The CRC respects the privacy of all individuals and organizations which may have details recorded in our records or databases. Such information is primarily collected to improve the dissemination of information relevant to the promotion of CRC activities.

The personal information the CRC collects may include your name, address, telephone and fax numbers, email address, and any further information you provide. Credit card details (where you provide them) are not retained by the CRC. Occasionally we may provide your contact details to a third party, for example, to a conference organiser promoting a conference of which the CRC is a supporter or sponsor, or to CRC associates seeking to survey individuals or organisations. Wherever possible we will ensure that the recipient of this information has adopted a similar privacy policy to that of the CRC and that the information is used exclusively for the intended purpose.

We will not disclose any personal information for any other purpose without your consent, except where the use or disclosure is required or authorised by or under law. The CRC will take reasonable steps to protect any personal information it holds from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. The CRC does not sell, in whole or part, the personal information it collects and does not disclose it to other organisations, except as provided above.

On request, you are welcome to view the personal information that we hold about you. If you think that this information is inaccurate, please contact us, and following authentication, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that it is corrected.

If you do not consent to the CRC using your personal information as detailed above, please email the and an appropriate stop will be put in place.

Controlling poultry product associated food safety issues and enhancing egg quality for consumers

The Poultry CRC’s Safe and Quality Food Production program will provide the tools to minimise the risk of food-borne illnesses related to poultry products (i.e., Campylobacter for chicken meat and Salmonella for eggs) and address inconsistency in egg quality.

Associated Projects

• Phage-displayed peptides for controlling Campylobacter jejuni in poultry
• In vivo evaluation in broilers of novel anti-Campylobacter compounds
• Small molecule inhibitors as anti-Campylobacter jejuni agents
• Vaccine to reduce Campylobacter colonisation in meat chickens
• To improve the efficacy and safety of egg washing
• Eggshell quality and risks of food borne pathogens

Improving resource utilisation and reducing environmental impacts of poultry production

The Poultry CRC’s Nutrition and Environment program provides information and tools for industry to increase resource utilisation and reduce environmental impacts, including the emission of odours and greenhouse gases.

Associated Projects

• Influence of betaine on embryo survival, hatchability and progeny performance
• In ovo therapeutics to improve gut efficiency and health in the broiler chicken
• Posthatch feed restriction effects on broiler muscle growth
• Validation of qPCR assays targeting broiler performance
• Identification of microbial and gut-related factors driving bird performance
• Maximising spent litter fertiliser returns through nutrient and carbon management
• Molecular detection and survival of viral pathogens in litter

Maintaining poultry health and enhancing bird welfare

The Poultry CRC’s Health and Welfare program aims to provide tools to industry to maintain a sustainable, healthy and welfare conscious supply of poultry products in the face of newly emerging pathogens, increasing environmental concerns about production and changing consumer demands.

For many diseases, current vaccines fail to offer complete protection. Changes in production, including reduced reliance on antibiotics and increased use of free-range systems, require a complete reconsideration of protection strategies. The CRC brings together the world’s best research and capability providers in diagnostics, animal health products and welfare to develop a holistic solution.

This program of highly integrated projects builds on the success of the first Poultry CRC, while adding key capabilities such as vaccine delivery methods, mass sequencing of antigens, and therapeutics.

Associated Projects

• Towards commercialisation of a next-generation ILTV vaccine & differential ELISA
• Vaccine against Clostridium perfringens to protect birds from necrotic enteritis
• Vaccine strategies and interactions of attenuated coccidial vaccines
• Rapid multiplex PCR assay for differentiating Pasteurella multocida serovars
• Evaluation of high resolution melt curve analysis for detection of multiple strains in a single specimen
• Characterising population structure and diversity of Australian Eimeria
• In ovo modulation of female sex determination in layer chickens
• Application of herpes viral vectors for in ovo delivery
• Productivity indicators of broiler welfare
• New approaches to assess welfare in free range laying hens

There are many challenges facing the industry going forward, one of which is to find new and innovative ways to reduce its environmental impact.  It has to use water, feed and energy more efficiently, while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, dust and odour, pathogens and pollutants. The Poultry CRC Education program integrates the latest research findings with education and training programs to up-skill existing and new employees, ensuring the adoption of world best practice environmental standards.

The Poultry CRC’s education and training outputs include:

• development of resources to support Vocational Educational & Training (VET) courses
• scholarships  for Honours and Postgraduate students integrated into CRC research
• provision of industry internships
• organisation of staff / student exchanges
• distribution of  a free Teacher’s Resource Kit, sent to hundreds of Australian schools
• publication of scientific papers and lodgement of patent applications

Resources developed by the CRC are available through our award-winning online education centre, Poultry Hub.

Thirty-five postgraduates are being integrated within the three Programs’ research projects, involving immediate and direct interaction with end-users. Many of these Postgraduates will go on to find direct employment within the industry, some through our internships program.

For more information about the Poultry CRC’s education and training activities, contact the Education Manager, Liz Roan.

PO Box U242, University of New England
Armidale NSW 2351 Australia (view map)

Tel: +61 2 6773 3051

Fax: +61 2 6773 3050

ABN: 48 141 159 480

Business Hours:

Monday to Friday – 9am to 5pm

CRC personnel profiles

• Professor Mingan Choct, Chief Executive Officer
• Dr John Lowenthal, Program 1 Manager – Health & Welfare
• Dr Tim Walker, Program 2 Manager – Nutrition & Environment
• Dr Pat Blackall, Research Manager & Program 3 Manager – Quality & Safe Food Production
• Helene Dawson, Office Manager
• Geoff Fairy, Finance Manager
• Liz Roan, Education Manager
• Lloyd Thomson, Commercial Manager & Company Secretary
• Mick Warner, Communication Officer

The Poultry CRC conducts research and drives education and training to help Australia’s poultry industries produce more from less, sustainably.

This requires innovative approaches to:

1. maintaining poultry health and enhancing bird welfare
2. improving resource utilisation and reducing environmental impacts of poultry production
3. controlling poultry product-associated food safety issues and enhancing egg quality for consumers

The Poultry CRC is an unincorporated joint venture between seven Essential Participants and is governed by a skills-based board. It manages its research and development programs through a public company, Poultry CRC Ltd. The Poultry CRC is headquartered at the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales, and has an extensive collaborative network comprising researchers, educators and support staff from its participating organisations. The original Poultry CRC was established on 1 July 2003, with the current CRC an extension to 2017.

Our Participants

Essential Participants:

• Australian Egg Corporation Limited (AECL)
• Bioproperties Pty Ltd
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Livestock Industries
• Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) Queensland – Primary Industries and Fisheries
• Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Chicken Meat Program
• The University of Melbourne
• University of New England (UNE)

Other Participants:

• Alltech Biotechnology
• Aviagen
• Baiada Poultry
• Cordina Chicken Farms
• D.A. Hall & Co.
• Deakin University
• Feedworks
• FSA Consulting
• Golden Cockerel
• Hazeldene’s Chicken Farm
• Hy-line
• Inghams Enterprises
• La Ionica
• Monash University
• Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI)
• Northern Poultry Cluster
• Nutreco
• Pepe’s Ducks
• Pfizer
• Red Lea Chickens
• Scolexia
• South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI)
• Sunnybrand Chickens
• The Ohio State University (OSU)
• The University of Adelaide
• The University of New South Wales (UNSW)
• The University of Queensland (UQ)
• The University of Sydney
• Zootechny

» Download the 2010-11 Poultry CRC Annual Report (PDF 5.4MB)