The sixth annual Ross^® Customer Seminar, jointly organised by Aviagen and its Grandparent customer, PPR Broiler of OAO Agrocombinat Dzerzhinsky, recently took place in Minsk, Belarus. The event was attended by more than 70 Ross Parent Stock customers. 

Following the tradition of past years, the seminar topics were selected by customers, thus ensuring they were relevant to current challenges and specific points of management. 

Marcel Janssen, Aviagen's regional technical manager for Eastern Europe and the CIS, talked about the genetic progress in the Ross 308, followed by veterinary consultant, Rik van den Bos, who gave a presentation on drinking water quality, its influence on bird health, methods of control and use of acidifiers. Goran Slunjski, the technical service manager for Aviagen LLC, covered male management between 18 and 30 weeks. 

Nutrition consultant, Eduard Mailyan, engaged seminar participants about key factors in parent stock and broiler nutrition. Timea Torma, Aviagen Kft's incubationist, concluded the event with a presentation about optimising hatchability. 

A highlight of the evening proceedings was the Flock Awards. The winners of this year's best Broiler Flock Award went to Agrocombinat Dzerzhinsky, with PF Druzhba and Smolevichi Broiler as runner-ups. The Best Ross Parent Stock Flock Award for Belarus was given to OAO Alexandriyskaya, with Skidelskaya PF and Belarusneft Osobino coming in second and third, respectively.

The Ross 400 Club also welcomed its newest member, Poultry Farm Druzhba, which achieved an EPEF of 412.6 and is the second recognised member from Belarus.

"We would like to join Aviagen to give our best wishes to OAO Alexandriyskaya as the winner of this year's Best Ross Parent Stock Flock Award,"  Yuri Fesin, the director of PPR Broiler, said. "We are very happy that Ross birds achieve such great results in PS and Broiler for our Belarusian poultry producers."

"Every year, we put our heads together a few months before the event to prepare something special and memorable for our Belarusian seminar," Tyark Osterndorff, Aviagen's business development director for Eastern Europe and the CIS, said. "We know how much PS customers look forward to and appreciate this seminar and we feel very close to them."