International Association of Animal Production

International Association of Animal Production
Name	International Association of Animal Production
Formation	1924
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Zurich, Switzerland
Region served	Global
Leader title	President

International Association of Animal Production is an international learned society focusing on livestock science, animal husbandry, and agricultural research. The association brings together researchers, institutions, and policy actors from across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania to advance knowledge in ruminant nutrition, monogastric physiology, animal genetics, and veterinary production systems. It engages with universities, research institutes, and intergovernmental organizations to disseminate findings, organize congresses, and coordinate multinational projects.

History

Founded in the early 20th century, the association evolved from networks of agricultural experiment stations and societies such as the Rothamsted Experimental Station, CSIRO, Wageningen University, INRAE, and Agricultural Research Service. Early figures associated with its development include researchers who worked at institutions like Royal Society, Max Planck Society, Smithsonian Institution, and Agricultural University of Norway (NMBU). The association expanded during the post‑World War II era alongside multinational programs coordinated by bodies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, and Ciba Foundation. Cold War collaborations and exchanges among scientists from United States Department of Agriculture, Soviet Academy of Sciences, Deutsches Institut für Ernährungsforschung, and Academia Sinica influenced its agenda. Landmark meetings were held in cities that hosted major agricultural congresses, including Rome, Paris, London, Geneva, Zurich, Helsinki, Tokyo, Beijing, New Delhi, Cairo, and Brasília.

Mission and objectives

The association’s mission centers on promoting research linking livestock production to sustainability goals articulated by institutions like United Nations Environment Programme, World Health Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and Global Environment Facility. Objectives include fostering collaboration among universities such as University of California, Davis, University of Edinburgh, University of Queensland, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), and promoting best practices from centers like Roslin Institute, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Boyce Thompson Institute, and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). It emphasizes translational science relevant to programs run by European Commission, Horizon Europe, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Wellcome Trust.

Membership and governance

Membership comprises individual scientists, institutional members from organizations such as Cornell University, Iowa State University, University of Guelph, University of Pretoria, Makerere University, and corporate partners linked to entities like DSM-Firmenich, Cargill, Bayer, and Elanco. Governance follows statutes similar to governance codes used by Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, with an executive board, regional representatives, and committees modelled on structures at Royal Society of Biology and American Society of Animal Science. Elected officers have included academics from University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Reading, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, ETH Zurich, and University of São Paulo. The association liaises with national societies such as British Society of Animal Science, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Tierproduktion, Japanese Society of Animal Science, Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology, and Indian Society for Animal Production.

Conferences and publications

The association convenes biennial congresses and thematic symposia hosted in partnership with organizations like International Union of Food Science and Technology, World Association for Animal Production, Global Forum for Food and Agriculture, International Veterinary Congress, and regional bodies including African Union, ASEAN, European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP). It publishes proceedings, position papers, and journals in collaboration with academic presses and publishers such as Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley-Blackwell, and Cambridge University Press. Journals and series associated with the field include titles akin to Journal of Dairy Science, Animal Feed Science and Technology, Livestock Science, Journal of Animal Ecology, and Veterinary Record. Special issues have featured work by researchers from ETH Zurich, University of Copenhagen, AgResearch, CSIC, National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO), and INRAE.

Research and collaborative programs

Research programs span ruminant methane mitigation, monogastric nutrition, animal welfare, genetics, and disease control, often in consortia with groups such as ILRI, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and European Food Safety Authority. Projects have involved modeling approaches from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), genomic tools developed at Broad Institute, Wellcome Sanger Institute, and collaborations with national labs like USDA Agricultural Research Service and Agricultural Research Council (South Africa). Field programs have taken place in regions represented by partner institutions including University of Nairobi, University of Ghana, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and CIRAD.

Awards and recognitions

The association administers awards recognizing lifetime achievement, young investigator excellence, and innovation in livestock systems, analogous to honors granted by Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, European Research Council, and professional prizes like the Wolf Prize and Crafoord Prize in related fields. Recipients have been senior academics affiliated with Roslin Institute, University of Cambridge, Wageningen University & Research, University of Melbourne, University of Pretoria, and researchers from institutes such as ILRI and INRAE. Awards ceremonies often coincide with congresses held in landmark venues like Palais des Nations, Royal Society Lecture Theatre, O2 Arena, and national academies including Chinese Academy of Sciences and Russian Academy of Sciences.

Category:Animal science organizations