The PennAg Poultry Council is a communication and advocacy tool for the poultry industry in Pennsylvania, which developed from the merger of the Pennsylvania Poultry Federation into the council structure of PennAg in 1998. The council represents growers, integrators, processors, hatcheries, equipment, feed companies, vaccine companies and advisors for everything from broilers to turkeys to gamebirds for the conventional and live bird markets.

The council's goals are as follows:

1. Provide regular updates to the poultry industry on research, trends, and other pertinent items
2. Increase media representation in order to increase exposure of the council in state and national publications
3. Explore ways to implement research and provide a forum for industry to offer suggested research topics
4. Increase efforts to promote food safety to consumers and to develop partnerships with retailers/grocers to improve food safety education in stores
5. Increase industry involvement in state poultry contests and to begin to develop incentives for the best students to consider careers in poultry science
6. Expand and enhance relationships with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, specifically with regard to poultry health issues, the PEQAP program, avian influenza, and biosecurity

Pennsylvania was the first state in the nation to institute steps to reduce the risk of Salmonella enteriditis (SE) contamination of shell eggs with a voluntary industry program for effective flock testing and management - the Pennsylvania Egg Quality Assurance Program (PEQAP). Other examples of areas where Pennsylvania has been a national leader include its avian influenza monitoring program, which was recently adopted by the USDA as the model for the national program and Pennsylvania's nutrient management program for confined animal feeding operations.

Our committees are key to a successful Poultry Council. They include: Pennsylvania Egg Quality Assurance Program (PEQAP) Oversight; Poultry Health; Research; Egg and Meat Bird; Scholarship; Special Events; and Executive.

Each year, PennAg hosts a small scale model of a modern layer facility at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. PennAg Poultry Council members, known for the week as 'Eggs-perts,' are on hand to answer questions from the public regarding modern housing facilities. It is a great learning experience for consumers and producers alike!

Also, the PennAg Poultry Council raises money to support scholarships for Penn State students studying Avian Science or a related field. The Poultry Council / John Schwartz Memorial Golf Outing, held each Fall, is the primary fundraiser for those scholarships.

For additional information, please contact Paul Hostetter at phostetter@pennag.com or 717-651-5920.