Source:  Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 10/28/13

A record 21 countries were represented recently at the International Poultry Council’s fall meeting in Geneva, “one of the best meetings the organization has ever had,” according to IPC President Jim Sumner, who also is president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC).
The group meets to iron out international differences in the global poultry trade and find common ground on such issues as the misconception among consumers internationally that hormones are used in poultry production. Sumner spoke with Meatingplace about the meeting and its outcomes.

Meatingplace: Why was this meeting in Geneva different from those in the past?

SUMNER: This was the first time that we’d met in Geneva and we included meetings with the [World Trade Organization] and a couple of UN organizations. Beyond that, I think we have been meeting together for five years and the people who are in attendance are getting more comfortable with the purpose of the organization and each other, and coming to the realization that we have more in common than we have [differences].

Meatingplace: What were the major outcomes of the meeting?

SUMNER: The realization that there are common issues that we’re facing, and a good example is the hormone myth: In the U.S. or China or Australia, consumers think we’re pumping poultry full of hormones. We brought that to the table and said, ‘We should do something about this as an international organization.’ It was unanimously agreed [that IPC should] do something about this.

We now have a committee that will look at the concrete steps to take; our representative from Brazil is heading that working group. There are several things we can do at the IPC cost-effectively that then can be adapted to the different countries, for example, putting out press releases and sharing technical data. Most countries disallow the use of hormones and some even require monitoring.

One of the other issues was the concern about the nomenclature of avian influenza. It’s primarily a media issue, but when you see headlines citing ’bird flu,‘ in many of our opinions it is really not fair. We would be better off if we could reference it in more neutral terms. It’s the same as with reference to the swine flu: Let’s call it what it is, call it a virus. Even though it can show up in diff’t species it’s not necessarily an avian virus, a virus is a virus.

There are lots of other issues such as the use of antibiotics, animal welfare issues, lots of issues that we are continually discussing and surprisingly, we all come together on many of these. Stunning is another issue that we were focusing in on, and there’s lots to discuss.
We do try and operate by consensus and when we find ourselves on an issue in which there are strong opposing views we may sidestep that issue and focus on one in which we agree. And there are plenty of those around.

Meatingplace: How binding are those decisions?

SUMNER: We are recognized by OIE, FAO and Codex as an … official representative of the poultry industry. [The IPC] is the only representation that our industry has on our own. The only other representation is by our individual governments, and … some governments will take positions on issues that are not consist with their own industries.

Meatingplace: The poultry industry varies greatly across the globe; what is the value of such an international organization?

 
SUMNER: Well, sometimes organizations — and let me use for example the FAO — they may look at an issue from one perspective, say, in areas in developing countries where they want to see poultry production expanded and they are encouraging such expansion. But if you’re doing it without taking proper steps [toward] biosecurity to guard against the transmission of avian diseases, then this could be counterproductive. In some instances it’s biosecurity and sometimes it’s food safety. That is, some countries have no food safety regulations for their poultry processing plants.

I’m working on a presentation that I’m giving in China. But as we’re facing a growing world population, how are we going to feed these people? Poultry having one if not thee most efficient feed conversion ratio, I feel it’s going to have to be poultry.
Meatingplace: What’s next on the IPC agenda?

SUMNER: We were pleased to have 21 countries represented [at the recent meeting] but we see opportunities for further expansion. We are looking at bringing on an executive director to work with the secretary general to focus on some of the more technical issues. I see our level of value to the global industry increasing. I’m also hoping to see increased participation both of new countries and also among our associate members, which would be the poultry producing companies, the processors along with the suppliers.
 

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