The US-Roundtable for Sustainable Poultry & Eggs (US-RSPE) and the International Poultry Welfare Alliance (IPWA) completed their Founding Membership Drive and have set a date for their first Joint Annual Conference on Oct. 9 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Thirty-four organizations from across the supply chain have joined as founding members, including American Humane, Australian Eggs, Aviagen, BASF, Boehringer Ingelheim, Butterball LLC, Cal-Maine Foods, Cargill, Cobb-Vantress, Cooper Farms, Darling Ingredients, Deerfield Farms, Elanco, Environmental Defense Fund, Fieldale Farms, Hy-Line International / Hy-Line North America, IKEA Group, Pilgrim’s, McDonald’s, Merck Animal Health, National Chicken Council, Nestle, Novatech Engineering, PAACO, Peco Foods, Sanderson Farms, Tyson Foods, U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, United Egg Producers, University of Saskatchewan, West Liberty Foods, World Wildlife Fund, Yum Brands and Zoetis.
“We are very happy to have an outstanding and committed group of founding members from across the value chain,” said Ryan Bennett, executive director of US-RSPE and IPWA. “This is a milestone for the poultry and egg sector to have growers, processors, integrators, allied industry, foodservice, associations and NGO’s from across the globe and the United States sitting down to discuss how they can collaborate on improving welfare and sustainability.”
The board of directors for the US-RSPE and IPWA have been established. The composition of the boards is representative of the multi-stakeholder categories of the supply chain, and each board has elected leaders to guide their organizational strategy and future actions. Additionally, each board has formed committees to focus on topics that advance and support the mission of the respective organization via research, education and outreach initiatives. Both organizations are committed to continuous improvement in sustainability and animal welfare through leadership, innovation, multi-stakeholder communication and supply chain collaboration.
A joint US-RSPE and IPWA Annual Conference is planned for Oct. 9 at the Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway in Atlanta, Georgia. Registration for the meeting will be available on Aug. 12, with additional details becoming available on each group’s website.
