October 21, 2005

Charter to form International Poultry Council approved

Poultry industry leaders from around the world have forged a charter agreement forming the International Poultry Council (IPC), which would seek to address common issues and promote the interests of major poultry-producing countries worldwide.

The agreement was made at the recent ANUGA food and beverage trade show in Germany. Delegates from Argentina, Brazil, China, the EU, Mexico, Russia, Thailand and the US approved the charter. Officers were also elected to lead the new organisation.

In light of the recent bird flu outbreaks in a number of countries worldwide, the IPC's first priority would be to launch a campaign to dispel any myths and rumors about the disease.

IPC would also seek to improve global communication and promote cooperation, while developing public and private sector policies that supported free trade.

Some objectives under the agreement included:

Provisions to encourage uniform and science-based international sanitary and marketing standards for poultry.
 

Strengthening ties between the IPC and international animal disease and food safety organisations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
 

Promoting transparency in government policies that affected poultry production and trade.
 

Under the charter, any national or regional poultry association that represented the majority of the industry in that country or region would be eligible for IPC membership.

The IPC would be governed by an elected board of directors and meet twice a year.