Poultry health surveillance in Alberta for prevention of emerging infectious disease Year Two

The broad objectives of this project are: I. To reduce the risk of emerging infectious diseases related to poultry; and II. To improve Alberta poultry industry productivity and profitability. To reach these broad objectives we will address 3 specific objectives: 1) Determine what the knowledge needs of the poultry industry are and how knowledge is best disseminated to improve disease prevention in poultry flocks and preparedness and response to disease outbreaks. We will engage poultry producers from the start of the project and through stakeholder forums and interviews with expert informant interviews will understand the concerns of the producers and what surveillance outputs can best inform their management strategies. Through consultation we will establish the format of the output for producers, other industry input providers (feed producers, processors, veterinarians, academics and government). Throughout the project there will be monthly stakeholder meeting and quarterly stakeholder meetings to discuss progress, address concerns and to seek additional input. This work will facilitate building collaborative relationships between industry, academia, and government agents (An holt et aI., 2012; Horwitz, 2003).

Faculty Supervisor:

David Hall

Student:

Partner:

Poultry Health Services

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Calgary

Program: