Abstracts of the VII American Rabbit Congress. Varadero, Cuba, 12th-13th October, 2022

Last October 12 and 13, 2022, the VII American Rabbit Congress took place within the framework of the 2022 Animal Production and Agro-Development Convention, which was held from October 10 to 14, 2022 at the Plaza América Convention Center in Varadero, Matanzas, Cuba. The VII American Rabbit Congress was developed in a hybrid way (in person and online) with specialists, researchers, professors, students, breeders and producers from different latitudes related to rabbit farming and science. Throughout the conference, a total of 50 people attended in person and 15 online, mainly from Cuba, Mexico, Argentina and Spain. The objective of the meeting was to "Motivate the exchange of experiences and results in rabbit production systems in the Americas, their technical, economic, environmental and social sustainability, and strategies for the improvement, conservation, use and characterization of animal genetic resources" for rabbit farming. The congress opened with a lecture by Juan José Pascual, president of the World Rabbit Science Association (WRSA) on the current state of rabbit farming, followed by three other invited lectures, 18 scientific communications, and a round table on viral hemorrhagic disease, as well as a total of 21 posters. These scientific contributions were directed both to the fundamental areas of knowledge (feeding, genetics, reproduction, pathology), but also to other important aspects of America such as socioeconomics, the value chain, and the use of rabbit farming as a tool to fight against hunger. During the first working day, aspects of the vertical integration of rabbit production, the production and commercialization of rabbits in Cuba, feeding costs and limitations for obtaining raw materials, concern for not total slaughtering rabbits where the virus outbreaks occurred, the political will to eradicate this disease and increase the productivity of the species, the components of the value chains and the need for a correct articulation between all the links in the chain were discussed. On the other hand, during the second working day, there was a debate mainly on aspects related to the role of rabbit farming in society, not only for the production of quality meat, but also for its gender approach, the use of existing local resources in the Latin American countries, and the positive experiences of producers in the promotion of rabbit breeding. The congress closed with good attendance in the room, with a representation of students, producers, specialists, researchers and representatives of state production units and the Cuban Ministry of Agriculture (Director of the National Center for Animal Health and President of the livestock business group).