On 25 March 2025, in the lecture hall of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Siedlce, a conference was held to summarize the project entitled “Development and implementation of an innovative technology for the on-farm rearing of slaughter turkeys, without antibiotics and with increased welfare”, implemented by the Turkey from Nature Operational Group under the Rural Development Programme – Cooperation Action. The organizers of the event were the consortium partners: the Poultry Plant in Stasin Sp. z o.o. (leader of the operation), the Mazovian Agricultural Advisory Centre in Warsaw (MODR), the National Research Institute of Animal Production (NRIAP) and DAR-KAM Niedzielak Sp. J.
The meeting brought together turkey meat producers, representatives of the authorities of universities and scientific institutes, scientists, agricultural advisors, representatives of feed companies, veterinarians, representatives of self-government authorities and public institutions, as well as students.
The conference was opened and chaired by Mateusz Brzozowski of the Mazovian Agricultural Advisory Centre in Warsaw, who welcomed the numerous participants and presented the programme of the event.
In the opening part, the President of the Board of Directors of the Poultry Plant in Stasin Sp. z o.o. spoke. Krzysztof Wawrzyniec Borkowski, PhD Eng., presented the rationale behind the work on the issues being implemented as part of the project. Subsequently, Karol Remiszewski – Deputy Director of MODR, discussed the objectives of the “Cooperation” measure, as well as changes in the conditions for financing projects in the upcoming call under Intervention 13.5. Cooperation of EIP Operational Groups.
In the substantive part of the conference, the comprehensive results of research and implementation work on a new integrated model for sustainable production of slaughter turkeys, combining precision feeding with the use of domestic sources of feed protein, high levels of welfare, modern biosecurity and prophylaxis based on health-promoting feed additives were presented. A key objective of the project was to significantly reduce or completely eliminate the use of antibiotics and ionophore and synthetic coccidiostats throughout the production cycle. The developed technology enables the production of turkey meat characterized by high quality, health safety and limited negative impact on the environment. Thus, the activities carried out under the project are in line with the assumptions of the EU’s “From Field to Table” strategy, which assumes, among other things, a 50% reduction in the use of antimicrobials in animal production by 2030 and meeting the expectations of consumers looking for healthy, safe and valuable food products.
This part of the conference opened with a speech by Prof. Krzysztof Kozłowski, PhD, of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (UWM), who presented the implementation of research work on the evaluation of various variants of nutrition and prevention programmes on a semi-technical scale. Subsequently, Anna Arczewska-Włosek, PhD, Prof. of NRIAP, presented a summary of research at the semi-technical scale and implementation analyses of the innovative technology at the scale of real (farm) production, together with a detailed discussion of methodological assumptions, research results and effects achieved during the implementation of the project.
The guest speaker of the conference was Paweł Konieczka, PhD Eng., Prof. of UWM, who gave a lecture on “Nutritional approaches to reduce the use of antibiotics in poultry”.
The speeches were met with great interest by the participants. In the discussion, practical issues were raised, including the opportunities and challenges of implementing the presented research results in farm conditions and the need to develop and promote the market for premium products based on turkey meat produced using antibiotic-free technology.
After the lecture part, conference participants were invited to refreshments, during which they had the opportunity to taste, among other things, roasted turkey meat and other products prepared on the basis of turkey meat. The tasting complemented the substantive part of the meeting and fostered further discussions and exchange of experiences behind the scenes.