Fourth National Conference on Modern Animal Science Research in Iran

The Fourth National Conference on Modern Animal Science Research in Iran was held at the University of Birjand on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, with the participation of researchers and experts in the field. The conference focused on examining the state of meat and poultry production in Iran and presenting scientific solutions for dealing with environmental stresses and improving food security.

At the opening ceremony, Dr. Seyed Javad Hosseini Vashan, the conference secretary, stated: "The initial planning for this conference began last year, and over the past year, we completed the processes of information dissemination, article submission, and review. Today, December 18, we are holding the opening ceremony." He added, "175 papers were received, and after review, selected papers will be presented as speeches during this one-day conference."

Dr. Hosseini Vashan noted: "We rank eighth in meat production in Asia and fifteenth globally, and in poultry production, we rank first in Asia and seventh globally. South Khorasan Province is among the most active provinces in poultry production, with over 70% exports to neighboring provinces."

He added, "The global per capita meat consumption is 43 kilograms, and our country's per capita consumption of livestock products is close to the global average. Addressing scientific solutions for environmental stresses and reducing industry damages plays a crucial role in the economic sustainability of the livestock and poultry industry in the region and prevents population depletion."

The Deputy of Birjand University emphasized: "Biosecurity and consequent food security resulting from sustainable production and control of factors disrupting natural production processes, including bioterrorism, are important but often overlooked factors affecting the economy and production in the livestock and poultry sector. It is expected that the global consensus from scientific conferences and discussions will help solve these problems."

Dr. Akbarpour, Deputy of Research and Technology at Birjand University, discussed modern research in animal science and its role in food security, improving livestock product quality, enhancing public health, and sustainable development. He mentioned the establishment of an irradiation system at Birjand University for disease diagnosis and control, improving livestock and poultry nutrition, food safety enhancement, genetic improvement, and environmental management.

Dr. Hassan Khamisabadi, head of the country's Animal Science Research Institute, addressed strategies to reduce dependency on imported animal feed inputs. He stated that Iran consumes 80 million tons of feed materials annually, with 47 million tons of dry matter used for livestock, poultry, and bees. He detailed various feed sources including imports, rangelands, agricultural waste, food industry waste, and domestic cultivation.

He noted that over 90% of the country's livestock population consists of small animals, with 44 million sheep and 17.5 million goats. Khamisabadi discussed challenges in feed supply and suggested solutions such as focusing on domestic genetic resources, quality-based milk pricing, developing native breeds, and exploring alternative protein sources like insect-based proteins and overseas cultivation.