Webinars applauded by the chicken meat industry during the pandemic

Abstract

The AgriFutures Chicken Meat RD&E program funded Training and extension for the chicken meat industry project quickly pivoted to delivering online webinars in response to the global human health pandemic in 2020 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19). The change to an online format was met with enthusiasm by all sectors of the industry. Between July 2020 and April 2022, 14 webinars have attracted 927 participants from 1622 registrations—an average attendance rate of 57%. Key topics such as litter management, environmental sustainability, nutrition, health, biosecurity and bird behaviour have been discussed with 27 researchers, encompassing 34 individual research projects. The positive feedback from industry participants in an independent mid-term project review, where 99% are interested in attending more webinars, coupled with high attendance and registration rates, indicate that this delivery format has an important role to play alongside face-to-face activities into the future.