The 9th World Rabbit Congress is closed:
Research and science for rabbit meat quality and safety
The congress
The 9th World Rabbit Congress, held on June 10-13, 2008, in the prestigious Palace of Gran Guardia in Verona, Italy, was officially closed on 13 June. Several institutions, private enterprises, researchers and technicians participated at the Congress which was organized by ASIC (Italian Scientific Association of Rabbit Science) and WRSA (World Rabbit Science Association) in collaboration with the Department of Animal Science of the University of Padova (Italy) (Gerolamo Xiccato and Giovanni Bittante).
All supporters of the rabbit production chain and research teams participated at the Congress. About 600 persons took part to the congress, coming from 39 different countries, as registered participants, technicians and farmers. The Palace of Gran Guardia also hosted exhibition stands for the farms, which were numerous (27) that contributed in the organization of the congress.
At the opening ceremony, welcome and regards were presented by the representatives of Institutions that contributed to the congress organization: Erminia Perbellini of Verona Municipality, Dionisio Brunelli and Alberto Martelletto of Verona Province, Claudio Valente of Commerce Chamber of Verona, Giuseppe Nezzo of Regione del Veneto, Sergio Pompa of Italian Rabbit Farmers Associations ANCI-AIA, Pierlorenzo Secchiari of Scientific Association Animal Science, Antonio Pugliese of Italian Society of Veterinary Sciences, Raffaele Cavalli of the Faculty of Agriculture and Gabriele Bono of the University of Padova, Stefano Cinotti of Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Lombardia ed Emilia Romagna, Fabrizio Agnoletti of Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Antonio Lavazza of Fondazione Iniziative Zooprofilattiche di Brescia.
The congress was successful also thanks to the Verona Municipality, which agreed to host the Congress in the Palace of Gran Guardia; to the Regione del Veneto, which promoted the consumption of typical products and wine of the Veneto region during the banquet of the congress; and to the Chamber of Commerce of Verona which generously offered the gala dinner. In the prestigious frame of the noble floor of the Congress palace, participants appreciated the rich menu based on typical dishes of Verona and the selection of wine chosen among the winners of the Wine Top selection.
On the closing ceremony, held on June 13, Luca Zaia, the Italian Minister of Agriculture, sent his regards to the congress participants. On the same occasion, the authors of the best scientific papers were awarded with a photo book on the Veneto Region (Veneto Celeste by C. Gerolimetto, Terra Ferma Editions).
On Saturday, June 14, a post-technical tour was organized with the support of the Verona province. Sixty-five people from 17 different countries took part in the visit to a slaughterhouse (MCC of Bellini Nunzia) and a rabbit farm (F.lli Nordera). Participants had the opportunity to appreciate two efficient units of the rabbit production chain. During the lunch at an agritourism place of San Martino Buon Albergo (Verona), typical dishes of Veneto Region, rabbit meat and local wines were offered.
The Scientific program
In comparison with previous world rabbit congresses, the total number of scientific papers accepted for presentation at the congress after referee evaluation increased: 274 accepted papers out of 323 presented papers. During 12 sessions, 79 oral communications were presented in the fields of genetics, nutrition and digestive physiology, reproduction, pathology and hygiene, ethology and welfare, management and economy, meat quality and safety (according to the European policy of controlling the production chain from farm to fork).
A specific session was dedicated to the discussion of the 195 papers presented as posters. Basing on the diffusion of rabbit production in the lesser developed countries throughout the world and the social role attributed to this activity, the congress aimed to give some space also to the recent research activities of these countries in order to stimulate the scientific and technical growth of world rabbit production. The organizing committee of the congress and the WRSA also provided financial support to 15 researchers from emerging countries that participated at the congress.
During the congress, 8 main papers were presented each research topic; 6 round tables, and an international meeting among inter-professional organizations were organized.
The round table “Housing and welfare” was characterized by an active participation and a lively discussion because of the interest towards the research in this field and the general alarm towards the preparation of rules for welfare of rabbits under intensive commercial conditions at the European level.
A great success of participation was observed also by the round table “Epizootic enteropathy”. The diffusion and aggressiveness of the illness are in fact still important and may compromise the economic results of this activity, even if more is known about the pathogen mechanism and control systems become more effective.
The round table “Evaluation of nutritive value and safety of rabbit meat” aimed to share more information about the high nutritional characteristics of rabbit meat, suitable to all kind of diets and for all ages, was recommended because of its low cholesterol and sodium concentrations, high poli-unsaturated omega-3 fatty acids and the high digestibility. Moreover, rearing, slaughtering and processing systems guarantee at all steps the hygienic and sanitary safety of rabbit meat, which, to date, has never been involved in scandals or food frauds.
The congress was also open to more than 100 farmers and technicians of the production chain with the Meeting of national and international inter-professional organizations, coordinated by ANCI-AIA and Avitalia on June 12. The representatives of the production chain had the possibility of presenting their own national production and market information and compared them with other countries, sharing the important worries about the sales price, which is below production costs for the past two years and about the weak financial position of rabbit producers.
Election of WRSA council members
The council of the World Rabbit Science Association was renewed during the meeting held on the occasion of the congress. Gerolamo Xiccato was elected new president of the WRSA for the next 4 years and will be placed side by side by vice-presidents Ignacio Badiola (Spagna), Zsolt Szendro (Ungheria), Eftychia Xylouri (Greece), the treasurer Luc Maertens (Belgium), the secretary Thierry Gidenne (Francia), and the secretary for developing countries Steven Lukefahr (USA).
10th World Rabbit Congress
The 10th World Rabbit Congress will be held in 2012 at Cairo organized by the Egyptian branch of the WRSA.
Many thanks to all participants, collaborators and sponsors
of the 9th World Rabbit Congress
