Meat+Poultry - September 2017 - 96

CONFERENCE PREVIEW

NAMI's Animal Care and Handling Conference
recognizes the importance of animal welfare
BY K I M B E R L I E C LYM A | kc l y m a @ s o s l a n d.c o m

T

he North American Meat Institute (NAMI) will hold
its annual Animal Care and Handling Conference
in Kansas City, Missouri, Oct. 19-20. The workshop,
which has been held annually since 1999, is intended for
key plant personnel, such as managers, production and pen
supervisors, training managers, quality assurance and safety
staff and others involved in training personnel in animal
driving, handling and stunning. It's designed to help improve
productivity, efficiency and product quality while learning
the latest humane handling and stunning practices.
"The Animal Care and Handling Conference is the
premiere animal welfare conference for the meat industry,"
said Eric Mittenthal, vice president of public affairs for
NAMI. "It has grown into a must-attend event for anyone
involved in animal welfare and offers education from

Temple Grandin,
Ph.D., professor
of animal science
at Colorado State
Univ., will speak at
the conference.

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96

top experts on the latest animal handling strategies and
research." The conference has doubled in size since it was
launched in 1999. Highlighting the line-up of expert speakers
at the event is Temple Grandin, Ph.D., a professor of animal
science at Colorado State Univ. and the world's leading
authority on humane handling of livestock.
The 1½ day conference will start at 8:15 a.m. Thursday,
Oct. 19 at the Westin Crown Center in downtown Kansas
City and will adjourn at noon on Friday, Oct. 20. There will
also be a pre-conference workshop focused on livestock
transportation Wednesday, Oct. 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., for an additional fee.
"With the meat and poultry industry processing 33 million
cattle, 113 million hogs, 2.1 million sheep and lamb, and 248
million turkeys in 2012, animal handling issues are vitally
important to our industry and the success of our businesses,"
according to NAMI.
The conference is open to anyone in the meat industry
including:
x CEOs and senior managers who seek to understand new
customer demands, and how to meet them.
x Plant managers and operations personnel responsible for
implementing new animal handling programs - or improving
existing ones.
x New livestock handlers on the front lines.
x Producers who want to understand animal welfare from
farm to plant.
x Animal welfare auditors looking to sharpen their skills.
x Retail and restaurant companies who seek to understand
the issues and challenges involved in animal care and
handling.
"The Meat Institute has led the way on animal welfare
since the first Animal Handling Guidelines and Audit Guide
was published 20 years ago," Mittenthal said. "Today as more
and more consumers are concerned about how animals are
handled, the conference provides education for industry
members at all levels of experience to help meet those
consumer demands for meat and poultry produced using
strong animal welfare practices."
For more information or to register, go to www.
meatinstitute.org. (Conference schedule on Page 98).
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