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FOURTEEN LIVESTOCK ORGANIZATIONS UNITE TO ASK THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE THAT SPAIN REJECTS THE NEW EUROPEAN REGULATION ON ANIMAL TRANSPORT

  • Anice, Anprogapor, Apromar, Asaja, Aseprhu, Asoprovac, Avianza, Cesfac, COAG, Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España, Federovo, Intercun, UPA and Veteindustria have addressed Minister Luis Planas to show their concern about the new European regulations on Animal Welfare and have joined forces to demand that the Spanish Government take measures in this regard.
  • These organizations declare that the European Regulation on the protection of animals during transport does not defend the European Model of Production, does not contemplate and is not based on the real problems of Animal Welfare in Spain and will have serious consequences for Spanish livestock production. 

Madrid, April 10, 2024. The Spanish meat livestock sector is once again showing its concern about the new European regulations on Animal Welfare. Fourteen of the most prominent livestock, agri-food and veterinary organizations in our country (Anice, Anprogapor, Apromar, Asaja, Aseprhu, Asoprovac, Avianza, Cesfac, COAG, Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España, Federovo, Intercun, UPA and Veteindustria) have joined forces and sent a joint communiqué addressed directly to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, so that Spain rejects the new European Regulation on the protection of animals during transport and related operations, amending Council Regulation (EC) No. 1255/97 and amending Council Regulation (EC) No. 1255/97.No. 1255/97 of the Council and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005. 

These organizations insist that the new regulation does not have sufficient scientific basis and does not ensure an improvement in animal welfare during transport compared to the current situation. It is evident that the proposal has not been sufficiently worked on and that its social, economic and environmental impact has not been adequately estimated. They also argue that the solution must be to work to improve the implementation of the current legislative framework, the most demanding in the world, which would allow further increasing animal welfare.  

The stringent measures of the new regulation would risk the economic sustainability of many rural areas in more disadvantaged and depopulated territories, reduce cultural diversity and benefit the interests of countries that occupy a privileged position for animal trade, while condemning peripheral countries (and island territories) to a serious competitive disadvantage, which would bear disproportionate costs.

"For all these reasons, we strongly request that Spain's position before the Council be to reject the proposal and demand its withdrawal, opposing it head-on, due to the serious damage it would cause to Spanish livestock production, to the value chain of food of animal origin, to citizens (whether producers or consumers), to the economy and rural development of our country, to its gastronomic culture and to the Spanish production model. The whole sector is united in the face of this incoherent proposal," the spokespersons of these organizations jointly state. 

The serious consequences for Spain 

Spain is one of the main producing countries in the EU and complying with this new regulation would imply a decrease in the productive capacity and competitiveness of livestock and food of animal origin production in our country. 

These are the main reasons why this regulation is not viable: 

1. It prevents fair and balanced trade among the member countries of the European Union. Due to the limitation of travel hours and temperatures allowed for transport, Spanish breeders would not be able to receive animals for breeding from countries where they are currently purchased, nor would they be able to export high-value genetics to the rest of the world. 

 2. Unprecedented administrative burden. The obligations included in the proposed standard entail a very high administrative, bureaucratic and personnel cost and many farms do not have the means to carry them out and the smallest will be the most affected.

3. The Spanish animal production sector suffers a clear discrimination due to its geographical situation and natural conditioning factors. In the proposed standard, the temperatures and geographical diversity of our country condition us and this proposal is a comparative disadvantage compared to other European regions given the average temperatures in Spain. 

4. Night work. Difficulties in transporting animals during the day for long periods of the year will force workers in the livestock sector and related activities to work longer hours at night. This would imply higher costs for animal production, more occupational risks, greater difficulties in reconciling work and a greater risk to road safety, among others. 

5. Decrease in exports. If this proposal progresses, Spain's export capacity would be severely reduced. The impact would not only affect livestock farmers, but also the food chain that depends on animal products (mainly the processing and cutting industries, but also the feed and input factories necessary for animal production and their processed products, and the transporters of animals and their products). 

6. Inflation and decrease in State revenues If the text were approved, the consumer would pay the increases in the cost of production of the products of the basic basket. It would be more expensive to consume meat, eggs or fish, especially for people with lower incomes. 

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Avícola Hidalgo, Nutrave, Redondo and Vall Companys Group already have the Aves de España certification.

  • These four important poultry companies have already completed the audit process for this certificate, which is based on the fundamental and unifying premises of Sustainability, Animal Welfare and Food Safety for the entire poultry meat production chain.
  • The poultry products of these commercial brands may have this seal on their packaging and labels so that consumers associate the consumption of poultry with this designation with a product that meets the highest quality standards throughout the food chain.
  • Other national producers are in the process of obtaining this seal and will soon join the network of companies certified with the Aves de España seal.
  • The poultry sector produced more than 1.6 million tons of poultry meat in 2023, increasing production by 2.5% and recovering household consumption relative to 2022

Madrid, April 4, 2024. The quality certificate POULTRY OF SPAIN (www.avesdeespana.es), promoted by Avianza (Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat), is already a reality that values the production of poultry meat (chicken, turkey and quail) in our country, from its breeding, production, preparation of processed products and its distribution around the world.

This certificate adds four new member poultry companies that have verified through an exhaustive audit that they comply with the main values of the entire production chain: sustainability (environmental, economic and social), Animal Welfare and Food Safety.

The companies Avícola Hidalgo, Nutrave, Redondo and Grupo Vall Companys (through its subsidiaries Pondex and Avigal) can now add the Aves de España label to their packaging, so that consumers associate the consumption of poultry with this denomination with a product that meets the highest quality standards throughout the food chain.

"The fact that companies are committed to this unifying seal of Spanish poultry meat is a decisive step to value the quality of our poultry meat and consolidate the country as one of the European leaders in poultry meat production," says Jordi Montfort, secretary general of Avianza and adds that "we are very pleased with the great reception of this initiative as other national producers are immersed in the process of obtaining this seal and will soon join the network of companies certified with the distinctive Aves de España. We encourage other poultry producers to join Aves de España". 

All the information at the consumer's fingertips

The Aves de España certification for poultry meat products assures consumers that the operators who obtain it have a certified system that includes strict traceability, quality and control requirements, identifying poultry for the production of meat (fresh, refrigerated or frozen, packaged or in bulk) and products made, transformed or processed with the same on the market.

To this end, products that comply with all the requirements of the regulation and are certified will have the Aves de España label on their packaging. In addition, this logo carries a QR code, in which consumers can scan and learn about all the safety, quality and animal welfare certifications of the product they are consuming.

A benchmark sector in Spain

Avianza groups more than 65 associated companies and represents more than 90% of the companies linked to the poultry sector, both chicken, turkey and other poultry. In total, it has more than 5,000 farms and production centers, 281 cutting and processing plants, which directly employ more than 40,000 professionals.

The poultry sector produced more than 1.6 million tons of poultry meat in 2023, increasing production by 2.5% and recovering household consumption relative to 2022. Poultry meat has become a refuge product for Spanish households.

The four companies certified with the POULTRY OF SPAIN seal.
Vall Companys Group receiving the certification during the last Alimentaria fair.
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AVIANZA, ANFACO-CECOPESCA AND ANICE JOIN FORCES TO DEFEND THE NUTRITIONAL AUTHENTICITY OF ANIMAL-BASED PRODUCTS AGAINST IMITATION VEGAN FOODS

Representatives of the three most representative organizations in Spain in the processing of animal products, both terrestrial and marine, met today with the Director General of Consumer Affairs, Daniel Arribas, in order to express the common movement of the entire Spanish industry.

Under the initiative #CadaCosaPorSuNombre, they aim to raise public awareness of the true composition of these vegan foods, which in no way resemble the quality of animal protein or the content of its micronutrients.

Similar action is called for in neighboring countries, such as France and Italy, which have initiated legislative processes to ensure truthful information to ensure consumers make the right choice and thus put an end to unfair competition.

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In a strategic alliance and unprecedented to date, ANFACO-CECOPESCA (Organization of the sea-industry complex), ANICE (National Association of Meat Industries of Spain) and AVIANZA (Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat) have undertaken a common initiative at national level in defense of seafood products, The aim of this initiative is to take advantage of the reputation of products of animal origin, trying to mislead the consumer through advertising and labeling.

For this reason, today the three entities have met with the Director General of Consumer Affairs, Mr. Daniel Arribas, in order to present the joint initiative called #CadaCosaPorSuNombre, with which they intend to raise public awareness about the true composition of these vegan foods, and the need to act from the Public Administrations, both at the level of Consumer Affairs, reviewing the Spanish shelves under the principles of food information regulations for the consumer in terms of mentions of the packaging or advertising of the product, as well as developing new specific legislation.

In this regard, although the European Consumer Information Regulation 1169/2011, includes elements of action, the meeting discussed the draft legislative projects being produced in France, 2023/0510/FR, or Italy, 2023/0469/IT, with decrees already submitted to TRIS that seek to restrict the trade names of products of animal origin by establishing minimum percentages of content in the ingredients, among other measures. These decrees should constitute a working basis for the Ministry in its defense of the Mediterranean diet, an internationally recognized and scientifically proven diet in the face of the new vegan trends that use unfair competition.

It is enough to read the ingredients of these vegan foods to understand that they are derived from vegetable proteins, produced with the aim of imitating and displacing animal products by presenting themselves as advantageous in terms of health, the environment and even from an ethical perspective. To this end, they do not hesitate to use designations such as "vegan tuna or chicken", as well as false advertising messages alluding to the fact that their consumption benefits the environment or is more responsible.

As a reminder, the three associative entities recall that nutrition must be varied and balanced. In this sense, products of animal origin incorporate a unique digestive matrix, with authentic and incomparable elements, related to the quality of their proteins (essential amino acids), or key micronutrients, such as minerals and vitamins, without forgetting the essential Omega 3 fatty acids, present in fish. These vegan foods can never nutritionally replace animal products.

With regard to sustainability, an argument in which many of these foods abound, we subscribe to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee, which considers that sustainability labels or claims that are not based on a widely recognized certification scheme should be prohibited . Therefore, there is a lack of a rigorous comparison of the carbon or water footprint that such vegan foods produce, or the origin of their ingredients, which could justly conclude the opposite by being more harmful to the environment.

Finally, it should be remembered that Spain is a world power in the food industry, making a vital socioeconomic contribution to many coastal and rural areas, helping to support thousands of families and with standards of responsibility or animal welfare recognized worldwide, which demonstrate the good choice of consuming Spanish products of animal origin.

It is hoped that this initiative will generate a deep reflection in the Spanish government and invite it to act, legislating in line with France and Italy, thus demonstrating its defense of fair, truthful and transparent food information that does not mislead the consumer.

Because a soy concoction is not a vegan chicken, nor is a chickpea pasta a nugget, let's call #EveryThingByItsName.

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Avianza trains professionals in the poultry sector on the Avianza Animal Welfare Spain (AAWS) seal of approval.

 

  • The Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat has brought together in Madrid more than ninety professionals from all over Spain to deepen in the characteristics and processes of this new Animal Welfare Commitment B+ label, specific for the poultry meat sector.
  • This training has been given by Dr. Ana E. Blanco, Agronomist Engineer in Animal Production and Antonio Alegre, veterinarian specialized in poultry farming.

Madrid, February 2, 2024. AVIANZA, the Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat, has carried out a full day of training for professionals in the poultry sector where more than ninety attendees from all over Spain have been able to deepen and train on a topic as relevant as animal welfare. Specifically, the training has revolved around the new certificate of Animal Welfare Commitment B +, specific to the poultry meat sector, called Avianza Animal Welfare Spain (AAWS).

This animal welfare seal was created with the aim of demonstrating the responsibility and awareness of the poultry sector with animal-friendly production methods, improving good animal management practices and, therefore, contributing to greater efficiency in animal production and higher product quality.

The day included presentations by Dr. Ana E. Blanco, Agricultural Engineer in animal production and Antonio Alegre, veterinarian specializing in poultry farming. Blanco, agricultural engineer in animal production and Antonio Alegre, veterinarian specializing in poultry farming, who explained in detail each of the key points to understand the certification. From the specific characteristics of the AAWS seal, to the technical regulations of the animal welfare standards, as well as the auditing processes for farms and processing plants.

"The poultry sector has a moral and deontological obligation to provide the highest possible animal welfare to birds, not only to ensure compliance with current regulations, but to provide standards beyond legislation" said Arán Zaldívar, technical director of Avianza and added that "consideration for animal welfare is increasingly present in consumers and, therefore, the Spanish poultry sector must be committed to increase their confidence with a certification such as Avianza Animal Welfare Spain (AAWS)".

Commitment to animal welfare in the poultry sector

Improving good animal management practices contributes to greater efficiency in animal production and higher product quality. Hence the importance for all poultry professionals to be aware of the relevance of this certification for their companies.

Avianza Animal Welfare (AAWS) is an initiative framed within the common seal "B+ Animal Welfare Commitment", a project that arises from the Interprofessional Agri-Food Organizations of the Spanish livestock-meat sector and that groups the interprofessional organizations of each of the sectors represented. Obtaining AAWS certification, specific to the poultry meat sector, is necessary for authorization to use the "B+ Animal Welfare Commitment" mark.

The AVIANZA Animal Welfare Standard for broiler poultry is intended to lay the foundation for the highest animal welfare standards in meat poultry production. The objective of the AVIANZA Animal Welfare Standard certification is to evaluate the animal welfare of poultry farms and processing centers in a standardized and objective manner.

In addition to ensuring compliance with EU animal welfare legislation, it raises the standards above the legal minimum by extending the scope for action and control with regard to the five freedoms of animal welfare.

On farms, aspects affecting feeding, behavior, management and handling by personnel and their relationship with the birds, facilities and sanitation are evaluated. In processing centers, aspects related to the effect of handling by personnel, transport and related operations, lairage and stunning operations (either electric or controlled atmosphere), slaughter and possible injuries during these practices are evaluated. The evaluation is carried out by means of audits in which the direct and indirect conditions that may affect the poultry are verified.

This certification is carried out by certification bodies, and is framed in a constant evaluation, through follow-up audits, which ensure continuous compliance with the requirements established in AVIANZA's Animal Welfare Standard.

From left to right: Aran Zaldivar, technical director of Avianza; Dr. Ana E. Blanco and veterinarian Antonio Alegre, responsible for training on AAWS. Blanco and veterinarian Antonio Alegre, responsible for AAWS training.
A moment during the training of poultry sector professionals on the Avianza Animal Welfare Spain (AAWS) animal welfare seal.
A moment of Dr. Ana E. Blanco's speech at the Avianza training. Blanco at the Avianza training.
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Avianza promotes its first certification to promote poultry meat from Spain

  • This certificate is based on the fundamental and unifying premises of Sustainability, Animal Welfare and Food Safety for the entire poultry meat production chain.
  • The fact that the sector has its own label is a decisive step towards highlighting the quality of Spanish poultry meat and consolidating the country as one of the European leaders in production.
  • This reference will be present in poultry meat products so that consumers associate the consumption of poultry with a product that meets the highest quality standards throughout the food chain.
  • The interprofessional encourages all national producers to join the network of companies certified with the POULTRY OF SPAIN label.

 

Madrid, October 24, 2023. Spanish poultry meat now has its own quality certificate. Under the global initiative "POULTRY FROM SPAIN" (www.avesdeespana.es), promoted by Avianza (Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat), the bases and tools necessary to value the production of poultry meat (chicken, turkey and quail) of our country are established, from its breeding, production, preparation of processed products and its distribution around the world.

This certificate works as a backbone of the main values of the entire production chain: sustainability (environmental, economic and social), Animal Welfare and Food Safety, and is therefore a decisive step to enhance the quality of Spanish poultry meat and consolidate the country as one of the European leaders in poultry meat production.

This initiative also incorporates the Avianza Animal Welfare Spain (AAWS), a new Animal Welfare Commitment B+ label, specific to the poultry meat sector, and a guarantor of its implementation, over and above current regulations throughout the production process.

All the information at the consumer's fingertips

The POULTRY OF SPAIN certification for poultry meat products assures the consumer that the operators who obtain it have a certified system that includes strict traceability, quality and control requirements, identifying in the market the poultry for the production of meat (fresh, refrigerated or frozen, whether packaged or in bulk); and products made, transformed or processed with the same.

To this end, products that comply with all the requirements of the regulation and are certified will have the POULTRY FROM SPAIN label on their packaging. In addition, this logo carries a QR code, in which the consumer can scan and know closely all the information of the origin and traceability of the product they are consuming.

"This launch is a priority for Avianza and the sector, because we are sure that the Aves de España certificate will give consumers greater confidence in the transparency of quality processes, will increase the prestige of the sector and its products and, of course, will favor local consumption over imported products," says Josep Solé, president of Avianza.

A challenge for the sector

Avianza has set up the POULTRY OF SPAIN website(www.avesdeespana.es) to inform the whole sector about the details of the certification process and urges all national producers to join the network of certified companies under the umbrella of POULTRY OF SPAIN.

The pilot project of this seal is being carried out with the poultry companies PADESA and Vall Companys, and the interprofessional estimates that more than twenty companies will join this year.

A certified process

Operators' compliance with the requirements of the regulation and their certification is carried out through external audits performed by a certification entity approved by ENAC, and authorized by Avianza.

Avianza groups more than 65 associated companies and represents more than 90% of the companies linked to the poultry sector, both chicken, turkey and other poultry. In total, it has more than 5,000 farms and production centers, 281 cutting and processing plants, which directly employ more than 40,000 professionals.

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Avianza II General Assembly of Partners

Madrid, 01 July 2022.- Following the holding of the 2nd General Assembly of Associates of the Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat (Avianza), on Tuesday 28 June 2022, we would like to inform the public of some of the main conclusions reached, following an in-depth analysis of the current situation our sector is going through, as well as the serious and pressing problems that affect it. Avianza represents almost all the companies in the poultry sector, approximately 90%.

First of all, we would like to point out that we do not agree with the messages that have appeared in recent days in some media about a possible shortage of poultry meat for consumers. Although we respect the opinion of the different actors in the sector, and although we are the first to note that there are serious problems that affect us, we believe that at this time we cannot pass on alarmist news to public opinion which, moreover, could lead to greater problems.

We are aware that all the productive sectors in our country, also at a global level, are suffering from the current unaffordable increases in energy costs, but in the specific case of the meat and poultry sector, we must add to this the very strong increase in raw materials, wheat, barley, corn, soybeans... that we have been suffering since the end of 2020.

Just a few facts: with feed costs accounting for approximately 70% of total production costs in the poultry sector, the price of raw materials for feed formulation has increased by 100% in the last year and a half, by 50% since the war between Ukraine and Russia started at the end of last February, with the aggravating factor that both countries produce 30% of the world's entire cereal production.

And this brutal increase in costs has hardly been passed on to our main customers, especially the distribution channel (large supermarkets), which represents 80% of all sales in our sector, with the rest of the cost being borne by the poultry companies themselves.

We believe that it is good for all economic operators in the poultry-meat sector that the Food Chain Law is respected at all stages of the production process, which includes not only the poultry meat processing companies, but also, of course, all our integrated farmers and, of course, those who make our products available to end consumers, both large-scale distributors and the Horeca channel, as well as operators in more traditional markets.

Otherwise, the companies represented in AVIANZA will continue to suffer significant losses that could affect their own viability. And here, we insist, we do not forget our partner farmers, an important part of the production process.

We call for recognition of the value of the product we make, its contribution to the healthy nutrition of millions of people and its role as a generator of employment, as well as its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product of our country and, ultimately, its contribution to the sustainable wellbeing of the population.  

Finally, we would like to thank all the public administrations, state, regional and local, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which we would like to thank the Minister, Mr. Luis Planas, for his support. We know that the needs are infinite and resources are limited, but we are fully confident that we can count on your decisive support. A good example of this was the participation in the closing of the Assembly of Mr. Fernando Miranda, Secretary General of Agriculture and Food, for whose attendance we are especially grateful. AVIANZA. Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat.

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Avianza Communiqué 22 June 2022

On reports of "possible chicken shortages after the summer":

AVIANZA shows its commitment to Spanish consumers and calls for responsibility from all those involved in the food chain.

Madrid, 22 June 2022 - Avianza, the Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat, which represents 90% of the production of chicken, turkey and quail meat in our country, considers it necessary to appeal to the responsibility of the entire food chain to convey confidence to Spanish consumers at a time, once again, of maximum tension in the market.

We represent the activity of more than 5,000 farms, 280 production centres, 120 slaughterhouses, as well as 65 integrating companies, which means more than 40,000 professionals directly and indirectly linked to the sector. A sector that integrates the activity of farmers, veterinarians, producers of raw materials, slaughterhouses, cutting and production centres, marketing companies, logistics, specialists in genetics, foreign trade, sustainability, innovation, etc.

Our mission has been and continues to be to defend a priority sector in the agricultural and livestock sector in our country, where poultry meat is the most consumed meat in Spain, and which represented a volume of more than 1.4 million tonnes of poultry meat produced in 2021.

Since March 2020, when the health crisis caused by the COVID19 pandemic and its economic and social consequences began, we have been one of the sectors hardest hit by the increase in raw materials for feed production, energy, transport, additional health control measures, rising input costs, the war in Ukraine, transport strikes, etc.

And at all times, our companies and professionals have maintained their activity to ensure the supply of poultry meat to consumers, even in the worst moments of confinement. We are, therefore, a responsible, committed sector, which advocates constant cooperation, and we have done this despite the great difficulties encountered by both the aforementioned professionals and the companies involved.

That is why, as a poultry sector, we have remained united to demand that both the Spanish and European public administrations, as well as the distribution sector, the main marketer of our products, adopt measures to correspond to the great human and business efforts made to maintain our production at all times.

It is necessary to make progress in the weighting of public aid to a sector that is undervalued due to its weight, with items that do not correspond to our volume or importance in the economy. All of this must take place within a constructive and at the same time firm dialogue with the administrations.

We have also asked the distribution channels for this responsibility, with the revision of commercial agreements that will adapt to the new macroeconomic situation, as the entire production chain, from genetics to breeding, through production, processing and marketing of the product, is exhausted after more than two years of continuous efforts.

Some data show the dimension of an unsustainable situation, as the reality and the figures are alarming for all those involved in the production chain.

  • It has risen from a price of 36.2 euros/MWh to 289.62 euros/MWh according to data from the Iberian Electricity Market Operator (OMIE). The cost of energy is key for farms, slaughterhouses, production centres, logistics and transport, etc.
  • If we add to this the fact that cereals have increased, we will go from an average feed cost of 300 euros/tonne over the last 5 years to more than 500 euros/tonne in 2022.
  • Also, of the production cost per kilo of chicken, 70% goes to feed. These costs have been borne responsibly by the integration companies in order to continue bringing poultry meat to the population. For example, the integrators have a cost increase of 40% since January 2022 and only 15.5% of the costs have been passed on to them.

As we said, the poultry sector is made up of countless other actors such as genetic research, on-farm breeding, production or processing, marketing, labour, the plastics and cardboard sector, logistics, etc. All these ramifications are in a critical state.

We agree, and we convey this to all the agents involved in the sector, that compliance with the Chain Law is necessary, but in real time and in a fair manner, and for this to be the case, we need responsibility on the part of the distribution sector to make a payment in line with the increase in all these items.

As we said, the poultry sector as a whole is exhausted, with all companies taking critical losses, but again, as on previous occasions, the union of all of us, as well as the common defence of our objectives will be key to overcome it. As an interprofessional representing 90% of the poultry sector, we reaffirm more than ever our commitment to work towards this.

Therefore, and most importantly, we call for responsibility so as not to pass on critical messages such as "possible shortages" to consumers, as these can generate even more uncertainty in an already tense social and economic situation. As an association, we represent the interests of the entire sector, and the integrating companies belonging to this interprofessional association are committed to society to continue bringing the necessary product to their homes, while reiterating their willingness to continue working together to demand solutions and the necessary help so that our poultry sector receives the necessary aid and co-responsibility from the rest of the Food Chain.

Madrid, 22 June 2022.

Antonio Sánchez, President of Avianza / Jordi Montfort, Secretary General of Avianza.

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COMMUNIQUÉ LIVESTOCK-MEAT FORUM: THE LIVESTOCK-MEAT SECTOR IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUE "BUILDING A COUNTRY".

  • The sector's interprofessional organisations promote the Livestock and Meat Forum based on two essential criteria: unity and a firm commitment to the country.
  • At the presentation ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, highlighted the Government's support for the livestock and meat sector "for providing quality food, boosting our exports and giving life to our rural environment".


June 2022. Acting in a coordinated manner to tackle current challenges, such as sustainability and climate change, digitalisation and innovation or the demographic challenge and the structuring of rural Spain, are the strategic axes of the Livestock and Meat Forum, a new initiative of the six interprofessional organisations in the sector that was presented today at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with the participation of the Minister Luis Planas.


In his speech, the head of the Spanish agri-food sector stressed that "society has to know that it has in our livestock farmers, in the meat sector, one of the pillars on which it can feel reassured", stressing "the need to publicise their work and the advances they are making to produce sustainable food, respectful of the environment and animal welfare".


The minister reiterated the Government's support for the livestock and meat sector "for providing quality food, boosting our exports and giving life to our rural environment", and in relation to EU promotion aid, he said that he shared the sector's concern: "reducing support for meat in promotion without prior discussion of the analyses and the context that lead to this decision is wrong. Spain will defend this position in the EU framework", he concluded.


"All the sectors we represent are united and committed to our country", said the presidents of Interporc, Manuel García, and Interovic, Raúl Muñiz, on behalf of the six interprofessional organisations (Asici, Avianza, Intercun, Interovic, Interporc and Provacuno).


"We are determined to create a strong public-private partnership to enhance the value of our sectors and the work and dedication of the hundreds of thousands of professionals who work in them, not only for the social, economic and territorial value that we already bring, but also, and above all, to anticipate the challenges that society and the market demand of us. It is precisely this alliance that provides the best added value to this initiative", they stressed.


To this end, the Livestock and Meat Forum, which was created with the slogan "Building a country", is committed to three fundamental objectives:

  1. To share with society the chain's efforts to become more sustainable and innovative, hand in hand with economic development.
  2. To make the work and voice of Spanish municipalities more visible.
  3. Develop truthful and transparent communication with the support of the scientific world.

And all of this through the sector's contributions to the Spanish economy, to the structuring of rural Spain and the fixation of population, to sustainability and to digitalisation, innovation and development.


The Spanish livestock-meat sector is a net generator of opportunities for our country: it creates quality jobs, stimulates the areas where it is established and, thanks to its exporting vocation, is promoting the Spain brand throughout the world. And all this, without losing the sector's essence of protecting the territory and the environment, among other reasons, because its very existence depends on it.


The Forum responds to the desire of the livestock-meat chain to promote all advances in sustainability and the efforts and resources
aimed at reducing environmental impact, advancing in the circularity of production and moving towards environmental neutrality and the promotion of a more sustainable environment through significant economic investment in innovation and talent.


At the same time, the Forum also wants to raise awareness of the important efforts being made by the chain and the companies that make it up to tackle a deep integration of digitalisation and innovation processes in the sector's production processes.


The Forum also aims to become, through the Municipal Livestock and Meat Network, the main advocate of the economic and social activities that have enabled the survival of many towns and villages in rural areas. Its purpose is to establish meeting points that make visible the important work of the chain to face the demographic and economic challenges that the country must face, and to promote public-private collaboration between municipalities and the sector.


And finally, the Forum aims to provide quality information on the challenges and actions in the livestock-meat chain. In recent times, biased,
biased and targeted information has become a serious problem that affects the public sector and markets alike. The
contribution of the Forum will be transparency and the incorporation into the social debate of the world of science and research as the best means of
knowledge about the meat-livestock chain and its productions.


The Forum's presentation ceremony included the holding of two expert round tables on "Sustainability and Digitalisation" and "The stakes of the chain in the face of the demographic and generational challenge and equality", moderated by journalists Íñigo Inchusta and Elisa Plumed, with the participation of Manuel Lainez (innovation and sustainability consultant), Carlos Piñeiro (information management systems in livestock farming), Francesc Boya (Secretary General of Demographic Challenge), Margarita Rico (research professor at the University of Valladolid) and Lucía Velasco (livestock farming representative).


Link to the Forum presentation: https://youtu.be/m7HjmGH0tgU
Website: www.forogc.es


The livestock-meat chain
In order to correctly situate the enormous social and economic importance of the livestock-meat chain, we must refer to the millions of families in our country whose lives and development are directly linked to livestock production, industry and meat marketing. More than 2 million people depend on this activity in Spain, from the farmers who grow the cereals and fodder to feed the livestock, to the feed manufacturing industry, livestock farmers, meat industries, the animal health industry, veterinary professionals, the livestock and meat logistics and transport sector, auxiliary industries (agricultural machinery, livestock installations, installations for the industry, refrigeration, etc.), organised distribution (supermarket and hypermarket chains) and specialised retail distribution (butcher's and charcuterie shops).


Livestock farming is carried out on more than 350,000 farms throughout the country and more than half of our activity is located in municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants. Livestock farming directly employs more than half a million people and the meat industries and retail trade employ a further 200,000 people. Livestock farming contributes 16,500 million euros to Final Agricultural Production, while the turnover of the meat industry amounts to 31,727 million euros (28.5% of the entire agri-food industrial sector), with 9,107 million euros of exports in 2021 contributing to the country's balance of trade.

More information:
José Manuel Álvarez
Coordinator of the Interprofessional Platform
Ganadero-Cárnicas
[email protected]
646 65 28 46

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AVIANZA collaborates with the meat interprofessionals in the solidarity activity with the Mensajeros de la Paz Foundation at Meat Attraction

As part of Meat Week, which was held to coincide with Meat Attraction, the International Meat Industry Trade Fair, AVIANZA, together with the interprofessional organisations ASICI, INTERCUN, INTEROVIC, INTERPORC and PROVACUNO collaborated with the Mensajeros de la Paz Foundation by providing dishes made with meat products to contribute to the important charitable activity headed by Father Ángel. 

From 7 to 12 March, different rabbit, veal, lamb and poultry dishes, Iberian ham sandwiches and white layer pork sausages, prepared by the chefs and cutters of the six Spanish meat sector organisations, were served on the solidarity tables of the Foundation's soup kitchen. 

Mensajeros de la Paz, founded in Asturias in 1962 by Father Ángel García Rodríguez, currently has numerous social programmes, as well as areas of training, children, women, the elderly, immigration, etc., and the management of nearly a hundred homes for the elderly in different parts of Spain. All focused on improving the social and living conditions of the most disadvantaged citizens. 

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AVIANZA calls for responsibility to avoid serious problems in the agribusiness chain  

Following the launch of the indefinite strike last Monday of the road freight transport sector in Spain, Avianza, the Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat, which brings together 90% of the companies in the sector, is very concerned about how this situation is critically affecting both poultry farming and the distribution of product in the supermarket channel in our country.  

In a sector where timing is a vital factor, access to feed is key to rearing birds and closing production times in a timely manner. Variation in days can be a serious problem for both animal welfare and poultry management on farms with more than 46 million chickens produced every month, 1.5 million every day. Avianza represents more than 5,000 production farms, which are currently not guaranteed feed and other resources.  

Due to the characteristics of poultry meat, it is also critical to get the poultry to the production centres and, subsequently, to the shelves of markets, supermarkets and the HORECA channel. Not having agile transport corridors implies a serious problem for the conservation chain, as well as for the supply of distribution channels to meet the demand of the population.   

This is why Avianza urges the State Administrations, transport associations and the organisations involved to take measures to ensure adequate minimum services and the guarantee of being able to carry out a job that is crucial for feeding the population.