The Regional Conference of the International Goat Association (IGA) 2025 will bring together researchers, technicians, and farmers in Tenerife, from May 14 to 17, to address the conclusions of the most recent studies in goat livestock.
This meeting constitutes a forum for debate and scientific dissemination where more than a hundred works and studies will be presented, carried out by specialists from almost thirty countries from the five continents, divided into four areas of knowledge: animal health and welfare, genetics and reproduction, nutrition and physiology, precision livestock farming, and production systems and product quality.
Under the motto "From knowledge to progress", this event is organized by the Animal Production, Pastures and Forages in Arid and Subtropical Zones Unit of the Canary Islands Institute of Agricultural Research (ICIA) and the Department of Agricultural Engineering and Natural Environment of the University of La Laguna (ULL), in collaboration with the Department of Animal Pathology, Animal Production, Food Science and Technology of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC).
The meeting will also serve as a prelude to the international conference, scheduled for 2026 in China, which the IGA celebrates every four years. The Cabildo of Tenerife, the City Council of La Laguna, the Veterinary Colleges of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and the public company Gestión del Medio Rural de Canarias (GMR Canarias) are also collaborating in this initiative.
The press conference presentation of this event was attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Sovereignty of the Government of the Canary Islands, Narvay Quintero, and the president of the Canary Islands Institute of Agricultural Research (ICIA), Janira Gutiérrez.
Also present were the vice president of the Official College of Veterinarians of Las Palmas, Sergio Martín; and the deputy director of the Agricultural Engineering section of the Higher Polytechnic School of Engineering, Axel Ritter. The event was also attended by the former president of the International Goat Association (IGA), Juan Capote, and the ICIA researcher and president of the organizing committee, Marichu Fresno.
During his speech, Narvay Quintero, highlighted the work of the ICIA, "a world reference in the study of goats" and stressed that "it is an honor that the International Association, the most important entity at a scientific and technical level in relation to this livestock, trusts this autonomous body for the organization of this activity, which will bring together the most relevant professionals in this field of study to present the most novel aspects of this area of knowledge".
He also reviewed the studies that the Institute is carrying out in this field, among which he highlighted the work on goat meat maturation and the projects for the reuse of by-products from the agricultural and agro-industrial sector for the preparation of silages for animal feed, in which the effects of these elements on meat, milk and its derived products are evaluated.
For her part, Janira Gutiérrez reiterated her gratitude to all the entities that have allowed the Canary Islands to become "the venue for this top-level event in the field of scientific knowledge of the goat sector for which, for the moment, 119 projects and research studies have been presented", although she recalled that registration remains open until April 28.
In this line, Sergio Martín stressed that "it is a pride that the Canary Islands is a meeting point worldwide for professionals in the sector in a congress that demonstrates a clear commitment to the transfer of knowledge that society demands of us", while Axel Ritter stressed that "the central campus of the ULL, where the Conference will be held, offers a conducive environment for academic exchange between the distinguished speakers and participants in the field of goat livestock".
The event is structured in four days that will start with a meeting of the executive board of the International Goat Association (IGA), as well as the reception and welcome to the attendees on Wednesday, May 14, while the following two days, Thursday 15 and Friday 16, will host the technical and scientific sessions in which the most relevant advances in each of the thematic areas will be analyzed.
Since its inception in 1982, the International Goat Association (IGA) promotes the research and development of goats for the benefit of humanity, to alleviate poverty, promote prosperity and improve the quality of life. The IGA is a global network of people and organizations that link research and production through the exchange of information, experience and best practices. This entity advocates for a socially just, environmentally sound and economically viable goat production by promoting regional activities with a global and diversity perspective.