Knowledge is key to optimizing biosecurity, and at the 2019 Indian River® Training Academy, Aviagen® and its customers throughout Asia took a deep dive into multiple facets of biosecurity – from the hatchery, to the farm, to the feed mill, and more. During Nov. 4-7, the Aviagen team welcomed 56 delegates representing 24 of its valued customers to the training in Bangkok.

Heightening the learning experience

This year’s IRTA took the interactive learning experience to a new height, as Aviagen introduced Virtual Reality (VR) technology in its sessions. Through VR, students were immersed in a realistic farm environment, where they could actively practice and improve beneficial poultry husbandry skills. The VR exercise was received with great enthusiasm.

Other experiential aspects of the conference included workshops where students could try their hand at designing a farm layout for maximum biosecurity. Additional presentations and conversations centered on the growth of Indian River throughout the continent, and advice on strengthening competitiveness in the dynamic Asian poultry market.

“Biosecurity is one of the cornerstones to the success of our customers, and is key to strengthening the health, welfare and performance of their birds,” remarked Greg Hitt, Regional Technical Manager for Asia Pacific. “Supporting our Indian River business partners and prompting the growth of their poultry operations is a top priority for us. That’s why we carefully chose to feature biosecurity as the theme for this year’s IRTA.”

Larry Blackstone, Commercial Manager for Indian River Asia Pacific, added, “It was exciting to see the group take a trip from Bangkok to New Zealand in the blink of an eye with the new Virtual Reality experience, which was just one of the highlights of this year’s IRTA. We also used another bit of technology that enabled us to address customer issues on biosecurity in real time and draft the next day’s program to encompass the real-world challenges our clients face in their daily operations. These innovations to benefit our customers are just another way we always strive to be the preferred supplier of broiler breeding stock. We aim not only to supply the birds, but also the tools and knowledge to improve their operations and ultimately their profitability.

Enthusiastic response from attendees

And, the VR sessions and biosecurity focus seemed to be the highlights for many attendees:

This year’s IRTA significantly boosted my knowledge of biosecurity at all levels,” commented Mr. Nguyen Quoc Trung, CEO of 3F VIET Joint Stock Company from Vietnam. “I’m looking forward to sharing everything I’ve learned with my colleagues at home to help us increase our biosecurity while lowering the risk of disease at our farms.”

Similarly, Mr. Andes Suwal, Farm Manager, P.B. Poultry Pvt., Ltd. From Nepal, echoed the interest in the biosecurity insights. “The content was very good, and I realize that biosecurity is the first place to start on our journey toward greater health, welfare and performance of our flocks. The VR sessions were also an amazing tool for practicing these concepts.”