Technical Tours

TECHNICAL TOURS

60^th ANNUAL MEETING EAAP - TECHNICAL TOURS (August 28^th, Friday)

General information

- Technical tours no. 1 to 7 are reserved for registered participants and students, but accompanying persons will be accepted if there is vacancy. Accompanying persons are fully welcomed to Tour no. 8.

- Buses will leave from the Palau de Congressos No. 5 of the Fira de Barcelona (Av. Reina Maria Cristina 11, Montjuïc) at 08.00 h in the morning, with the exception of Tour 8 which will leave at 08.30 h.

- Returning to Barcelona, buses will make a stop at the Barcelona’s El Prat Airport (expected arrival 16.00 h) if required by the attendees who are requested to confirm in advance if they will require a stop in the airport. Baggage of participants going to the airport will be accepted in the technical tour buses. Final stop will be the Palau de Congressos No. 5 of the Fira de Barcelona.

Tour list

‘Pura raza española’ Breed horse farm and technical session
Automated goat dairy farm and feed & food spanish corporation
Experimental farm of the UAB and CReSA Animal Health Research centre
IRTA Meat Research and Advance fodd technologies centre
‘Murciano-Granadina’ Dairy goat and ‘Ripollesa’ meat sheep farms
‘Guarà català’ Donkey reserve and ‘Bruna dels pirineus’ cattle farm
Dairy cow social cooperative & dairy factory and ‘Ripollesa’ shep farm
The botanical garden of Barcelona

TOUR Nº. 1 – ‘PURA RAZA ESPAÑOLA’ BREED HORSE FARM AND TECHNICAL SESSION

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[NO OCCUPANCY AVAILABLE]

Destination: Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona)
Schedule: 08.00 – 16.30 h
Distance: 42 km (45 min)
Availability: 104 seats (2 buses)

Visit to ‘Yeguada Andic’ (www.yeguadandic.com), a Spanish Pure Breed horse farm located in ‘Vilanova i la Geltrú’, a town near the sea SW of Barcelona. The farm is a restored country house dating from early 19th century surrounded by 5 ha of grazing land and with a remarkable collection of old horse carriages, as well as facilities for riding and horse performance recording.

Nutrition and reproductive programs will be described and an exhibition of different specimens will be performed along with a technical session on the morphological traits and working aptitudes of the PRE breed. Packed lunch will be provided by courtesy of Tragsa.

TOUR Nº. 2 – AUTOMATED GOAT DAIRY FARM AND FEED & FOOD SPANISH CORPORATION

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Destination: Guissona and Linyola (Lleida)
Schedule: 08.00 – 16.30 h
Distance: 140 km (1 h 40 min)
Availability: 52 seats (1 bus)

Visit to a ‘Murciano-Granadina’ breed dairy goat farm in ‘Linyola’ (Lleida). The farm raises 600 goats which are managed in intensive conditions with electronic identification and automatic milk recording systems in a rotary milking parlour. Milk is sold for cheese production.

The meat processing plant of the Spanish ‘Corporación Alimentaria Guissona’ (www.cag.es) will also be visited. This company was born as a holders’ cooperative that became a high rates company, covering most Agrifood areas. A lunch by courtesy of the CAG will be served at the Golf Club of Guissona.

TOUR Nº. 3 – EXPERIMENTAL FARM OF THE UAB AND CReSA ANIMAL HEALTH RESEARCH CENTRE

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Destination: Bellaterra (Barcelona)
Schedule: 08.00 – 16.30 h
Distance: 30 km (30 min)
Availability: 104 seats (2 buses)

Visit to the Experimental Farm of the ‘Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona’ (quiro.uab.es) in the town of Bellaterra, to the west of Barcelona, where a total of 300 ‘Manchega’ and ‘Lacaune’ dairy sheep, 100 ‘Ripollesa’ meat sheep, and 50 ‘Murciano-Granadina’ dairy goats are raised. Demonstrations on the use of electronic identification for management and data recording will be performed. Additionally, farm facilities to conduct projects on poultry, swine and beef cattle will be visited.

Afterwards, a visit to the CReSA centre (www.cresa.cat), a foundation for the study of animal diseases, will be visited. This centre is equipped with high-tech facilities, including level-3 biocontention laboratories and animal pens. A buffet lunch by courtesy of the Veterinary Faculty and the Department of Animal and Food Science of the UAB will be offered.

TOUR Nº. 4 – IRTA MEAT RESEARCH AND ADVANCED FOOD TECHNOLOGIES CENTRES

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Destination: Monells (Girona)
Schedule: 08.00 – 16.30 h
Distance: 140 km (1 h 30 min)
Availability: 104 seats (2 buses)

Visit to the facilities of the IRTA Agrifood Research Centre (www.irta.es) in Monells (Girona). This centre covers different areas of research: animal production, genetics, nutrition, and meat processing to optimize meat production and transformation chain.

Afterwards, the Advanced Food and Technologies Centre (CENTA), within walking distance, will be visited. This research centre mainly studies food consumer preferences, processing and preservation technologies for food safety and quality, and development of new techniques to improve nutritional and organoleptical food analyses. Buffet lunch by courtesy of IRTA will be offered in the old village of Monells (XIV century).

TOUR Nº. 5 – ‘MURCIANO-GRANADINA’ DAIRY GOAT AND ‘RIPOLLESA’ MEAT SHEEP FARMS

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Destination: Terradelles and Les Olives (Girona)
Schedule: 08.00 – 16.30 h
Distance: 134 km (1 h 30 min)
Availability: 104 seats (2 buses)

Visit to a family-run ‘Murciano-Granadina’ dairy goat farm (www.masalba.com) in ‘Terradelles’ (Girona), with feeding based on the use of harvested forages in their own cultivated grassland. Most of milk production is aimed at production of different varieties of typical autochthonous cheese in their creamery. The owners also run a rural hotel in a refurnished typical Catalan country house (‘Masia’), where a product tasting will take place at the end of the visit.

Subsequently, a visit to a ‘Ripollesa’ sheep farm located in the village of ‘Les Olives’ will be made. This farm is managed under a semi-extensive production system to produce the so-called ‘ternasco’ fattening lamb. The owners also run a rural hotel, what has become a widespread tendency in this region. A sheep products lunch will be offered by courtesy of ANCRI, the Ripollesa breed association (www.ancri.org).

TOUR Nº. 6 – ‘GUARÀ CATALÀ’ DONKEY RESERVE AND ‘BRUNA DELS PIRINEUS’ CATTLE FARM

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[NO OCCUPANCY AVAILABLE]

Destination: Berga and Casserres (Barcelona).
Schedule: 08.00 – 16.30 h
Distance: 107 km (1 h 30 min)
Availability: 52 seats (1 bus)

Visit to ‘Can Fuïves’ (www.fuives.com), the world’s greatest reserve of ‘Guarà Català’ (Catalonian Donkey breed), close to the village of Berga, in the Pre-Pyreneean area. This farm takes part in an ongoing conservation program of this endangered breed with around 150 donkeys.

Subsequently, a visit to ‘Casa Barbats’ (www.barbats.com), a typical country house (‘Masia’) located between the villages of Gironella and Casserres, will be made. This farm is a paradigmatic example of agrarian multi-activity as ‘Bruna dels Pirineus’ beef cows are raised along with fattening pigs. Cottages for rural tourism are also operated. Lunch will be offered by courtesy of FEBRUPI, the federation of BP breeders (www.brunadelspirineus.org).

TOUR Nº. 7 – DAIRY COW SOCIAL COOPERATIVE & DAIRY FACTORY AND ‘RIPOLLESA’ SHEEP FARM

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[NO OCCUPANCY AVAILABLE]

Destination: Santa Pau and Esponellà (Girona)
Schedule: 08.00 – 16.30 h
Distance: 143 km (1 h 50 min)
Availability: 52 seats (1 bus)

Visit to ‘La Fageda’ (www.lafageda.com), a dairy cow nonprofits social cooperative located in the village of ‘Santa Pau’ (Girona). This cooperative was set up to offer employment to disabled people and among their activities are the dairy cow farm and the dairy products plant, which has become the third greatest yogurt producer in Catalonia. ‘La Fageda’ is the only Spanish social cooperative that belongs to the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.

A second visit to an autochthonous ‘Ripollesa’ meat sheep farm in the village of ‘Esponellà’ (Girona) will be made. This farm combines modern and sustainable management of sheep in a semi-extensive production system, and the owners also run a rural hotel. The journey will finish with a sheep products lunch at the village of ‘Les Olives’, jointly with the attendees of Tour No 5,offered by courtesy of ANCRI, the Ripollesa breed association (www.ancri.org).

TOUR Nº. 8 – THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF BARCELONA

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Destination: Carrer Dr Font i Quer 2, Montjuïc (Barcelona)
Schedule: 08.30 – 12.00 h (guided visit, packed lunch will be provided), 10.00 – 20.00 h (free visit)
Distance: 2.5 km (5 min). Free return (Parc Montjuïc Bus or 30 min walking)
Availability: No limitation. Accompanying persons are welcomed.

The Barcelona’s Botanical Garden (www.jardibotanic.bcn.es) is a municipal institution at the service of society and devoted to botanical research. The Garden conserve an important collection of Mediterranean plants, a library and one of the largest herbariums in Catalonia. Although less than 2% of the world has Mediterranean climate (latitude 30 to 40º in the N and S hemispheres), Mediterranean flora accounts for 25% of all plants currently known. Additionally to the Mediterranean bassin, the included regions are: California, central Chile, S South Africa, and S and SW Australia. Similarity among landscapes in these regions provided the inspiration behind the Garden. Plants are organised according to geographical origin and grouped to form landscape recreations and plant communities like in nature.

Forest landscapes are represented in the higher areas of the Garden, whilst shrublands communities are concentrated in the central and lower areas.

Mediterranean vegetation is considered to be under serious threat, principally due to human activity. For this reason, the main purpose of the Barcelona’s Botanical Garden is to conserve the biodiversity of Catalonia and other Mediterranean regions and to promote scientific understanding to make people more aware of the need to preserve this environment.