News Release
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Contact:
Gale Johnson |
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Audio files are included with the release as hyperlinks to mp3 files. Please contact ZimmComm New Media (573-896-5842) if you have any difficulties or questions. All of the sound bites are with Robert Fourdraine (FOR-drain), ID•INFO EXPO 2007 Co-chairman, and correspond to quotes in the body of the following press release.
Audio Files:
Traceability and FMD take center stage at this year’s event Bowling Green, KY - The ID•INFO EXPO 2007 is where traceability needs intersect for the animal agriculture industry. That includes animal health, country of origin labeling (COOL), food safety and consumer demand – all rolled into one jam-packed two-day session August 28-30 at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, MO. “ID•INFO EXPO was an effort that the National Institute for Animal Agriculture put in place to educate our livestock industry about animal identification and how this applies to our industry in the United States,” said Robert Fourdraine, co-chair of the event and chief operating officer of the Wisconsin Livestock Identification Consortium. Fourdraine says this year NIAA has expanded the program for the Expo to be more about traceability. “So, it’s not focused just on disease programs and the need for animal identification. We’re going to be talking about country of origin labeling, value-added programs and branding of products all relative to having traceability of animals and animal products.” Bruce Knight, U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, who is responsible for various aspects of animal ID and traceability, will deliver a summary keynote address during the last session of the event on Thursday morning. In addition, the program will open on Tuesday with the timely topic of Foot and Mouth Disease and the ability of the United States to cope with an outbreak of that disease. “We had an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in the UK while we were setting up the agenda and we felt this was a very important topic to address,” said Fourdraine. “So we brought in a speaker from the United Kingdom to explain their animal traceability program in light of the recent outbreak, and we also have a speaker from UC-Davis to discuss how prepared we are in the United States to combat Foot and Mouth Disease and how this relates to our traceability efforts.” The program starts at 1:00 pm on August 28 and concludes at 12:30 pm on August 30. For program details, go to www.animalagriculture.org; click on ID• INFO EXPO, and then on “Schedule of Events.” MEDIA INFORMATION The information will be sent out at the end of each conference day (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) in a word document with links to audio files, photos and press releases with contact numbers for you to call for more information. Please feel free to let us know if there are any specific questions you would like to have addressed to any presenters or if there is anyone in particular you would like to have interviewed. We plan to send 25-30 interviews with presenters, as many as time will allow, as well as the full address by USDA Undersecretary Bruce Knight. A full overview of the program will be accessible online at: http://www.animalagriculture.org. CONTACT INFORMATION |
