The International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held their 13th annual meeting at FAO Headquarters on 2-3 October 2014 to strengthen collaboration on critical issues to ensure safe, nutritious and sustainable feed and food.
The meeting was officially opened by Dr. José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the FAO, who highlighted the importance of private partnerships to support nutrition and sustainable production to the IFIF delegates representing over 80% of global compound feed production.
Dr. Ren Wang, FAO Assistant Director-General for Agriculture and Consumer Protection, together with Dr. Berhe Tekola, Director of the FAO Animal Production & Health Division reiterated the FAO commitment to this longstanding partnership and the delegates agreed to continue to strengthen their work together to tackle the challenges facing the feed and food chain.
Mr. Mario Sergio Cutait, IFIF Chairman, welcomed the new FAO strategic approach and focus on working with the private sector: "together we have achieved very important milestones, including the Feed Manual of Good Practices for the Feed Industry, the International Feed Regulators Meetings (IFRM) and the Global Feed & Food Congress Series. IFIF is committed and ready to support the FAO initiatives on capacity development for feed safety, the LEAP partnership and the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock, as well joint efforts on feed and food safety at the Codex Alimentarius. Mr. Cutait added "we have to support both sustainable livestock production and intensive farming, innovation and technology and fair trade. Feed is part of the solution!"
"FAO and IFIF have a long standing partnership and this meeting addressed a number of critical issues of common interest, such as the need for capacity development to ensure feed safety. FAO is committed to work with the private sector and feed operators and believes that they can valuably contribute to make the livestock and food sectors more responsible and sustainable to achieve important goals such as public health, and animal health and welfare" said Daniela Battaglia, Livestock Development Officer at the Animal Production and Health Division of the FAO.
