The 2024 Pig Veterinarians Conference, held in the coastal city of Wollongong, is about bringing pig vets and people who take care of pigs together to learn from each other - sparking new ideas, and building stronger connections within the veterinary community, while sharing knowledge and diving into the latest in pig health and welfare. 

APL proudly sponsored the conference keynote speaker – Professor Eric Burrough . 

Eric is as a veterinary diagnostic pathologist and his primary research focus is on enteric diseases of pigs focusing on Brachyspira-associated colitis. Eric regularly speaks at national and international meetings and events providing lectures on porcine enteric diseases and associated diagnostics. Eric has authored and co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts and over 175 conference abstracts and proceedings. 

In 2013, Eric received the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine Award for Early Achievement in Research, and in 2023 was awarded the Iowa State University Award for Outstanding Achievement in Extension or Professional Practice. 

During the conference Eric presented four topics:  

  • Porcine respiratory pathology and laboratory diagnosis disease. 
  • Using aggregated diagnostics data in swine disease monitoring. 
  • Porcine gastrointestinal pathology and laboratory diagnosis of disease 
  • Applications of genetic sequencing technologies in veterinary diagnostics. 

Eric also presented a 2-hour lecture on gross pathology descriptors, the sampling process, and histology slides, along with a range of case studies at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI).