Abstracts of the "XXX Symposium de Cunicultura de ASESCU". Spain, 18-20 May 2005

[EN] More than three hundred delegates participated in the XXX National Rabbit Symposium of the Rabbit Spanish Association (ASESCU), organized by ASESCU and the slaughterhouse of rabbits Hermi. The scientific program consisted of eight sessions of work, where twenty-six speakers participated. In the Symposium questions on food safety, animal production, animal welfare, alternative products, nutrition, genetics and epizootic enteropathy were treated. Food Safety. The new tendencies in the commercialization of the rabbit meat were presented, showing a vision of how the rabbit meat must be commercialized to maintain its actual quota of market. How must be implanted a system of critic points in a rabbit farm and the bio-security measures required were others of the subjects treated, being exposed the next obligations that the sector will have to fulfil in this matter in the future. Animal Welfare. A revision of the last research works done in the field of the rabbit welfare was made. The base of the conference was the draft of recommendations that is struggling at the present time in the EU. European Food Safety Agency, a consultative organ of the European Authorities, will be also present in the Congress to present the opinion that they were elaborating on “the impact of the actual housing and breeding systems in the health and welfare of the domestic rabbits”. From this session could be concluded that seems to be required more research in this area to know the ideal conditions of welfare for this specie in commercial farms. Epizootic Enteropathy. This session facilitated to rabbit sector the results of the research trials carried out by different research teams during last the four years. During the sessions on Animal Production, Alternative Products, Nutrition or Genetics, the most distinguished researchers of Spain and Portugal presented the results of their last works.