Representatives of the meat industry from around the globe gathered in the Netherlands last week for the World Meat Congress, a function of the International Meat Secretariat (IMS). The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) was represented at the event by President and CEO Dan Halstrom and Vice President of Economic Analysis Erin Borror. Borror, who also serves as co-chair of the IMS economics committee, talked about the importance of the global industry coming together to offer a unified voice on issues such as regulation and sustainability.
“And that’s really the value of the International Meat Secretariat, is joining together the global voice for meat and coming around common issues, opportunities, challenges,” Borror said. “And I think, in my mind, one of the most important roles is working with global bodies. So, the UN FAO, the Codex, WOAH – the World Organization for Animal Health and having IMS as a collaborator and as a global voice for the meat industry is invaluable.”
Borror added that it is especially critical for the meat industry to work effectively with the World Organization for Animal Health and the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which establishes global standards for food safety.
“On things like animal welfare, on greenhouse gas emissions, and how those are accounted for – those types of issues as well as just the need for science-based standards on things like animal health,” Borror said. “So again, the work with the World Organization for Animal Health, and same with Codex, and the setting of standards for food safety. And so those are the areas where I think our collaboration has the most value. And as we think about things like the UN efforts on emissions and such, having the meat industry voice united from around the world, and more, more outspoken, has value.”
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