INTERPORC has placed animal health, food safety, and internationalization at the center of the discussion regarding the future of the Spanish pork sector during the 45th ANAPORC Congress, currently taking place in Tarragona.
In this context, INTERPORC organized a round table titled “The Role of Veterinarians in Herd Health and Food Safety: A Successful Model for Internationalization.” The session was moderated by Daniel de Miguel, Deputy Director and International Director at INTERPORC, and featured participants Carmen González, Deputy Director General for Sanitary Agreements and Border Control at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; Ignasi Pons, Director General of FECIC; and Antonio Jové, Director of Institutional Relations at Olot Meats Group.
The meeting highlighted the close relationship between animal health, food safety, professionalization, and internationalization, as well as the fundamental role veterinarians play in maintaining market confidence and facilitating access for Spanish products to international destinations.
Daniel de Miguel emphasized that “animal health is a collective asset that we must all safeguard.” Along these lines, Carmen González highlighted the importance of the farm veterinarian, animal health visits, and regionalization as key tools for strengthening biosecurity, protecting health status, and maintaining the confidence of international markets.
For his part, Ignasi Pons underscored the importance of veterinarians and quality and food safety departments in ensuring compliance with the sanitary and commercial requirements of foreign markets. Antonio Jové identified market diversification, the maintenance of health status, and the improvement of business efficiency as future challenges. A sector poised for a new international phase
During the opening of the Congress, Catalonia’s Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food highlighted that the pork industry is “one of the most efficient sectors in the world” and emphasized its ability to tackle challenges such as African Swine Fever (ASF). He also noted that Catalonia is in the final stage of the ASF outbreak among wild boars and that over 100 million euros have been allocated for its eradication.
As part of the Congress, INTERPORC also presented its new campaign, “Orgullosos de lo nuestro” (Proud of What’s Ours). This initiative has just launched with the release of the campaign’s flagship commercial and aims to showcase the economic, social, and territorial importance of the Spanish pork sector.
