One Health Initiative of Centre for Applied One Health Research and Policy Advice (OHRP): Implementation on Enhancing Poultry Health and Production, Food Safety and Quality of Chicken Meat in Hong Kong SAR

In 2019, the Centre for One Health Applied Research and Policy Advice (OHRP) launched an interdisciplinary research program so far consisting of two independently funded projects that aimed to improve poultry health and production in Hong Kong SAR. The program focuses on applied field research and advanced health management practices through two independent projects fully funded by the Sustainable Agricultural Development Fund of the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department: The Poultry Health Assurance Project (PHAP) and the Poultry Health and Production Management Project (PHPM). Specifically, this work established collaborations between academic partners, the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the Chicken Breeders Association, and the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of City University of Hong Kong (CityU VDL), with the overarching objective of providing veterinary services to 29 chicken farms in Hong Kong SAR.
In this OHRP-launched program, there are two projects (Project I and Project II): the first one, named Poultry Health Assurance Project (PHAP), was conducted from 2019 to 2022, and the second one, named Poultry Health and Production Management Project from 2022 to 2024. Numerous innovative and sustainable studies and activities, such as implementing intelligent farming practices, have already been conducted. For instance, a mobile application called “Broiler Record APP” has been developed to facilitate data collection data and monitor farm production. Environmental data sensors have been installed in poultry farms to efficiently track and maintain stable temperature and humidity. Moreover, OHRP has introduced free-to-use newsletters and continuing education seminars called the Poultry News-Technology Promotion Information Plan, which aims to introduce farmers to the latest technology, address the need for ongoing education for farm staff, and offer training courses for individuals interested in pursuing a career in the poultry industry. In addition, value chain mapping activities are also conducted to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the poultry value chain in collaboration between researchers from OHRP, City University of Hong Kong (CityU), and the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), United Kingdom. With the ambition of establishing a “Hong Kong Chicken Quality” brand through the prudent use of antibiotics, both projects also encompass veterinary clinical activities conducted by HK-registered veterinarians, such as veterinarian prescriptions and veterinary care.
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