portugal. Miguel lived in Granollers, where his funeral will be held tomorrow, Saturday 26 April, at 10:30 at the municipal funeral home.
Rest in peace, Miguel — you will be greatly missed.
Federico Castelló
Director of NeXusAvicultura