Poultry and livestock groups collaborate on report highlighting advancements in animal agriculture

The Animal Agriculture Alliance, in collaboration with the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, United Egg Producers, National Cattleman's Beef Association, National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council and National Milk Producers Federation, has issued a report titled, "Advances in Animal Agriculture: What the Center for a Livable Future, Pew Commission and Others Aren't Telling You About Food Production." This report highlights recent accomplishments sustained by the specific poultry and livestock production sectors and is a stark contrast to an anticipated five-year update by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Production to be issued by the Center for a Livable Future on October 22.
Each group provided information for the report and was given the opportunity to emphasize specific accomplishments in five areas: animal care, responsible antibiotics use, food safety, environmental sustainability and industry research initiatives. The report highlights the many, continuous improvements made by the poultry and livestock industry, explains how agriculture has adapted to the changing landscape, including embracing technology to improve animal well-being and food safety, and discusses modern agriculture and the need to feed 9.1 billion people by 2050.
The Animal Agriculture Alliance will host a teleconference October 22, from 11 a.m. to 12  p.m. EST with various third-party experts to discuss the information presented in the report. The presenters will also be prepared to answer questions about the Center for a Livable Future's re-release of the Pew Commission's 2008 report. Experts participating in the teleconference include:

• Dr. Richard Raymond, former under secretary, Food Safety Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Dr. Scott Hurd, former deputy acting under secretary, Food Safety, USDA
• Janeen Salak-Johnson, Ph.D., University of Illinois, associate professor Animal Science
• Dr. John Glisson, DVM, MAM, Ph.D., retired department head of Population Health and former head of the Department of Avian Medicine, University of Georgia; vice president, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association
• Dr. Frank Mitloehner, professor and air quality extension specialist, Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis
• Dr. Guy Loneragan, Ph.D., Department of Animal Sciences, Texas Tech University
A full copy of the report is available on the alliance's website. To register for the teleconference, please email Emily Meredith, Alliance communications director, at emeredith@animalagalliance.org.