About Poultry Hub Australia

Poultry Hub Australia

Poultry Hub Australia (PHA) is a not-for-profit organisation located at the University of New England in Armidale, NSW. PHA funds research that focuses on challenges identified in the Australian Poultry Industry and requires a collaborative approach to deliver solutions quickly and effectively. An important aspect of PHA’s activities is to recognise that effective communication between researchers and industry is essential to increase the adoption rate of research. This is because real solutions are much more likely to arise if researchers start with a clear understanding of the problems the poultry industry faces. PHA promotes the adoption of new and existing research outputs by facilitating two way communication between researchers and industry through training, workshops, demonstration trials and communication activities. PHA has a commitment to build capacity through mentoring and coordination of poultry research students and to engage with schools and the public to deliver accurate information about our industry. We provide training programs and education material for the benefit of industry. All administration costs associated with the running of PHA are covered and as such every dollar invested goes directly towards research, extension and education projects essential for innovation and advancement of the Australian poultry industry.

History of Poultry CRC

Running for two terms from July 2003 to 30 June 2017, the Australian Poultry Cooperative Research Centre (Australian Poultry CRC) and the Poultry CRC focused on research and educational activities for the Australian Poultry Industry. Its research targeted health, nutrition, environment, welfare and, during the second term, included a safe food program for eggs and chicken meat, while its educational activities covered schools, Vocational Education and Training, higher education, and included an annual PoultryGrad event for future researchers and industry leaders.

The Poultry CRC covered laying and meat chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and even game birds, eventually including almost over 95% of the industry with 42 industry and research provider participants at its peak. Some of the successes of the Poultry CRC include:

  • launching a widely available fowl cholera vaccine (Vaxsafe® PM);
  • implementing 30 rapid diagnostic tests transferred to industry;
  • completing 77 postgraduate students, 33 honours students and 25 postdoctoral scientists;
  • delivering 17 industry interns and 176 research projects;
  • discovering and holding 57 patents at its peak;
  • providing the ‘Teacher’s Resource Kit’ to over 900 schools around Australia;
  • commercialising diagnostics and vaccines against necrotic enteritis (NetB-based vaccines);
  • exceeding all Commonwealth milestones for educational activities and publications;
  • establishing a unique poultry information portal, poultryhub.org (now managed by PoultryHub Australia); and
  • creating an embryo development animation on YouTube with over 4.6M views worldwide.

During its life, the Poultry CRC won:

  • the World’s Poultry Science Association’s Industry/Organisation Award in 2008 (this global award is presented only once every four years);
  • an Australian Collaborative Innovation Award in 2012; and
  • the World’s Poultry Science Association’s Education Award in 2012.

One of the Poultry CRC’s key activities was to hold an annual “Ideas Exchange” to bring together researchers, industry personnel and students in one place at one time to network and exchange information on industry needs and scientific advances. This forum is unique in that it covers scientific, commercial and educational aspects of the industry, leading to a genuine understanding of what is required to have an innovative and sustainable industry.  PoultryHub Australia, the successor body to the Poultry CRC, is continuing to run Ideas Exchange.

 

As Professor Mingan Choct, former CEO of the Poultry CRC, said: “There is no single organisation in Australia that has the full complement of expertise and facilities for poultry research. The Poultry CRC’s research and industry network has created a critical mass in research and education, producing not only the next generation for the poultry science and industry workforce but also a mature, genuine collaborative network that will serve the Australian poultry industry for a long time to come”.

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