Kick-off meeting, October 2016
Dr Mike Toscano submitted an ambitious COST proposal in March 2015, which aims to ‘identify causes and solutions of keel bone damage in laying hens’. The proposal came on the heels of Mike’s long-standing interest in keel bone damage, and after a highly successful international meeting (the International Keel Bone Damage Workshop in Bern, Switzerland, April 2014) in which approximately 20 scientists from academia and industry from the EU and North America gathered to discuss this ongoing welfare problem. Dr. Toscano also organized a seminar on topic at the 2015 Poultry Science Association’s Annual meeting in Kentucky, USA. These initial gatherings laid the foundational framework for the eventual network of individuals and organizations that exists today as the Keel Bone Damage Net Action.
The first meeting of this COST Action was held on 18 October 2016, in which the COST management committee members were able to meet (in some instances, for the first time). Importantly, we were also introduced to the COST framework, rules and procedures (and there are quite a few!) by our two COST representatives, Mafalda and Tania. At this meeting, the chair (M Toscano), vice chair (V Sandilands), working group (WG) and supporting group (SG) leaders and replacement leaders were elected. Other important issues were also decided upon, including the budget for the first period, objectives, deliverables, and working group topics. For a full list of current WG and SG leaders/replacement leaders and the focus of their activities, click HERE.
The kick-off EU COST meeting on keel bones, Brussels, Oct 2016. Photo by B Bilcik
Since then, we have been active by email, and have set out the first short-term scientific missions (STSMs) to be funded in this grant period. Furthermore, we are planning for our first scientific meeting in Slovenia!