The commemorative event for World Egg Day, held in Madrid on 10 October 2024, centred on sustainability. The event brought together members and experts from the Advisory Board of the Instituto de Estudios del Huevo (Egg Studies Institute), along with professionals from the laying poultry sector in Spain and related fields, who support the Institute’s ongoing work to promote egg-related research in Spain and to raise awareness of the egg’s value as a food and its appropriate use and consumption.
The laying poultry sector is one of the livestock industries that has evolved most in recent years in terms of efficiency and productivity. The latest advances in the fields of hen nutrition, genetic improvement, housing systems and animal health, among others, have contributed positively to making the egg today the food with the best ratio of nutritional quality to price, and with the lowest resource use in its production.
Manuel Laínez, Director of the Agri-food Innovation and Development area at Cajamar and the Fundación Grupo Cajamar, highlighted in his presentation that “the use of new technologies over recent decades has succeeded in improving the productive efficiency of the poultry sector, which translates into an improvement in environmental sustainability. To continue making progress, it is essential to add value to all by-products generated throughout the egg value chain and to ensure a sustainable supply of raw materials“.
Manuel Laínez also took part in the round table entitled “The egg, a sustainable food“, alongside Teresa Rodicio, Production Director at poultry genetics company Lohmann Breeders, Natàlia Majó, Head of the Animal Health Programme at IRTA-CRESA and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and Mónica López, Head of the Environmental Affairs Unit within the Sub-Directorate General for Livestock Production Inputs at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA). The experts discussed the implications of genetics and poultry health for production, European emissions control regulations and their application in Spain, as well as the major challenges posed by alternative production systems in meeting sustainability objectives.
During the event, the 2024 Gold Award was also presented, which this year went to nutritionist Pablo Ojeda, in recognition of his work disseminating nutrition science through the media, social networks and events, which helps make the scientific evidence on diet accessible to all audiences — and for highlighting the role of the egg in the diet as a healthy food with exceptional nutritional value.
The Instituto de Estudios del Huevo also presented the XXVIII Research Prize 2024 for the work entitled “Digital tools for the real-time spatial monitoring of Avian Influenza in wild birds in Spain and assessment of its consequences for the sector“, developed by a multidisciplinary group of 4 researchers from the Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA) – Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias (INIA), affiliated with the CSIC. This project is aligned with the “One Health” strategy, and is highly relevant given the current global spread of the highly pathogenic Avian Influenza virus. It will enable the poultry sector to monitor in real time the level of risk of viral spread in Spain from wild birds, in order to implement preventive surveillance and control measures.
“Avian influenza is a threat that not only puts poultry production at risk, but also represents a growing challenge to global public health. Our real-time monitoring system allows us to anticipate the disease, providing accurate information on its spread in wildlife that is essential for making rapid and effective decisions. Thanks to the support of the Instituto de Estudios del Huevo, we can continue developing this tool, which will not only assist the production sector, but also protect public health, minimising the economic and health impact that this disease can cause,” stated researcher Irene Iglesias.
World Egg Day
World Egg Day was established in Vienna in 1996, when it was decided to celebrate the power of the egg on the second Friday of October each year. Since then, egg enthusiasts around the world have devised new and creative ways to honour this incredible source of nutrients, and the day of celebration has grown and evolved over time.
Source: INPROVO