The Experimental Poultry Centre is interested in contributing to initiatives focusing on improving poultry health and welfare. In our own semi-commercial facilities a total of around 42,000 broilers and 30,000 laying hens are housed in different experimental groups. Additionally, the EPC disposes of a biosafety level 2 laboratory. At our research facility, we focus on research aimed at improving animal health and welfare. Our interests and expertise include farm management, production, sustainable and integrated control of organisms such as the red poultry mite, worm infestations, E. coli, and Enterococci. In terms of animal welfare, we have built significant expertise in measuring and monitoring behaviour and welfare parameters on-farm as well as during transport or at the slaughter line. We also strongly focus on the use and validation of for example innovative sensor technologies in our poultry houses to monitor health and welfare of the birds and emissions, or testing an autogenous vaccine against Poultry Red Mite as an alternative to conventionally used chemical acaricides that have adverse effects on the environment and against which resistance might occur.

The EPC works very closely with the Belgian poultry sector and, for many projects, with pilot farms in Belgium and abroad. The facility is involved in European projects such as Interreg NWE OMELETTE (improving health & welfare and longevity of laying hens), Interreg FL-NL RAMBO (reduction of ammonia with source-oriented solutions for layers and broilers), Life ACLIMA (sustainable use and water availability in the agricultural and horticultural sector), and Interreg NWE MiteControl (Integrated Pest Management for the control of Poultry Red Mite).

The Experimental Poultry Centre (EPC) of the Province of Antwerp (Belgium) is dedicated to advancing poultry farming through applied research and knowledge dissemination. The EPC disposes of their own unique cutting-edge broiler and layer houses for testing and evaluating comprehensive, sustainable and innovative solutions for poultry farmers. Researchers at the EPC have ample expertise in contemporary topics including animal welfare and health, emissions, farm management & housing, digitalisation & automation. The EPC serves as an intermediary between poultry industry, research institutes, government and the general public.