First of all, welcome to the first issue of 2014 and, if belatedly, happy new year to all our members and readers. In this issue we have a lot of association news, which is indicative of the great activity of the branches and WPSA associations around the world, which is a major indication of the continued importance of poultry science globally.

In this issue we have various papers, covering aspects of genetics, immunity, welfare, nutrition and diseases. The spread of topics is encouraging, as, from an editorial point of view, we try to make the journal as varied as possible to appear to all readers, although sometime this is not always possible as we are highly dependent on the types of papers that have been submitted and processed in time for publication.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to all those who help us produce the journal on a voluntary basis – especially the reviewers. We are always looking for new reviewers, to assuage the burden on our regular ones. However, anyone who reviews for the journal has our heartfelt thanks. In my discussion with other editors, we always talk about finding and keeping good reviewers for a range of topics, as these really are the main drivers for getting papers published, especially in areas where I have limited scientific knowledge!

We have a special mention this issue for Dr Gordon Rosen, who has been a tireless supporter of the WPSA for many years and initiated donations for supporting membership. Gordon is not only a colleague but also a good friend and mentor to many in the poultry science world – and we thank him for his generosity.

Finally, there are a range of poultry events in 2014 that are appropriate for a range of scientific disciplines. Check out the websites directly from the news and events section – or check out the WPSA website for the links to the information, I shall be attending certain meetings throughout the year on the hunt for new and novel review papers – and I hope to see you there.

Dr Lucy Waldron

Editor