European representatives of meat and livestock met in Barcelona in a meeting framed in the General Assembly of the UECBV, the European union for the production and trade of meat and livestock. With the motto “Times are changing, so are we”, the UECBV set the tone for its future, affirming its commitment to animal life.
The meeting in Barcelona was organized by the four UECBV member associations in Spain and featured three interesting speakers:
Ms Joanna Stawowy, representing the EU Agriculture Commissioner’s Cabinet, called for special attention to the protection of animals during transport and highlighted the importance of proactive communication by the livestock and meat sector in the upcoming strategic dialogue . Ms. Stawowy further shared an update on the protein strategy that will be implemented during the first quarter of 2024.
Jordi Alavedra, professor of marketing and communication from Barcelona, showed how fake news can influence social networks and policymaking. He provided interesting examples on meat production and consumption and launched various ideas for proactive and positive communication about meat consumption.
On the other hand, Abel Mariné, professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Barcelona, explained the connection between meat consumption, health and sustainability and highlighted that meat is an essential part of the human diet, which cannot be easily replaced by alternative proteins.
UECBV members elected Mr. Laurens Hoedemaker, DVM of the Netherlands as their new president and Mr. Roland Ackermann of Austria as vice president and President of the UECBV Meat Industry Section.
