Pre-conference Workshops

Bovine Pre-conference Weds 3rd Sept (9:30-17:30)

 

 

This year's Preconference will allow delegates an opportunity to see pasture based, pedigree Holstein dairy farming in Ireland and the use of commercial Embryo transfer as part of their breeding strategy.

 

In the morning, we will visit the renowned 300 cow Lisduff herd adjacent to Cork city, farmed by the O Sullivan family. Here a panel of speakers including John O Sullivan, President Irish Holstein Friesian Association, Dr. Martin Kavanagh, Munster Bovine and Dr. Pablo Ross, ST genetics, will discuss the structure of the cattle breeding industry in Ireland and the use of ART in genetic improvement.

 

The afternoon session will take place on the well known 150 cow pedigree Holstein farm of the Bawnmore/Cedarmore Herds outside Kanturk. This fully robotic farm is run by the O Connor brothers, John and Bryan. Here we will have a multistation discussion of donor and recipient management, covering nutrition, synchronisation, disease control and immunisation, automation and data capture. There will also be demonstrations of colour doppler scanning for CL evaluation and recipient selection, as well as the use of the EmGenisys embryo evaluation system.

 

Important Biosecurity Notice for On-Farm Bovine Preconference Delegates
To ensure the highest standards of biosecurity during the on-farm sessions of the Bovine Preconference, all delegates are kindly requested to adhere to the following guidelines:
1. Travel Restrictions: Please do not attend if you have travelled from any area under Class A Notifiable Disease restrictions in the past week.
2. Clothing and Footwear: Only wear clothing and footwear not previously in contact with livestock.
3. Disinfection and PPE: Use the disinfectant mats and personal protective equipment (PPE) provided upon arrival at each farm.
4. PPE Disposal: Remove and dispose of PPE properly in the designated containers provided at each farm before departure.
5. Departure Protocol: Step on the disinfectant mats again before boarding buses for onward travel.
All PPE and disinfectant products have been generously sponsored by Acravet Ltd.

 

We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining biosecurity and ensuring a safe and successful event.

Equine Pre-conference Weds 3rd Sept (8:00-18:30)

Our Preconference on the use of ART in the mare, will be held in the Clayton Hotel conference centre, Lapps Quay, Cork. We have assembled a panel of global expert speakers to cover all aspects of equine Embryo recovery and transfer, including both in vivo and in vitro production methods, IVF and ICSI.

 

The morning session will cover Embryo production by conventional flushing and IVP. Drs. Ed Squires and Cesare Galli, Giovanna Lazzari and Katrin Smits will give an overview of Embryo production from donor mares by the different methodologies. Dr. Niamh Lewis will cover welfare aspects of OPU donor management. Dr. Michaela Kölling will address recipient mare management and Dr. Johnathan Crabtree will discuss regulatory aspects of Equine ART.

 

The afternoon session will take place also in the Clayton and consists of a series of 3 parallel wetlabs, coordinated by Dr. Thomas Züchner. These will cover oocyte retrieval, embryo handling and cryopreservation. Semen assessment and preparation for IVF/ICSI. Each station will have an expert in that technical area to assist delegates and answer any queries.

 

Note: registration for the full Equine Pre-Conference (8:00-18:30) is now closed, as the maximum number of participants has been reached. Nonetheless, registration is still open for the morning lecture sessions only, at a discounted fee: 100 euros pre-conference only, 50 euros pre-conference and main conference.