Europe is the world reference in feed formulation for animal nutrition. And this shows. Proof of this is the massive attendance of nutritionists from around the world every two years at the ESPN (European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition), where almost one in every two attendees comes from outside Europe.
Below we describe what took place at the ESPN 2023 in Rimini, Italy, and I invite all poultry nutritionists from any continent to attend the 24th edition of the ESPN (European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition), which will be held in Maastricht, the Netherlands, from 23 to 26 June 2025.
Dr. Joaquim Brufau
IRTA
Joaquim.Brufau@irta.cat
2023
23rd European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition: ESPN
The “23rd European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition” (ESPN 2023), after a two-year delay due to Covid-19, was successfully held in Rimini (Italy) from 21 to 24 June 2023. The organising team, comprising Franco Calini, Massimiliano Petracci and Federico Sirri, reported on the size of the symposium at the European WPSA Nutrition WG2 session: 1,794 registered delegates, 20 keynote presentations, 25 short presentations, and 39 sponsors. The total number of accepted posters was 337.
51% of delegates were European, 26% Asian, 15% American, 5% African and 1% Oceanian. Only 27% registered as WPSA members, 5% as students and 5% as sponsors. Spain contributed 67 delegates and 24 posters, making it the second country in terms of delegates, after France.
The gala dinner had 600 registrations and was organised under a highly surrealist concept inspired by Federico Fellini. The Rimini Convention Centre is a magnificent venue in every respect and is one of the finest congress facilities in Europe.
The scientific programme comprised six plenary sessions: 1.- Sustainable nutrition for broilers, layers and turkeys; 2.- Nutritional interventions for climate change; 3.- Nutrition and the microbiome under environmental challenges; 4.- Solutions to promote improvement in feed value; 5.- Alternative protein sources to soya; 6.- Nutritional aspects requiring resolution.
As is tradition at the ESPNs, the plenary sessions feature 3 or 4 presentations covering the subject area, followed by group discussions among delegates (maximum 25 people per group). Each group discusses one presentation and submits questions for the general plenary discussion. The general discussion takes place after a session of short oral presentations of posters selected for oral delivery, not exceeding 10 minutes each.
There were 12 discussion groups in total, with the participation of 300 delegates who registered voluntarily. At the end of the Symposium, during the WG2 follow-up meeting, the organisers acknowledged the keen interest generated by the discussions in all groups, this being one of the most distinctive features of the ESPN format.
The first session addressed aspects of sustainability, which was the overarching objective of the Symposium. Nutritional concepts such as nitrogen nutrition, energy and mineralisation were examined through the lens of sustainability.
The second session dealt with the impact of climate change, addressing both productive performance, quality and water use. This session evaluated how the introduction of changes or new dietary ingredients can improve adaptation.
The third session aimed to understand the effect of nutrition on the microbiome under stress conditions. It covered antibiotic-free broiler production and its evolution at regional level and across production systems. Coccidiosis control was also discussed, along with how nitrogen and energy nutritional criteria have consequences during the anorexic phase induced by infection. The session concluded with a presentation on how the microbiome and nutritional composition can help overcome dysbiosis and how to prevent it.
The fourth session featured three presentations focused on how to assess ingredient composition, and in particular the non-starch fraction (fibre) present in cereals (soluble/insoluble). The importance of dietary enzymes was also evaluated in relation to their potential effects on the microbiome and intestinal wall structure. The session concluded with a discussion on how the rate of digestion of energy and protein at the intestinal level affects performance. This interaction appears to correlate with growth and performance parameters. Recent studies based on sorghum, wheat and maize diets indicate this, and they form the basis for future studies determining the influence of starch-to-protein digestibility ratios (retention rate).
The fifth session was dedicated to alternative protein sources to soya. Four presentations provided information on alternatives such as algae, free amino acids, the reintroduction of meat and bone meals, and insects, all examined from the perspective of sustainability and efficacy. Legislative regulation of these products was also discussed.
To close ESPN 2023, the final session addressed nutritional topics requiring further discussion. The three presentations were of great interest. Particularly noteworthy was the first, devoted to oxidative stress, delivered brilliantly by Dr. Mario Estevez, Professor at the University of Extremadura. The second focused on long-cycle layer feeding, and the session concluded with a presentation on turkey nutrition and its economic efficacy. For access to full information, I recommend contacting WPSA.
The presentations reached a high scientific level. The only criticism that could be raised is that none of them addressed the topic in relation to the European project known as the “European Green Deal”, established by the European Commission in November 2019.
Rimini, birthplace of Federico Fellini, is an excellent location for organising events, although its transport systems are somewhat deficient and in some cases highly surreal, much as Fellini portrays in his film Amarcord.
2025
ESPN 2025, jointly organised by the Dutch and Belgian sections of WPSA
At the final WG2 WPSA meeting, the upcoming ESPN 2025 was discussed. It will take place in Maastricht (the Netherlands) on 23–26 June 2025, and will be jointly organised by the Netherlands and Belgium. The European Poultry Conference 2024, held in Valencia, was also presented.
Source:
-. Dr. Joaquim Brufau
IRTA
Joaquim.Brufau@irta.cat
Dr. Brufau was the organiser of the 21st edition of the ESPN, which took place in 2017 in Reus, Tarragona:
For more information:
-. Browse all upcoming poultry events at NeXusAvicultura.com