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The 20th Congress of the Animal Science and Production Association (ASPA), is held in the prestigious home of the oldest university of the world: Bologna. The anniversary also celebrates the 40th year of the founding of the Society and is an occasion to remember the past and plan for the future of Animal Sciences in Italy. In this Congress, 137 oral presentations and 155 posters are presented, for a total of 292 scientific contributions. The Congress sessions with their relative number of papers are listed as follows: Animal breeding and genetics 109, Nutrition and feeding 45, Dairy production 42, Animal welfare, health and behaviour 39, Meat quality 35, Poultry and rabbit production 11 and Aquaculture 11. I would like to point out that 3 main lectures will be presented in the Animal breeding and genetics, Nutrition and feeding and Animal welfare, health and behaviour sessions, respectively. I would thank, first of all, Prof. Vincenzo Russo, Honorary President of the Congress and Emeritus of ASPA, for the contribution of the University of Bologna in organizing this event. I would also thank all the members of the Scientific Committee, Prof. Andrea Piva (Chairperson), Prof. Anna Badiani, Prof. Giacomo Biagi, Dr. Alessio Bonaldo, Prof. Paolo Bosi, Prof. Roberta Davoli, Prof. Luca Fontanesi, Prof. Giovanna Martelli, Prof. Adele Meluzzi, Dr. Attilio Mordenti, Prof. Luca Sardi, Dr. Federico Sirri, Dr. Paolo Trevisi, and of the Organizing Committee, Prof. Claudio Cavani (Chairperson), Prof. Stefania Dall’Olio, Prof. Andrea Formigoni, Prof. Pier Giorgio Monetti, Prof. Leonardo Nanni Costa, Dr. Massimiliano Petracci, Prof. Giuliano Zaghini, Dr. Paolo Zambonelli. A special thanks to the secretary of the Congress, MV Congressi. Indeed, I would like to congratulate and thank all those who have organized the meeting and have collaborated in reviewing the summaries for what they have done for ASPA and the Italian Animal Science. A special thanks to Prof. Rosanna Scipioni, Editor-in-Chief of the Italian Journal of Animal Science, for having contributed to the edition of these proceedings. Finally, I acknowledge the University of Bologna and the institutional agencies, in particular the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (MIPAAF), the Regione Emilia Romagna and the Comune di Bologna, and the main sponsors, namely Associazione Italiana Foraggi Essiccati, DSM, Vetagro and Fatro.