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During its annual congress, South African Society for Animal Science (SASAS) recently acknowledged several top animal scientists at a gala dinner held for delegates.
At the event, Prof Edward Webb of the University of Pretoria received the David Uys Trophy, which is given to a SASAS member for the best scientific article published in the South African Journal of Animal Science the previous year.
Cornelius Nel of Stellenbosch University was the recipient of a bronze medal in the research category. Bronze medals in this category are awarded to recipients based on their achievements in a particular year pertaining to a meritorious thesis, dissertation, or other scientific publication relevant to research in the field of animal science.
Honouring an industry icon
The next award, the gold medal, was awarded to Dr Michael Bradfield posthumously for his tremendous contribution to the industry. He made immeasurable contributions toward advancing the interest of the livestock stud breeding sector and commercial agriculture in general.
Among other things, Dr Bradfield was a gifted coalition builder who encouraged role-players in the spheres of industry, research and development, government, and academia to join hands in pooling resources towards the implementation of the South African Beef Genomics Programme (BGP).
The BGP ushered in a new era of genomics-empowered national herd improvement programmes. Most beef cattle breeding societies have since adopted genomic selection (GEBV) technology, thanks to the BGP.
Another significant achievement in this regard is the integral role Dr Bradfield played as a board member of the Red Meat Producers Organization in putting the Livestock Identification and Traceability System (LITS) on the table.
Read an Afrikaans article about the LITS launch in October.
Dr Michael MacNeil of Delta G Scientific Company received the President’s Award. This award goes to a person who has made a particular and significant contribution to animal science, the animal industry, or SASAS. – Renate Louw, AgriOrbit
