International Poultry Council marks its 10th anniversary

The International Poultry Council, the first global association dedicated to improving dialogue and cooperation among the poultry meat industries around the world, quietly celebrated its 10th anniversary on Oct. 7.
“While the IPC is proud of what it has accomplished over its first 10 years, I think most of our members are celebrating the anniversary by continuing to work to improve the industries in their respective countries,” said IPC Secretary General Marilia Rangel of São Paulo, who recently assumed the role as the organization’s first full-time chief executive. “The IPC is kind of a no-frills organization.”
On Oct. 7, 2005, poultry industry association representatives from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, the European Union, Mexico, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States gathered in Cologne, Germany, to found the IPC. They adopted a charter and approved a set of by-laws to lay the framework for an organization in which industry leaders could work cooperatively on global issues of common interest.
Jim Sumner, president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, who was recovering from an accident and did not make the inaugural meeting, was nonetheless elected president of the IPC in absentia, a position he has held continuously since.
“For years, Tage Lysgaard of Denmark, former president of a.v.e.c. (the EU poultry association) and other colleagues and I had been discussing the need for an organization like the IPC that could be a forum to discuss issues that we all cared about, such as poultry diseases, international guidelines on trade, and the like,” Sumner said. “I am truly fortunate to have been asked to serve in this role.”
Sumner said the hiring of Rangel earlier this year marked a milestone for the IPC. “Since it was founded, the IPC had been operated by a part-time secretary general and by dedicated volunteers from its member organizations,” he said. “But in 2014, a core group of members gathered in Edinburgh for an intensive strategic planning retreat to improve the IPC’s organizational framework and to define its mission. One of the main things that came from that exercise was that for the IPC to continue growing, we had to hire a full-time CEO. And we were lucky enough to find Marilia.”
Since its founding, the IPC has gained official recognition by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the World Organization for Animal Health, and the Codex Alimentarius Commission as the unified voice of the global poultry meat industry.
National and regional associations representing 22 countries currently hold membership in the IPC, and the organization has 46 associate members comprised of poultry producers, primary breeding companies, pharmaceutical companies, equipment makers, and others that benefit from a strong international poultry industry.
Members of the IPC represent 80 percent of global production of poultry meat and about 95 percent of the world’s poultry trade.
“We are working every day on issues that are important to every poultry-producing country in the world,” Rangel said. “And the IPC is growing, and is actively soliciting new members, because the more members we have, the more impact we can have on those issues.”
The IPC’s next meeting will be Feb. 17-19 in Abu Dhabi.

IPC joins FAO Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock

The International Poultry Council (IPC) has become a member of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock, a partnership of livestock sector stakeholders established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The partnership is committed to the sustainable development of the global livestock sector.
With global population projected to reach 9.6 billion in 2050, the livestock sector’s role in sustainable food and agriculture will continue to increase. Recognizing that growing populations, income gains, and urbanization have made livestock one of the fastest growing sub-sectors of agriculture, FAO started a process in 2010 to establish the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock. The initial organizational set up was agreed to in January 2013.
The IPC is one of 52 current partners in the Global Agenda initiative. Anne-Marie Neeteson, vice president-welfare and compliance at Aviagen and IPC’s FAO co-observer, will serve as the organization’s Global Agenda representative.
This is IPC’s second private-sector partnership initiative with FAO. The organization has participated in the Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance (LEAP) partnership since 2012. The objective of LEAP is to develop comprehensive guidance and methodology for understanding the environmental performance of livestock supply chains.
The IPC represents about 80 percent of the world’s poultry production, and about 95 percent of global trade in poultry meat.
Poultry industry representatives in 24 countries are members of the IPC, which was formed in 2005.

IPC to work toward implementing new strategic plan

The Executive Committee of the International Poultry Council (IPC) will meet in January to consider how the organization will implement recommendations from a far-reaching strategic plan that came out of an intensive two-day summit in September.
At that summit in Edinburgh, Scotland, several IPC members huddled with the Executive Committee and a strategic planning expert to exchange ideas on charting a course for the organization as it prepares to enter its second decade.
“The Executive Committee made the decision to take a step back and evaluate where the IPC is currently, to look at how far we’ve come, and to determine how we should proceed into the next 10 years,” IPC President Jim Sumner, who is also president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, said of the Edinburgh summit.
Sumner said that the IPC is the only organization that represents a large majority of the global poultry industry on international issues. “The IPC is in a unique position to be a strong force, not just as the credible, unified voice of the industry, but also to be the primary platform for industry issues and information of interest to the international value chain and to regulators,” he said. “We see the organization as positioned to grow in influence and in membership, but we recognize that growth will require that we reposition and restructure.”
Mark Smith of Leadership Resource Institute, who coordinated the summit, recently delivered a framework “roadmap” document to the IPC based on member surveys, interviews, and discussions with members in Edinburgh.
Recommendations and findings include:


• To continue its development and to serve a growing membership base,the IPC must increase its staffing to the equivalent of at least 1.5 and2.5 full-time positions.
• The IPC is uniquely positioned to be a powerful organization for theglobal poultry meat industry, and can be a platform for global access bybeing the single credible voice for the industry.
• The IPC can work toward developing common policies to promote growthin the global poultry sector “and provide a unified international industryvoice for rules and regulations that impact the industry…and to helpposition poultry as the preferred (meat) protein in the world.”
• Over the next five years, the IPC must develop and focus onpriorities, such as improving consumer confidence in poultry, heightenawareness of the concept of sustainability, improve food safety, andprovide unbiased information on trade.
• To achieve this, the IPC must enhance communication among itsmembers, increase its strength by recruiting additional members, promotecooperation and interaction with international bodies, influenceinternational standard-setting organizations, utilize working groups toenhance member participation, and embrace criticism of the globalindustry.
The roadmap also stresses that the IPC remain within its appropriate role as an organization, and that it keep focused on what it can uniquely do in support of its members.
Based on the recommendations voiced in Edinburgh, the strategic plan recommends that the IPC expand its Executive Committee by two seats to be reserved for associate members. These new members would be elected by associate members and would broaden representation to include all segments of the supply chain.
Poultry industry association representatives in 24 countries are members of the IPC, which was formed in 2005 as a cooperative forum for the world’s poultry-producing countries. The growing organization also boasts 34 associate members that include producers, primary breeders, pharmaceutical companies, equipment manufacturers, and global restaurant chains that benefit from a strong international poultry industry.
The IPC represents about 80 percent of the world’s poultry production, and about 95 percent of global trade in poultry meat.

Petersime NV joins International Poultry Council

Petersime NV, a world leader in the development of incubators, hatchery equipment, and turnkey hatcheries, has joined the International Poultry Council (IPC) as an associate member.
The company, headquartered in Olsene, Belgium, was established in 1949 to produce under license the first electric incubator that had been invented in the United States. Petersime NV is now part of the holding company FPS (Food Processing Systems). The company’s IPC representative is Managing Director Michel De Clercq.
IPC President Jim Sumner, also the president of USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC), welcomes Petersime NV as IPC’s newest associate member, bringing the total number of associates to 34 companies from around the globe. Other companies joining the IPC earlier in 2014 include JBS SA, BRF, and Skov A/S.
“IPC’s membership continues to grow with the addition of processors and a wide range of global associates, including equipment manufacturers, primary breeders, animal health suppliers, food service companies, packaging companies and others,” Sumner said.
Poultry industry organizations in 24 countries are members of the IPC, which was formed in 2005.

Skov is International Poultry Council’s newest associate member

Skov A/S, an industry leader in the development, manufacture and international marketing of climate control and production monitoring equipment for poultry houses, has become an associate member of the International Poultry Council (IPC).
Founded in 1954 in Nordsalling, Denmark, by brothers Kristen and Kjeld Skov, the company specializes in ventilation systems for poultry houses and pig enclosures. Skov now employs more than 275 people at its headquarters complex in Glyngøre.
Thomas O. Hansen, director of global key accounts, is the company’s IPC representative.
IPC President Jim Sumner welcomes Skov A/S as the IPC’s newest associate member, bringing the total number of associates to 32 companies from around the globe.
“The IPC is only as strong as its members. Having another major poultry equipment supplier such as Skov aboard shows that we are strengthening our membership base as a growing organization with a true global reach,” said Sumner, who in addition to being IPC president is also the president of USA Poultry & Egg Export Council.
Poultry industry representatives in 24 countries are members of the IPC, which was formed in 2005 to bring together poultry industry leaders from around the world to address issues of trade and science, and to improve relations between nations.

International Poultry Council to hire policy consultant

The International Poultry Council (IPC) is seeking applicants for a part-time policy consultant to work with international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Codex Alimentarius Commission on issues that concern the global poultry industry.
At its recent meeting in Geneva, the IPC Executive Committee recommended hiring a consultant to monitor policy issues pertaining to poultry. Members of the organization unanimously approved the committee's recommendation.
"The OIE, the FAO, WHO and Codex establish policies, standards and guidelines that affect our industry on a global scale," said IPC President Jim Sumner. "As the only global organization representing the interests of poultry organizations in the major poultry producing countries, the IPC believes that having a knowledgeable policy person to interact with these international groups on important poultry issues is essential."
Sumner said the ideal candidate should be intimately familiar with issues that are of concern to the poultry industry and would be based in Western Europe so that the consultant could travel easily to the headquarters of the organizations. The FAO is based in Rome, while the OIE's headquarters is in Paris.
He also said that the candidate must be able to communicate effectively and have the necessary skills to produce technical papers and other correspondence to be submitted to the international bodies.
A position announcement is available by contacting IPC Secretary General George Watts at secgen@internationalpoultrycouncil.org

Registration for poultry council meeting available

The International Poultry Council has opened registration for its second-semester 2013 meeting, set for October 10-12 at the InterContinental hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, home of the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization.
Confirmed speakers include Roberto Azevedo of Brazil, who is the recently elected designee to serve as director general of the World Trade Organization; Gary Johnson, senior director of worldwide supply chain at McDonald's Corp.; Dr. Nan-Dirk Mulder, associate director for commodities at Rabobank; Gretchen Stanton, secretary of the World Trade Organization Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Dr. Alejandro Thiermann, president of the Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission of the World Organization for Animal Health.
Also, Dr. Peter Ben Embarek, program manager at the World Health Organization, has been invited to speak at the meeting, which will attract leaders from poultry organizations from all over the world.
The International Poultry Council has been officially recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Codex Alimentarius Commission as the single organization representing the global poultry production industry.
Members of the International Poultry Council will provide regulatory updates on issues pending before the World Organization for Animal Health, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Codex, and will give presentations on the status of the poultry industries in their individual countries.
Online registration for the meeting is available at the International Poultry Council website. Registration is $570 per person, and the InterContinental has granted a special International Poultry Council hotel room rate for attendees.

International Poultry Council stresses food products are safe

Even though a new strain of Type A H7N9 influenza that apparently originated in a live bird market in China has infected more than 100 Chinese people, consumers can be confident in eating properly cooked poultry meat, according to the International Poultry Council.
The International Poultry Council, an organization comprised of poultry industry associations from more than 20 major poultry-producing countries around the world, is closely monitoring developments in China regarding the spread of this new strain of Type A H7N9 influenza. Numerous human cases have occurred and have resulted in at least 10 deaths, most of which occurred in people who were exposed to the virus by handling infected birds.
Thus far, Chinese authorities have worked diligently and vigorously to contain the spread of the virus, have closed live bird markets in Shanghai and in other affected areas, and have destroyed infected birds. Although Chinese officials have found no Type A H7N9 influenza infections in any commercial poultry farms or in poultry processing plants in China, the situation has caused many consumers in China to refrain from eating poultry products. This anxiety among consumers has cost the Chinese poultry industry millions of dollars in lost sales as a result.
The World Health Organization and leading influenza experts agree that proper cooking is the best defense against foodborne illnesses, including influenza. In fact, Dr. Michael O'Leary, who heads the World Health Organization's office in Beijing, said he eats chicken every day.
Cooking to an internal temperature of 74 degrees Celsius destroys any residual viruses that may in the meat. In other words, there is no risk of contracting influenza from eating properly cooked poultry meat.
Chinese consumers can be assured that all poultry products they get in the market, regardless of origin, can be eaten safely when they are properly cooked.
"The global poultry industry has been impressed with the growth in per capita poultry consumption in China, which is eclipsing pork," said International Poultry Council President Jim Sumner. "In fact, since 1990, China's per capita poultry consumption has increased nearly five-fold, to more than 10 kilograms."
Sumner also said that, while poultry consumption dipped during previous influenza occurrences in China, consumers quickly realized that properly cooked and prepared poultry meat is safe, and consumption rebounded.
He said that the reaction of consumers to previous incidents prompted the International Poultry Council to adopt the slogan: "Poultry is safe. Just cook it.!"

IPC: Increased feed costs mean higher poultry meat prices

Significant increases in the cost of grains used in poultry feed "are having a negative impact on the cost of poultry production around the world, and will inevitably lead to higher prices of poultry meat in the global marketplace," said a statement released by the International Poultry Council (IPC) at its annual meeting.
According to the IPC, higher costs of grains like wheat, corn, soybeans and barley cannot be absorbed by the poultry industry alone and must be passed along to the consumer in the form of higher poultry prices. In the last four months, the cost of corn and wheat has risen by roughly 50%, while the cost of soybean meal has risen by 20%. A drought in Russia, too much rain in the U.S. and a planting delay in Brazil have all been contributing factors to these numbers. 
On the upside, says the IPC, improved weather conditions in 2011 could bring grain prices back down; in the meantime, while poultry prices will rise, they will not be impacted as heavily as other meat prices due to poultry's inherent efficiencies in feed conversion ratios.

Baiada Poultry wins inaugural IPC branded marketing award

Australian company Baiada Poultry Pty Ltd. was presented with the International Poultry Council (IPC)'s first branded marketing award.
The Federacion Nacional de Avicultores de Colombia (FENAVI), the Colombian Poultry Federation, won the IPC's inaugural generic marketing award.
The winners of the as-yet unnamed awards were chosen during the IPC's annual meeting in Santiago, Chile. Baiada's marketing campaign focused on dispelling myths about hormone usage in commercial chicken, while FENAVI highlighted its campaign to increase Colombia's consumption of chicken.

International Poultry Council meeting to feature animal health, economics experts

The International Poultry Council will hold its spring meeting in Paris, France, April 14-16, with representatives from more than a dozen countries.
Speakers will include Bernard Vallat, director general of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE); Klaus Schumacher, chief economist of Toepfer International of Germany, who will speak on GMO issues; Dr. Jorgen Schlundt of the World Health Organization; Simon Mack, chief of the animal production and health division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; and Gilles Huttepain, president of Fédération des Industries Avicoles, France’s main poultry association.
Representatives of the International Poultry Council member countries will give status updates on the poultry industries in their home countries.
In 2008, the OIE granted recognition to the International Poultry Council as the official organization representing the world’s poultry meat producers.