Flock of Winners

Dr. Ian Duncan, Dr. Steve Leeson and the late Dr. Bruce Hunter were each recipients of a 2012 Poultry Worker of the Year Award in Guelph, Ont., on May 8 during a ceremony at the Poultry Industry Council’s Spring Symposium. The annual award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the poultry industry.

Duncan, who earned his PhD in Scotland, began his career with groundbreaking research on frustration and conflict behaviour of domestic fowl. His first published work on animal welfare in 1975 is now regarded as the pioneering foundation of the animal welfare work being done today.

During his tribute, friends described Duncan as a world-renowned researcher and tireless mentor for students. He has published more than 150 papers on animal welfare and has left a legacy in teaching, challenging and inspiring thousands of people, colleagues and students.

Contributions

How important is a nest to a hen? Duncan has spent his career trying to find the answers to such questions, investigating beyond simple biological functions to question what’s going on in their heads. Duncan had a way of making chicken research fun, all the while making people think about the importance of how animals feel and finding ways to measure those feelings.

In his acceptance speech, the now professor emeritus and chair in animal welfare at the University of Guelph acknowledged that some of his work has “caused some pain” in the industry, but he hopes that people can look back in 10 years and say, “That sod was right!”

Regarded as the “god of poultry nutrition,” Steve Leeson has made a high-impact contribution to the poultry industry through the volume and quality of his work. He has authored or co-authored 18 books, 351 articles in refereed journals and 82 articles in trade journals, averaging out to one publication per month over the course of his career. He has also advised or co-advised more than 40 graduate students from around the world.

Leeson’s focus has been on nutrition, not only for birds but for people as well. Craig Hunter of Burnbrae Farms said that Leeson had a real sense of research priorities that were relevant to the industry, and he credited Leeson with opening up a new era of production and marketing opportunities with such designer egg products as omega-3 eggs.

“I’ve gotten a few awards over the years but none means more than this because this is from you,” said Leeson to his peers in his acceptance speech.

During a very emotional presentation, Daina Hunter accepted the award on behalf of her late husband, Dr. Bruce Hunter, who passed away suddenly in October 2011 at the age of 61. The award acknowledged Hunter’s 33 years of teaching and research that encompassed poultry and fur farming, as well as environmental conservation.

Hunter started his career with exotic birds and reptiles, running the Ontario Veterinary College wild bird clinic for more than 15 years. He wrote what is known as “Bruce’s Black Book on Mink Farming” – the recognized “go-to” handbook for that industry. He retired from the OVC department of pathobiology in 2010 as a full professor.

Hunter was instrumental in setting up a Canadian Community of Practice in EcoHealth (CoPEH) and a graduate-level course in ecosystem approaches to health involving University of Guelph, the University of British Columbia and Université du Québec à Montréal. He was also co-leader of a poultry project in Ghana for Veterinarians Without Borders.

Strong, Silent type

Robert Jacobs, chair of pathobiology at OVC, described Hunter as the “strong, silent type with a spontaneous smile” who was humble to the point of being apologetic. “He left a legacy of unselfishness and a love of people,” said veterinarian Mike Joyce. Al Dam, OMAFRA poultry specialist, said that Hunter always had time for everyone and made you feel like you already had the answer to your own questions, “he just teased it out of you.”

During his tribute, friends described Hunter as “Grizzly Adams” in appearance, a man well respected as a teacher, mentor and collaborator who had a natural gift for communication and the ability to bring people together.