JAMMU: The two-day International Conference of the Association of Mastitis (AOMCON-2026), along with the Annual Convention of the Association of Mastitis, began today at the Faculty of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry (F.V.Sc. & A.H.), Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu (SKUAST-Jammu), R.S. Pura.
The conference is being organised by the Association of Mastitis in collaboration with SKUAST-Jammu on the theme “Advancing Mammary Health for Sustainable Dairy Production: Innovations in Diagnostics, Therapeutics, Clean Milk and AMR Navigation.”
Minister for Agriculture Production, Finance, Mining and Cooperative Departments, Javid Ahmad Dar, formally inaugurated the high profile event.
Professor B.N. Tripathi, Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu, presided over the inaugural function while Dr. N.A. Sudhan, former Director Research, SKUAST-Jammu and Dr. Sung-Jin Lee, Dean, Kangwon National University, South Korea, attended as Guests of Honour.
Dr. Neelesh Sharma, Organizing Secretary, AOMCON-2026 and Founder General Secretary, Association of Mastitis highlighted the activities and contributions of the Association towards advancing mastitis research, udder health and clean milk production.
Dr. M.S. Bhadwal, Associate Dean, http://F.V.Sc. & A.H., SKUAST-Jammu and Convener of the conference, delivered the welcome address.
The conference compendium was formally released during the inaugural ceremony, which was followed by presentation of various Association of Mastitis Awards to recognise exemplary contributions to veterinary science, research, dairy development and animal healthcare.
Professor B.N. Tripathi was conferred the Professor A.K. Srivastava Excellence Award while Dr. S.K. Rana, former Head of Animal Health at NDDB, Anand, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Sung-Jin Lee was honoured with the Special Recognition Award in acknowledgement of his contributions.
In his address, Javid Dar, emphasised the importance of strengthening the dairy sector through scientific interventions, improved animal healthcare, quality milk production and farmer-oriented initiatives. He highlighted the need for closer coordination among the universities, research institutions, government departments and other stakeholders to enhance livestock productivity and ensure sustainable growth of the dairy sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Minister emphasised the need to launch a comprehensive, sustained and village-level awareness (Abhiyan) campaign to ensure that every village across Jammu and Kashmir is covered under a dedicated drive for prevention, early detection, treatment and control of mastitis among dairy animals. He directed the concerned departments to strengthen the field-level outreach, educate farmers about preventive measures and scientific management practices. He asked for ensuring timely veterinary interventions so that livestock owners are protected from economic losses.
Javid Dar said that the government’s priority is to safeguard the animal health, enhance milk productivity and strengthen the economic well-being of dairy farmers. He reiterated administration’s commitment to strengthen the research ecosystem by enhancing facilities, institutional support and opportunities for research scholars and students, recognising their vital contribution to scientific innovation, agricultural advancement and overall development of the livestock sector.
Vice-Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu, underscored the University’s commitment towards promoting quality education, innovative research and extension interventions for the welfare of livestock farmers. He highlighted the significance of scientific mastitis management, early disease diagnosis, judicious use of antimicrobials and adoption of modern technologies in improving dairy productivity and ensuring safe and quality milk production. He also emphasised the importance of international scientific collaborations and industry-academia partnerships in addressing emerging challenges in animal health.
Dr. N.A. Sudhan highlighted the importance of strengthening the research and institutional linkages for addressing emerging challenges in livestock production.
Dr. Sung-Jin Lee highlighted the scope of international collaboration, scientific exchange and technological innovations in advancing mammary health and sustainable dairy farming. Dr. Sujit Kumar, Vice-President, Association of Mastitis, also addressed the conference.
The conference was attended by the eminent scientists, academicians, veterinary professionals, researchers, policymakers, industry representatives and postgraduate students from various parts of India and abroad. International scientific participation included experts from Brazil, South Korea and Croatia besides leading researchers from premier veterinary and agricultural institutions of the country.
The programme was also attended by Directors of Line Departments of Agriculture and Allied Sectors, faculty members, scholars and students of the Faculty.
