The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) co-sponsored the Poultry Farm Disease Prevention Conference in Taiwan last month in an effort to provide Taiwanese livestock producers with a forum to discuss methods of maximizing domestic poultry and egg production.

“This once-a-year conference for the poultry industry in Taiwan focuses on helping producers improve production efficiency, network to exchange market information and enhance their relationships with major producers, researchers, professors and government officials,� said USGC Director in Taiwan Clover Chang.

With 260 participants in attendance, the topics discussed during the conference included the importance of vertical transmittable diseases, protection of poultry assets with mycoplasma control, improving biosecurity and the growing poultry industry around the globe.

This conference is part of the Council’s ongoing efforts to sustain demand and market share for U.S. coarse grains and co-products in Taiwan by engaging with the country’s poultry industry.

It was put on in association with the Foundation for Advancing Veterinary and Animal Science, Poultry Association, Council of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, Animal Health Research Institute, National Chiayi University, National Animal Industry Foundation and other related organizations.

“Taiwan is an important export markets for U.S. coarse grains as it produces less than 1 percent of its needed grains,� Chang said. “Taiwan’s poultry industry is a major coarse grain user, and the Council’s continued involvement in the development of this industry is vital to sustaining demand for U.S. commodities in this market.�

USGC programming and activities like the poultry conference help to instill confidence in Taiwanese leaders about the merits of food security through trade, which also leads to future sales.