Bioscientifica Proceedings

Almost 40 years ago, in 1981, the University of Nottingham Faculty of Agricultural Science hosted their 34th Easter School, which in that year was on the topic of control of pig reproduction. The proceedings of that meeting were published as Control of Pig Reproduction by Butterworths, London in 1982. The success of the conference, coupled with the favourable reviews of the published proceedings, highlighted the value of an international conference which brought together expertise from a range of disciplines with a common interest in pig reproduction. The idea of a continuing series of conferences on pig reproduction, with accompanying published peer-reviewed proceedings, was born.

Discussions about future conferences led to the formation of an International Committee (IOC) to organise meetings and ensure timely publication of high quality proceedings. The founding members of the Organising Committee were Professor Bill N Day (University of Missouri, USA), Dr Des J A Cole (University of Nottingham, UK), Dr Phil J Dziuk (University of Illinois, USA), Dr George R Foxcroft (University of Nottingham, UK), Dr E J Christopher Polge (Animal Research Station, Cambridge, UK) and Dr Steve K Webel (University of Illinois, USA). Conferences have been held every four years since 1981, with the venue alternating between Europe and the North American Continent. For each meeting, the IOC have been assisted by a local organising committee from the host university.

The 3^rd International Conference on Pig Reproduction was hosted by, and held at, the University of Nottingham in 1989 and the publication Control of Pig Reproduction III published in 1990 by the Journals of Reproduction and Fertility Ltd.

The 4^th International Conference on Pig Reproduction was hosted by, and held at, the University of Missouri in 1993 and the publication Control of Pig Reproduction IV published in the same year by the Journals of Reproduction and Fertility Ltd.

The 5^th International Conference on Pig Reproduction was hosted by the University of Wageningen and held at Kerkrade, The Netherlands in 1997 and the publication Control of Pig Reproduction V published in the same year by the Journals of Reproduction and Fertility Ltd.

The 6^th International Conference on Pig Reproduction was hosted by, and held at, the University of Missouri in 2001 and the publication Control of Pig Reproduction VI published in the same year by the Society for Reproduction and Fertility.

The 7^th International Conference on Pig Reproduction was hosted by the University of Wageningen and held at Kerkrade, The Netherlands in 2005 and the publication Control of Pig Reproduction VII published in 2006 by Nottingham University Press.

The 8^th International Conference on Pig Reproduction was hosted by the University of Alberta and held in Banff, Canada in 2009 and the publication Control of Pig Reproduction VIII published in the same year by Nottingham University Press.

The 9^th International Conference on Pig Reproduction was hosted by The Polish Academy of Sciences and held in Olsztyn, Poland in 2013 and the publication Control of Pig Reproduction IX published in the same year by Context Products Ltd.

The 10^th International Conference on Pig Reproduction was hosted by the University of Missouri in 2017 and the publication Control of Pig Reproduction X published in the same year by Molecular Reproduction and Development.

The 11^th International Conference of Pig Reproduction is being organised by the University of Ghent and is due to be held in Ghent in June 2022

Throughout its almost 40-year history the ethos of the International Pig Reproduction Conferences has been to provide a forum to discuss the latest advances in pig reproductive biology and the application of this knowledge to improvements in pig fertility. The proceedings from these conferences represent a unique resource highlighting the development of our understanding in all aspects of pig reproductive biology. Current and recent members of the IOC agreed that it would be of immense value to researchers, clinicians, producers, teachers, students and the commercial sector if the complete series of proceedings was digitised and made open access.

The conferences and the publication of the associated supplements would not have been possible without continuing support from various organisations including the Society for Reproduction and Fertility (SRF) and its predecessor The Society for the Study of Fertility (SSF), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and numerous commercial sponsors from the pig breeding, feed, health and assisted reproductive technology industries which are acknowledged within each supplement.

We are especially grateful to SRF for covering the costs to enable these proceedings to be available open access. This is a recognition of the scientific, educational and commercial importance of the work published in these proceedings.