Avec observes poultry challenges of the next decade
During the 2010 avec (association de l´aviculture, de l´industrie et du commerce de volaille dans les pays de l´UE – Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the EU countries) General Assembly in Slovenia many issues were dealt with regarding representing and promoting the interest of the European poultry meat sector.
European poultry processors
Key challenges for European poultry processors in the next decade are producing economic, sustainable, innovative, bio-diversity friendly products, appealing to consumers while respecting the world’s strictest demands in terms of food safety, animal health and welfare and dealing at the same time with the highest production costs.
More than 100 delegates from 18 national associations and companies in the EU participated in the General Assembly. Avec’s outgoing President, Dr. Aldo Muraro, also President of the Italian member association UNA, welcomed the delegates to the General Assembly and underlined in his presentation the impact of the high European standards distorting the global level playing field due to the fact that not all standards can be imposed on imports. He emphasised the importance of uniform implementation of standards across the EU in the areas of animal welfare, food safety and information to consumers and the application on imports.
Challenges ahead
Challenges ahead are for food safety and consumer protection issues like AMT, AI, campylobacter, for global trade cost effectiveness and trade agreements and reciprocity on global markets.
The EU production cannot compete with production costs of Brazil and the US. Dr Mulder from the World Poultry Scientific Association highlighted the future scientific challenges of the sector and of research in general. Poultrymeat is very sustainable but challenges continue to be cost effectiveness, shifting consumer demands and new legislative measures and growing concern for the environment. Funding for research comes today mostly from the industry whereas the public sector funds research in fields of public concern like food safety and consumer health.
New avec president
The General Assembly elected Jan Odink from the Netherlands as new president of avec. Odink is president of Nepluvi, avec’s Dutch member association and has previously been state secretary of agriculture in the Netherlands. Odink will be seconded by the vice-presidents Federico Felix (Spain), Paul-Heinz Wesjohann (Germany), Bruno Veronesi (Italy) and Paul Lopez (France).
Avec is a voluntary, non-profit association created in 1966 and represents and promotes the interests of the European poultry sector. Members are national organisations representing poultry processors and the poultry trade in 16 EU countries. Avec members represent 95% of the EU poultrymeat production.
Related Website
Avec
Join 31,000+ subscribers
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay updated about all the need-to-know content in the poultry sector, three times a week.
